How to hire a staff assistant

How to hire a staff assistant, step by step

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

What does a staff assistant do?

Post a staff assistant job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The staff assistant 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

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

   Type of Staff Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Staff Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$12-30
   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:

   • Customer Service
   • Patients
   • Data Entry
   • PowerPoint
   • Office Procedures
   • Veterans
   • Provides Administrative Support
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Payroll
   • Human Resources
   • Word Processing
   • Constituent Correspondence
   • Office Equipment
   • Clerical Support

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage, troubleshoot, install and resolve hardware, software configurations, and network relate issues.
   • Manage candidate Facebook page and facilitate other advertising.
   • Manage fireworks inventory through QuickBooks and process customer wholesale orders.
   • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
   • Conduct weekly groups for newly refer veterans and potential landlords on the HUD VASH searching process.
   • Supervise the daily operations, office work and customer service in a windows replacement company).

   More staff assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your staff assistant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A staff assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a staff assistant in Indiana may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level staff assistant usually earns less than a senior-level staff assistant. Additionally, a staff assistant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average staff assistant salary

   $41,778yearly

   $20.09 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level staff assistant salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average staff assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$65,589	$32
   2	New York	$57,932	$28
   3	District of Columbia	$57,092	$27
   4	California	$55,288	$27
   5	Pennsylvania	$49,101	$24
   6	Illinois	$48,238	$23
   7	Maryland	$47,974	$23
   8	Oregon	$47,370	$23
   9	Colorado	$44,748	$22
   10	Ohio	$38,789	$19
   11	North Carolina	$38,631	$19
   12	Texas	$38,621	$19
   13	Arizona	$37,909	$18
   14	Nebraska	$35,780	$17
   15	Florida	$35,467	$17
   16	Utah	$34,811	$17
   17	Kentucky	$33,006	$16

   Average staff assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Massasoit Community College	$80,088	$38.50
   2	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp	$77,904	$37.45	6
   3	Ernst & Young	$76,627	$36.84	122
   4	American Express	$69,476	$33.40	14
   5	Rowan University	$68,898	$33.12
   6	Westfield State University	$66,354	$31.90
   7	Jacobs Engineering Group	$65,210	$31.35
   8	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$65,136	$31.32	7
   9	Smithsonian Institution	$63,765	$30.66
   10	Department of Homeland Security	$62,238	$29.92	12
   11	University of Massachusetts Boston	$62,058	$29.84	1
   12	Baptist Health Home Care	$60,789	$29.23	13
   13	Legal Services	$60,217	$28.95	5
   14	Jet Propulsion Laboratory	$59,502	$28.61
   15	The Aspen Institute	$59,026	$28.38
   16	State College of Florida	$57,625	$27.70	2
   17	Massachusetts General Hospital	$57,538	$27.66
   18	Baystate Health	$57,383	$27.59	14
   19	United States Conference of Mayors	$57,207	$27.50
   20	Health Alliance	$56,764	$27.29	35

4. Writing a staff assistant job description

   A job description for a staff 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 staff assistant job description:

   Staff assistant job description example

   Posting: September 2022

   Position: FY23-12

   Deadline for application: 28 October 2022

   Start Date: ASAP

   Division: Technology and Library Services Divisions

   Union Affiliation: Association of Professional Administrators (APA)

   Supervision Received: Reports to the Director of Infrastructure Technology Services

   Supervision Exercised: Supervises subordinate professional, classified and student personnel in area of responsibility as assigned

   General Statement of Duties: The Instructional Specialist oversees the simulation systems which are used on campus as an important teaching tool. The Instructional Specialist ensures that all simulation systems are in top working order and supports the operation of all Marine Transportation simulators.

   Responsibilities:

   • Support courses with the operation and maintenance of the Academy's simulator systems. Assist and train other operators, instructors, and faculty in the operation of simulator systems. Respond to requests for operational support for campus simulator systems. Ensure all technical issues related to a simulation system are documented in the Service Desk system. Troubleshoot any reported simulation system issue in an effort to repair the Academy's simulator systems' hardware and software malfunctions. Troubleshoot issues with simulator exercises and make recommendations to instructors to ensure all simulation exercises operate properly. Work with simulator vendors to resolve technical issues in a timely manner to ensure optimal operation of all simulation systems. Assist in managing software upgrades and hardware replacements to campus simulation systems. Clean and provide preventative maintenance for all simulator systems and ancillary equipment. Create technical documentation for the operation and support of all simulator systems. Maintain industry knowledge of new technologies, trends, best practices and relevant innovations in an effort to continually improve the Academy's simulator systems.

   Required Qualifications:

   • Associate degree Familiar with marine vessel operations. Experience with operating PC hardware, software, and peripherals in a Windows environment. Experience with the installation and testing of software packages, drivers, and associated files related to simulator systems. Two or more years of experience running, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing simulation devices and equipment as part of professional training programs. Effective verbal and written communication, leadership, and team-building skills. Ability to work cooperatively with a diverse workforce.

   Preferred Qualifications:

   • Coast Guard Master License for 100-ton or above. Five or more years of work experience in the repair of marine electronics (RADAR, ECDIS, Gyro, and VHF/UHF), computers and associated peripherals. Familiarity with simulator systems from such manufacturers as CSC, Wartsila or Kongsberg. Experience with utilizing and maintaining AudioNisual systems.

   PandoLogic. Keywords: Training & Development Specialist, Location: Washington, DC - 20037

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right staff assistant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting staff assistants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 staff assistant

   Once you've found the staff assistant 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 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 staff 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 staff assistant?