How to hire a Service Associate

How to hire a service associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step service associate hiring guide:

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

What does a Service Associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a service associate, 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

   A service associate's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, service associates 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 service associates.

   Type Of Service Associate	Description	Hourly Rate
   Service Associate	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$11-30
   Customer Service Advisor	A customer service advisor is responsible for providing the best customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services offered by the organization. Customer service advisors assist customers with their needs by recommending product selection, offering new products and services, and informing the customers of promotional offers to generate revenues and increase profitability... Show More	$12-18
   Finance Service Advisor	A finance service advisor provides clients with recommendations on taxes, college savings accounts, retirement, estate planning, and investments. Finance service advisors collaborate with the executives for profitability and efficiency through project management strategy and accounting procedure restructuring... Show More	$13-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Sales Floor
   • Patients
   • Quality Customer Service
   • Basic Math
   • Customer Service
   • Loan Payments
   • Patient Rooms
   • Cash Handling
   • Financial Services
   • Cleanliness
   • Data Entry
   • Credit Card
   • Math
   • Account Maintenance

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop skills in QuickBooks to manage money and invoices.
   • Manage various senior level logistics operations, develop and implement supply chain policies and procedures.
   • Educate veterans and the college community on veteran's benefits and academic requirements need to accomplish academic goals.
   • Cover a very large floor and improve customer service ratings through overall facility cleanliness.
   • Review controls regarding UNIX servers with client.
   • Enter orders into QuickBooks and process for production.

   More Service Associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your service associate job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A service associate can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, service associates' average salary in alaska is 52% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level service associates 63% less than senior-level service associates.
   • Certifications. A service associate 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 service associate's salary.

   Average service associate salary

   $38,712yearly

   $18.61 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level service associate salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 15, 2025

   Average service associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	New York	$62,934	$30
   2	District of Columbia	$62,241	$30
   3	Massachusetts	$60,351	$29
   4	New Jersey	$53,018	$25
   5	Pennsylvania	$52,200	$25
   6	Maryland	$49,694	$24
   7	California	$49,459	$24
   8	Maine	$46,692	$22
   9	Virginia	$43,296	$21
   10	Washington	$43,047	$21
   11	North Carolina	$41,896	$20
   12	Michigan	$40,496	$19
   13	Illinois	$40,008	$19
   14	Texas	$39,888	$19
   15	Ohio	$39,347	$19
   16	Kentucky	$38,208	$18
   17	Indiana	$37,908	$18
   18	Minnesota	$37,748	$18
   19	Wisconsin	$36,352	$17
   20	Missouri	$36,311	$17

   Average service associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Vedder Price	$115,394	$55.48
   2	Apollo Global Management	$98,036	$47.13	1
   3	Barclays	$93,284	$44.85	1
   4	AlixPartners	$92,816	$44.62	1
   5	Goldman Sachs	$92,675	$44.56	15
   6	Boston Lyric Opera	$89,773	$43.16
   7	Citi	$89,432	$43.00	54
   8	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$87,541	$42.09	213
   9	Bloomberg	$85,362	$41.04	6
   10	AstraZeneca	$84,942	$40.84
   11	GMO	$84,809	$40.77
   12	Charles River Associates	$84,806	$40.77
   13	Alvarez & Marsal	$84,743	$40.74
   14	Arrowstreet Capital	$84,442	$40.60
   15	Moody's	$83,350	$40.07	2
   16	Lazard	$82,624	$39.72
   17	BlackRock	$82,409	$39.62	16
   18	Silicon Valley Bank	$81,672	$39.27
   19	Grant Thornton	$81,478	$39.17	2
   20	Ernst & Young	$81,453	$39.16	33

4. Writing a Service Associate Job Description

   A good service associate job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a service associate job description:

   Service Associate job description example

   Join the Cleveland Clinic team, where you will work alongside passionate caregivers and provide patient-first healthcare. Cleveland Clinic Akron General is now ranked as the No. 1 hospital in the Akron Metropolitan Area, according to U.S. News & World Report. Akron General is also listed as the No. 7 hospital in Ohio for 2022-23, according to the annual ranking of Best Hospitals by U.S. News.
   
   As a Service Associate in our Special Care Nursery unit, you will provide patient care by handling inventory for supplies and equipment while performing housekeeping duties throughout the nursery care areas. This role requires someone who can multitask in a fast-paced environment. In addition, a Service Associate with assist with transporting, lifting and moving patients.
   The ideal candidate is someone who:
   
   -Is empathetic.
   
   -Has excellent communication skills.
   
   -Can adapt to change.
   
   -Is always energetic.
   
   -Can critically think and problem solve for patients' best interests.
   
   This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is ready to grow and learn new skills. Cleveland Clinic will assist you by offering tuition reimbursement and cross-training for professional development. This unit is team oriented and works together to provide exceptional patient care.
   
   Cleveland Clinic provides what matters most: career growth, delivering world-class care to our patients, continuous learning, exceptional benefits and working for an organization that offers many long-term career paths. Join us and experience a culture where opportunities to advance and the support to get there go hand-in-hand. Maintains daily stock in the Resuscitation Room, NICU and supply rooms. Communicates with Assistant Manager (Children's), or Director (AGMC) regarding discrepancies in orders and supplies received. Assists with maintaining stock in L&D and OB triage as needed. Carries a pocket phone so as to be available at all times Rounds in L&D and OB Triage daily; checks with charge nurses to assess need for SA services. Cleans and prepares resuscitation room after use, readies the room for next use. Stocks supplies and equipment in accordance with established par levels. Assists in maintaining a safe and clean environment for patients by cleaning equipment as assigned, returning equipment to proper storage areas and keeping unit in order. Reports equipment that is out of order, damaged or needs replaced. Transports sterile supplies and heavy equipment to and from Central Supply as requested. Transports specimens, chart materials and blood products in an appropriate manner. Sorts, folds, distributes, and stores linens in appropriate storage areas. Collects and empties trash/linen. Cleans sterilizers, warmers, utility rooms, and storage rooms as needed. Maintains carts and beds. When requested, assists L&D staff to collect patient trays in a timely fashion and loads them on food cart. Transports patients throughout the hospital as needed. Transports patient medical equipment as required. Serves as a runner for resuscitations and in L&D as needed. Assists with lifting, moving and positioning of patients, and with ambulation as needed. Attends to minor maintenance such as light bulb changes, etc. Cleans assigned areas within patient care units according to established procedures. Attends inservices, staff meetings and other meetings as requested. Reports to registered nurse before leaving and upon return to the patient care unit. Completes mandatory education and training in order to maintain organization and department specific competencies and requirements, including CPR. Follows hospital and department policies and procedures with special attention to attendance and punctuality, confidentiality, dress code and display of ID badge, and safety. Other duties as assigned
   Education: High school graduate or the equivalent.
   Certifications: None required
   Complexity of Work: Maintains competencies specific to patient population served. Satisfactorily complete/pass all mandated programs as required by policy. Successful completion of basic math and reading skills. Ability to form and to maintain courteous, cooperative and respectful relations with patients/families, physicians and coworkers. Ability to work as part of a team. Ability to perform diverse duties. Good verbal and written communication skills. Ability to follow verbal and written instructions. Ability to handle many simultaneous directives. Ability to prioritize and be flexible with assignments.
   Work Experience: Six months experience in a service-related setting.
   Physical Requirements: Significant walking, bending, stooping, patient lifting and positioning. Regular lifting, pushing and moving of equipment and patients.
   Personal Protective Equipment: Follows standard precautions using personal protective equipment as required

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find service associates 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 service associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level service associates 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 service associate job on Zippia to find and recruit service associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit service associates, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 service associate

   Once you've found the service associate 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.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new service associate. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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.)

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