How to hire an office manager

How to hire an office manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step office manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an office manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new office manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an office manager do?

Post an office manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The office manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An office manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, office managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of office managers.

   Type of Office Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Office Manager	An office manager makes sure that the office or department runs smoothly. The responsibilities may include keeping office supplies in stock, making sure administrative and office staff are performing their duties.	$14-29
   Coordinator/Manager	A coordinator/manager is a professional who is responsible for supervising the day-to-day operations of a facility by following a set of policies and guidelines. Coordinators/managers collaborate with board members to ensure the overall quality of the facility and maintain inventory levels for all components and parts... Show more	$12-44
   Administrative Manager	An administrative manager is an employee responsible for supervising an organization's standard clerical and administrative process such as faxing, photocopying, and liaise between employees and the management. Executive managers would assist human resource (HR) professionals in recruiting and training new administrative employees and reporting their government's progress... Show more	$22-50

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Patients
   • Financial Statements
   • Office Operations
   • Office Equipment
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • Human Resources
   • Office Management
   • Accounts Receivables
   • Bank Deposits
   • Front Desk
   • Accounts Payables
   • PowerPoint
   • Travel Arrangements

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage international team development of RFP for new MPLS global network services.
   • Produce around $100k month sales/ billings, AIA documents, and manage customer accounts.
   • Monitor and manage the HVAC environment and nightly office cleaning performance for maximum comfort, appearance and functionality.
   • Manage PMO office functions including creation of strategic plan, marketing of services, and resource and project planning.
   • Manage production of an RFP to source $60m in software and services and manage a subset of the subsequent implementation.
   • Manage daily functions and systems to ensure patients receive appropriate accommodations under HIPAA guidelines.

   More office manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your office manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An office manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, office managers' average salary in mississippi is 48% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level office managers earn 52% less than senior-level office managers.
   • Certifications. An office manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an office manager's salary.

   Average office manager salary

   $43,395yearly

   $20.86 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level office manager salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average office manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$59,207	$28
   2	New York	$57,141	$27
   3	Maryland	$50,045	$24
   4	Massachusetts	$49,933	$24
   5	California	$49,603	$24
   6	New Jersey	$49,507	$24
   7	Texas	$47,459	$23
   8	Virginia	$46,473	$22
   9	Pennsylvania	$45,331	$22
   10	Illinois	$44,887	$22
   11	Florida	$43,138	$21
   12	Washington	$42,453	$20
   13	Minnesota	$42,014	$20
   14	Michigan	$41,227	$20
   15	Colorado	$40,865	$20
   16	Oregon	$40,294	$19
   17	Nevada	$39,730	$19
   18	Ohio	$39,582	$19
   19	Missouri	$39,364	$19
   20	North Carolina	$39,087	$19

   Average office manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Moody's	$91,388	$43.94	1
   2	PitchBook Data	$90,366	$43.45	1
   3	Meta	$89,100	$42.84	2
   4	Credit Suisse	$86,309	$41.49
   5	UBS	$73,862	$35.51	9
   6	Mission Regional Medical Center	$71,408	$34.33	3
   7	McKinsey & Company Inc	$70,645	$33.96
   8	Jacobs Engineering Group	$69,872	$33.59
   9	Kent Daniels & Associates	$67,687	$32.54	1
   10	AlixPartners	$66,210	$31.83
   11	CFA Institute	$66,092	$31.77
   12	Citi	$66,032	$31.75	3
   13	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory	$65,351	$31.42	1
   14	VF	$65,219	$31.36
   15	Charles River Associates	$64,596	$31.06
   16	HDR	$64,538	$31.03	4
   17	APCO Worldwide	$64,301	$30.91
   18	BNY Mellon	$64,049	$30.79	13
   19	AssetMark	$63,998	$30.77	1
   20	General Electric	$63,494	$30.53	1

4. Writing an office manager job description

   A job description for an office manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an office manager job description:

   Office manager job description example

   As a member of our Digital Technology Team Operations team, you'll draw on your strengths to create and manage processes related to talent management in a technology organization. You will help technology team grow in size and skill and at the same time enable our organization deliver amazing product to clients. It's a terrific opportunity to develop your leadership skills and make lasting connections throughout JPMorgan Chase & Co. This role requires a keen ability to focus on details of people organization, workforce development communication management and cost controls. You'll play an integral role in ensuring that the teams run within budget, and in accordance with firm-wide guidelines. Just as importantly, you'll work with your team to set goals, foster collaboration, and promote the values, culture, and brand of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
   Responsibilities
   End to end hiring facilitation, open requisitions for the organization, working with internal recruiting and external vendor managers and following up with teams on recruiting efforts. Facilitate clear and transparent communication to stakeholders and across different LOB's. Own hiring dashboard, report on organizational headcount to the central finance team on budget scenarios, reconciliations, team infrastructure and cost reporting. Implementing on-boarding and order management process. Ensure teams have the appropriate technology by placing all equipment orders and track equipment across T&I organization. Support the process to gather report, analyze and release related metrics. Perform data collection from different sources and analysis of results
   Qualifications
   BS/BA degree or equivalent experience Expert knowledge in all business processes across an entire line of business, as well expertise in other lines of business and technology disciplines Strong understanding of stakeholder management, budget management and operations Highly motivated self-starter with excellent time management/prioritization skills Able to forge strong internal relationships across a broad range of functions Self-motivated, tenacious and able to work with high degree of independence Excellent written and oral communication skills Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to analyze large data sets and present conclusions concisely Excellent project management and organizational skills
   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the oldest financial institutions, offers innovative financial solutions to millions of consumers, small businesses and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Our history spans over 200 years and today we are a leader in investment banking, consumer and small business banking, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management.
   
   We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
   
   The health and safety of our colleagues, candidates, clients and communities has been a top priority in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. JPMorgan Chase was awarded the "WELL Health-Safety Rating" for all of our 6,200 locations globally based on our operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment.
   
   As a part of our commitment to health and safety, we have implemented various COVID-related health and safety requirements for our workforce. Employees are expected to follow the Firm's current COVID-19 or other infectious disease health and safety requirements, including local requirements. Requirements include sharing information including your vaccine card in the firm's vaccine record tool, and may include mask wearing. Requirements may change in the future with the evolving public health landscape. JPMorgan Chase will consider accommodation requests as required by applicable law.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find office managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any office managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level office managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your office manager job on Zippia to find and recruit office manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with office manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new office manager

   Once you've found the office manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new office manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an office manager?