How to hire a service secretary

How to hire a service secretary, step by step

Here's a step-by-step service secretary 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 secretary job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new service secretary
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a service secretary do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your service secretary job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a service secretary for hire on a part-time basis or as a 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 service secretary 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of service secretaries and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Service Secretary	Description	Hourly rate
   Service Secretary	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$10-20
   Administrative Receptionist	An administrative receptionist is responsible for performing administrative tasks, handling visitors' inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department, as well as handling and routing calls. Administrative receptionists also keep records of the staff meeting and executive conference, including company and promotional events... Show more	$12-18
   Administrative Professional	An administrative professional specializes in performing administrative support and clerical tasks in a company or office, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around managing schedules, arranging appointments and meetings, producing progress reports and presentations, delegating tasks, and attending meetings on behalf of executives or staff... Show more	$11-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • Payroll
   • Telephone Calls
   • Word Processing
   • Office Equipment
   • Appointment Scheduling
   • Purchase Orders
   • Database Management
   • Clerical Support
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Secretarial Support
   • Front Desk

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
   • Assist payroll administrator with completing bi-weekly payroll.
   • Compose and edit PowerPoint presentations for physicians.
   • Develop several PowerPoint presentations utilize for training purposes.
   • Developed/Implemented/Monitore annual budgets and payroll system for both departments.
   • Demonstrate professional integrity and tactful handling of confidential and protect health information according to HIPAA and administrative policy guidelines.

   More service secretary duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, service secretaries' average salary in oklahoma is 44% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level service secretaries earn 48% less than senior-level service secretaries.
   • Certifications. A service secretary 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 a service secretary's salary.

   Average service secretary salary

   $14.88hourly

   $30,948 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level service secretary salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average service secretary salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$37,912	$18
   2	California	$36,717	$18
   3	Washington	$35,956	$17
   4	Massachusetts	$35,089	$17
   5	Rhode Island	$34,537	$17
   6	New Jersey	$31,371	$15
   7	Michigan	$30,773	$15
   8	Minnesota	$29,098	$14
   9	Nevada	$29,064	$14
   10	Nebraska	$28,513	$14
   11	New York	$28,272	$14
   12	Kansas	$26,958	$13
   13	Pennsylvania	$26,668	$13
   14	Illinois	$25,729	$12
   15	Mississippi	$25,362	$12
   16	Missouri	$24,853	$12
   17	Ohio	$24,775	$12
   18	South Dakota	$23,350	$11

   Average service secretary salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	EastHartford Schools	$39,788	$19.13
   2	City of Reno	$39,356	$18.92
   3	Mount Sinai Health System	$36,119	$17.36	11
   4	City of St. Louis	$34,942	$16.80	1
   5	Queensboro Toyota	$32,366	$15.56
   6	Nebraska Methodist Health System	$31,799	$15.29
   7	The Jordan Center	$31,555	$15.17
   8	Escondido Union High School District	$30,782	$14.80
   9	Penn Medicine Princeton Health	$30,547	$14.69	7
   10	RWJBarnabas Health	$30,510	$14.67	36
   11	Harrisburg School District	$30,415	$14.62	1
   12	LifePoint Health	$30,330	$14.58	30
   13	Union Health	$29,909	$14.38
   14	Riverside Medical Center	$29,816	$14.33	3
   15	Jeffrey C Still Middle School	$29,253	$14.06	1
   16	Modesto City Schools	$29,076	$13.98
   17	Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District	$29,012	$13.95
   18	Care New England Health System	$28,727	$13.81	12
   19	UPMC	$28,442	$13.67	16
   20	Bristol Public School District	$28,422	$13.66

4. Writing a service secretary job description

   A service secretary job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a service secretary job description:

   Service secretary job description example

   St. John's Riverside Hospital is a leader in providing the highest quality, compassionate health care utilizing the latest, state-of-the-art medical technology. Serving the Westchester community from Yonkers to the river town communities of Hastings-on-Hudson, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington, St. John's Riverside has been and continues to be a unique and comprehensive network of medical professionals dedicated to a tradition of service that spans generations.
   
   St. John's has been an integral part of the community since the 1890's and its' commitment to provide the community with the most advanced medical services available continues to be the hospitals' vision, mission and value. St. John's Riverside Hospital built itself around an early foundation of nursing and community service. In 1894, the Cochran School of Nursing, the oldest hospital-based school of nursing in the metropolitan area, was founded, thus making the St. John's Nursing Staff more than just the backbone of the hospital, but the heart and soul. St. John's dedicated nurses give superior attention to those who need it most with a strong emphasis on patient and family-focused nursing care.
   
   St. John's Riverside Hospital staff is committed to making life better for all patients. The hospital continues to elevate the services provided with the goal of increasing the quality of life for all who entrust St. John's Riverside Hospital to their care.
   Personalized care together with advanced technology is what it means to be Community Strong
   
   Responsibilities
   
   Manage telephone flow; screen and route calls appropriately, take messages. Type all materials requested. Copy and fax all material requested. Manage all incoming and outgoing mail. Maintain appointment book for meetings and patient activities. Prepare chart materials, agendas, notes and handouts. Maintain files and assist in setting up office systems. Maintain statistics as directed. Responsible for timely collection, data entry, correction and follow up of OASAS and other regulatory reporting forms. Assist with bi-weekly completion of payroll, and maintenance of staff time sheets. Responsible for obtaining proper approval of all invoices and check requests and follow up with finance department if necessary. Maintain and update caseload list and group sign-in sheets Order supplies and monitor inventory. Assist with any financial and billing procedures as assigned. Assist with scheduling intake appointments. Other related duties as required.
   
   Qualifications
   
   HS Diploma or equivalent. Previous secretarial experience in a healthcare environment preferred. Strong knowledge of MS Office: Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Must be detail oriented with strong organizational and communications skills. Ability to set priorities and to multi-task essential.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right service secretary for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with service secretaries they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit service secretaries who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with service secretary 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 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 service secretary

   Once you've decided on a perfect service secretary candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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How much does it cost to hire a service secretary?