How to hire a volunteer administrative assistant

How to hire a volunteer administrative assistant, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a volunteer 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

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

   Here's a comparison of volunteer administrative assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Volunteer Administrative Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Volunteer Administrative Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$12-18
   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:

   • Patients
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • Database Management
   • Front Desk
   • PowerPoint
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Office Equipment
   • Patient Care
   • Word Processing
   • Telephone Calls
   • Vital Signs
   • Physical Therapy
   • Event Planning
   • Fax Machines

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the receptionist area, including greeting visitors and responding to telephone and in-person requests for information.
   • Perform various office tasks as needed such as copying, collating, filling and computer operations.
   • Create the church's Facebook page and post content for all up coming events
   • Serve as a language interpreter in routine therapy sessions and also assist in stimulating brain activity in mentally challenge patients.
   • Provide cloud base customer relationship management with Salesforce for optimization in coordination of the workforce development program and other community orient events
   • Create database in SQL incorporating data from order systems to assist logistics personnel regulating product receive in the warehouse.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, volunteer administrative assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 42% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level volunteer administrative assistants 34% less than senior-level volunteer administrative assistants.
   • Certifications. A volunteer 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 volunteer administrative assistant's salary.

   Average volunteer administrative assistant salary

   $15.22hourly

   $31,657 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level volunteer administrative assistant salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

4. Writing a volunteer administrative assistant job description

   A volunteer administrative assistant 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 volunteer administrative assistant job description:

   Volunteer administrative assistant job description example

   This position will work Monday - Thursday 8-2:30

   Overview: Supports Volunteer Services department by providing administrative support in day to day operations.

   SPECIFIC DUTIES AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS

   1. Takes primary responsibility for preparing for all Interdisciplinary Team Meetings along with attending meeting as assigned. Save patient progress notes in a PDF format for patient medical records. Maintain said patient progress notes for Interdisciplinary Meetings. Prepare patient progress notes and team specific information for all Interdisciplinary Meetings. Send Volunteer IDT Reporters all necessary information, communicating any meeting changes or updates.
   2. Demonstrates compassion, empathy, and patience when interacting with patients, families, co-workers, volunteers and members of the public.
   3. Represents Circle of Life to the community in a positive manner.
   4. Demonstrates flexibility, versatility and a positive attitude in integrating additional duties.
   5. Performs other duties as assigned.

   The commitment to Circle of Life's Core Values and Customer Service Standards is an expectation of all employee's. These statements represent a commitment of service to the patient's, families, co-workers and community.

   MISSION/CORE VALUES

   • Mission - Circle of Life is committed to compassionate end-of-life care for a person's body, mind, spirit and family when there is no longer a cure
   • Compassion - Demonstrating healing, caring, and understanding
   • Inclusion - Expressing openness and acceptance so that all experience validation
   • Respect - Treating all with honor and dignity
   • Comfort - Providing a peaceful, safe environment for body, mind, and spirit
   • Leadership - Genuinely living out the organization's mission, vision, & values
   • Excellence - Exceeding expectations while upholding our values

   CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE STANDARDS

   • Demonstrate a sincere and positive attitude.
   • Give 100% of yourself every day.
   • Be present and own the moment. We only get one chance.
   • Seek to understand, not to be understood.
   • Always find a way to say "YES".
   • Ask "What more can I do for you", followed by "Thank you for allowing me to serve you"

   Follow the 10-Foot Rule: Greet patient's guests, fellow employees, and volunteers by name and with a smile.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find volunteer 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 volunteer administrative assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level volunteer 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 volunteer administrative assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit volunteer 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 volunteer 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 volunteer administrative assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the volunteer administrative assistant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the 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.

   To prepare for the new volunteer 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.)

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