How to hire a support staff

How to hire a support staff, step by step

Here's a step-by-step support staff hiring guide:

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

What does a support staff do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your support staff 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 support staff 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

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

   Here's a comparison of support staff salaries for various roles:

   Type of Support Staff	Description	Hourly rate
   Support Staff		$12-19
   Service Aide	A family service aide is a professional social worker who addresses the behavior of clients as well as utilizes crisis intervention techniques in the effort to assist with symptom management and stabilization. Family service aides are required to monitor the progress of clients and prepare reports in preparation for court cases if needed... Show more	$11-18
   Staffing Supervisor	A staffing supervisor monitors work procedures and manages staff. They are responsible for hiring and training staff... Show more	$16-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Mental Health
   • Meal Preparation
   • Direct Care
   • Home Maintenance
   • Direct Support
   • CPR
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Medication Administration
   • Emotional Support
   • Behavioral Issues
   • Support Services
   • Food Preparation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage SharePoint inventory repository and assign access levels to new hires as needed.
   • Provide companionship to the consumer.
   • Tutor students in various science courses, English and GED prep classes.
   • Maintain a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment which fosters growth and rehabilitation.
   • Work with students at various levels of mathematics knowledge within the same teaching environment.
   • Work with students who have graduated from the developmental mathematics program on more advance mathematics classes.

   More support staff duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, desk clerks supervisors' average salary in louisiana is 42% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level desk clerks supervisors earn 38% less than senior-level desk clerks supervisors.
   • Certifications. A support staff 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 support staff's salary.

   Average support staff salary

   $15.28hourly

   $31,772 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level support staff salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average support staff salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$37,659	$18
   2	Colorado	$36,745	$18
   3	Rhode Island	$35,554	$17
   4	Massachusetts	$35,409	$17
   5	California	$35,156	$17
   6	Oregon	$33,728	$16
   7	Connecticut	$33,706	$16
   8	Virginia	$33,491	$16
   9	Iowa	$32,364	$16
   10	Ohio	$32,281	$16
   11	Illinois	$32,193	$15
   12	Wisconsin	$31,509	$15
   13	Maryland	$31,267	$15
   14	Missouri	$30,729	$15
   15	North Carolina	$30,069	$14
   16	Indiana	$29,870	$14
   17	Kansas	$29,436	$14
   18	Texas	$29,421	$14
   19	Pennsylvania	$29,293	$14
   20	Michigan	$28,975	$14

   Average support staff salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Lakeland Electric	$42,414	$20.39
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$41,675	$20.04
   3	Ernst & Young	$41,022	$19.72	129
   4	DESC	$39,195	$18.84	15
   5	Atlanta Public Schools	$39,072	$18.78
   6	University of Colorado Boulder	$39,015	$18.76	1
   7	The University of Kansas Health System	$37,598	$18.08	8
   8	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$37,439	$18.00
   9	ABB	$37,355	$17.96	9
   10	Google	$37,345	$17.95	143
   11	New York City School Construction Authority	$36,584	$17.59
   12	Wicked Weed Brewing	$36,506	$17.55
   13	Premier Inc.	$36,128	$17.37	7
   14	York County	$35,878	$17.25	1
   15	International Rescue Committee	$35,289	$16.97	1
   16	Cornell University	$34,402	$16.54	10
   17	Independent Health	$34,105	$16.40	3
   18	Horace Mann	$33,996	$16.34
   19	Heart of Ohio Family Health	$33,954	$16.32	2
   20	Temple University	$33,917	$16.31

4. Writing a support staff job description

   A support staff 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. Below, you can find an example of a support staff job description:

   Support staff job description example

   Join our talented team, where we inspire children to be lifelong learners! Through our play based curriculum, our affectionate and loving staff ensures that our children are imparted with the knowledge to succeed.
   As Support Staff, you'll:
   Follow all licensing guidelines and company standards to ensure the daily care of every child. Develop your ability to accurately observe, assess, and plan for children, as well as effectively communicate with families. Complete extensive training that provides insight on child care and development topics. Implement proprietary curriculum while creating fun, interactive learning experiences.
   
   We want energetic, dependable, passionate individuals who are at least 18 and have:
   Experience in a licensed child care center or related field. Completed a high school diploma or equivalent The ability to meet state requirements for education and additional center requirements Able to work indoors or outdoors and engage in physical activity with children Must be able to work Monday - Friday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, or 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
   
   About Us
   
   Learning Care Group, Inc. is the second-largest for-profit child care provider in North America and a leader in early education. Our programs are designed for children aged 6 weeks to 12 years. Across our eight unique brands, we're committed to creating state-of-the-art facilities with the latest technology and expert-driven curricula created by our own Education team.
   
   Our Promise
   
   To make a difference and have a positive impact on every child at our schools, their families, and the communities we serve every day. We support child development for infants to school-age students, through a comprehensive, research-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing, fun school environment. As experts in child care and early education, we empower children to be ready for school, we instill a lifelong love of learning, and we provide a solid foundation for a successful future.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right support staff 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 desk clerks supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit desk clerks supervisors 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 support staff job on Zippia to find and recruit support staff candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with support staff 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 support staff

   Once you've decided on a perfect support staff 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 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 support staff. 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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How much does it cost to hire a support staff?