How to hire a sales administrator/administrative assistant

How to hire a sales administrator/administrative assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sales administrator/administrative assistant hiring guide:

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

What does a sales administrator/administrative assistant do?

Post a sales administrator/administrative assistant job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a sales administrator/administrative assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect sales administrator/administrative assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents sales administrator/administrative assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-21
   Administrative Support	Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries... Show more	$12-25
   Administrative Staff	As the administrative staff, they primarily provide administrative and secretarial support for the department. Typically, they do report-writing, filing and scheduling, and payroll... Show more	$27-48

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Reservations
   • Word Processing
   • Data Entry
   • PowerPoint
   • Phone Calls
   • Payroll
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Purchase Orders
   • Sales Process
   • Office Equipment
   • Expense Reports
   • Customer Support
   • Banquet Event Orders
   • Sales Proposals

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Contribute to marketing business online and manage Facebook page.
   • Invoice customer on completion of project.
   • Perform regular audits on the CRM system for data and process integrity and routine database maintenance.
   • Create accounts, contacts, and opportunities resulting in the successful execution of customer contracts in Salesforce.
   • Process new applications for merchant banking services, cash advance funding, POS equipment leasing, and small business lending.
   • Prepare and sustain business reports; expense tracking, monthly accrual and invoice payment submission, procurement card reconciliation report maintenance.

   More sales administrator/administrative assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sales administrator/administrative assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A sales administrator/administrative assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, sales administrator/administrative assistants' average salary in arkansas is 33% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level sales administrator/administrative assistants 34% less than senior-level sales administrator/administrative assistants.
   • Certifications. A sales administrator/administrative assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a sales administrator/administrative assistant's salary.

   Average sales administrator/administrative assistant salary

   $36,442yearly

   $17.52 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sales administrator/administrative assistant salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average sales administrator/administrative assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$42,314	$20
   2	Oregon	$41,579	$20
   3	District of Columbia	$41,185	$20
   4	Washington	$41,073	$20
   5	Connecticut	$40,659	$20
   6	Nebraska	$39,928	$19
   7	New York	$39,502	$19
   8	Colorado	$39,064	$19
   9	Massachusetts	$38,212	$18
   10	Minnesota	$37,770	$18
   11	Arizona	$37,708	$18
   12	Missouri	$37,668	$18
   13	Tennessee	$37,047	$18
   14	Texas	$36,966	$18
   15	Nevada	$36,722	$18
   16	Illinois	$36,670	$18
   17	Maryland	$36,554	$18
   18	Iowa	$36,350	$17
   19	North Carolina	$35,173	$17
   20	South Carolina	$34,788	$17

   Average sales administrator/administrative assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Splunk	$46,451	$22.33
   2	CBIZ	$44,369	$21.33	19
   3	Cumulus Media	$42,912	$20.63	7
   4	Intel	$41,016	$19.72	2
   5	Uline	$40,937	$19.68	105
   6	Zynex Medical	$40,208	$19.33
   7	Fox News	$39,280	$18.88
   8	Applied Industrial Technologies	$39,121	$18.81	4
   9	Gillette	$38,610	$18.56
   10	Learfield	$38,547	$18.53	3
   11	Fastsigns International	$38,293	$18.41	20
   12	Pacific Office Automation	$38,200	$18.37	12
   13	Waste Pro	$38,063	$18.30	2
   14	P&G	$37,973	$18.26	4
   15	SavATree	$37,639	$18.10	9
   16	Sysco	$37,527	$18.04	21
   17	Gemini	$37,511	$18.03
   18	Magnum Venus Products	$37,471	$18.01
   19	The High Companies	$37,470	$18.01	1
   20	AdvanTech	$37,307	$17.94

4. Writing a sales administrator/administrative assistant job description

   A job description for a sales administrator/administrative assistant 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 a sales administrator/administrative assistant job description:

   Sales administrator/administrative assistant job description example

   At Ohio Machinery Co., our employees take pride in building the world around them. From our Serviceman and Technicians keeping the equipment running, our knowledgeable sales staff helping maximize efficiency for our customers, our front-line workers preparing equipment and parts orders, to our support staff making sure everything runs smoothly internally. Our employees are making a difference, and you can too! Ohio Machinery offers a career path, great pay, and a truly comprehensive benefits package including an annual Success Share bonus, retirement options (pension plan for Union employees, 401(k) Match for Non-Union employees), medical/dental/vision insurance options including a zero employee payroll contribution for an HSA health insurance option with an employer contribution that adds $1,200.00 per year. Spouses and children scholarship opportunities (through the Ohio Machinery Education and Opportunity Foundation), and many others.
   
   Assist the Sales Administration department with processes related to Inventory Ordering and New Machine sales. Duties would include vendor invoice coding, receiving new equipment into the system, opening work orders, sale reporting, warranty enrollment, and invoicing as well as other clerical duties such as filing and scanning of sales documents.
   COMPETENCIES LIST:
   
   Must have an excellent work ethic and strong general office skills. Must be proficient with various computer programs, such as MS Word, Excel, and Outlook. Must be highly organized, a quick learner, and able to adapt to change and new processes. Must be able to work with a sense of urgency to complete tasks efficiently and accurately.
   
   JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   High School diploma, Associate or Bachelor's degree preferred. Two-Five years of administrative and office experience.
   
   PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
   
   Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer keyboard, and to verbally communicate to exchange information. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate to loud in other situations, with both constant and sudden loud noises possible.
   
   EEO, Veterans & Disabled Employer, and VEVRAA/503 Federal Contractor

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find sales administrator/administrative assistants 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 sales administrator/administrative assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level sales administrator/administrative assistants 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 sales administrator/administrative assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit sales administrator/administrative assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit sales administrator/administrative assistants, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 sales administrator/administrative assistant

   Once you've selected the best sales administrator/administrative assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new sales administrator/administrative assistant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 a sales administrator/administrative assistant?