How to hire an Assistant

How to hire an assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant hiring guide:

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

What does an Assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your assistant 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 an assistant 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

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

   Type Of Assistant	Description	Hourly Rate
   Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$7-39

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Care
   • CPR
   • Sales Floor
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • PowerPoint
   • Food Preparation
   • HR
   • Vital Signs
   • Front Desk
   • Payroll
   • Windows
   • Groceries

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
   • Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
   • Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
   • Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
   • Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
   • Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.

   More Assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An 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 an assistant in Mississippi may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level assistant usually earns less than a senior-level assistant. Additionally, an 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 assistant salary

   $37,363yearly

   $17.96 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant salary

   $16,000 yearly salary

   Updated May 20, 2025

   Average assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	Massachusetts	$95,026	$46
   2	District of Columbia	$89,016	$43
   3	New York	$81,410	$39
   4	Maine	$70,201	$34
   5	Maryland	$67,987	$33
   6	Pennsylvania	$63,303	$30
   7	North Carolina	$56,019	$27
   8	Ohio	$54,980	$26
   9	West Virginia	$54,216	$26
   10	Indiana	$52,479	$25
   11	Illinois	$48,635	$23
   12	Tennessee	$47,486	$23
   13	Florida	$43,129	$21
   14	Wisconsin	$42,968	$21
   15	Georgia	$41,490	$20
   16	Minnesota	$39,143	$19
   17	Missouri	$35,051	$17
   18	Washington	$33,007	$16
   19	California	$31,815	$15
   20	Oregon	$30,023	$14

   Average assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Latham & Watkins	$224,050	$107.72	1
   2	RWJBarnabas Health	$210,408	$101.16	216
   3	Alston & Bird	$207,663	$99.84
   4	Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith	$204,793	$98.46	13
   5	Central Vermont Medical Center	$203,735	$97.95	27
   6	Cedars-Sinai	$203,420	$97.80	161
   7	Northwell Health	$201,008	$96.64	463
   8	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$200,749	$96.51	58
   9	BronxCare Health System	$200,637	$96.46	6
   10	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$199,120	$95.73	27
   11	Marshall University	$198,115	$95.25	142
   12	Cooley	$197,654	$95.03	18
   13	Foley & Lardner	$196,376	$94.41	1
   14	Davis Wright Tremaine	$191,331	$91.99	12
   15	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$190,869	$91.76	10
   16	New York Methodist Hospital	$184,714	$88.80
   17	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$183,607	$88.27	62
   18	Boston Consulting Group	$180,391	$86.73	21
   19	UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital	$178,597	$85.86	2
   20	Children's National Medical Center	$177,288	$85.23	33

4. Writing an Assistant Job Description

   A good assistant 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 an assistant job description:

   Assistant job description example

   Are you looking for a career with purpose and growth? We are seeking someone to work full time from Monday through Friday onsite in our Back End Pharmacy in Lenexa, KS. As a Warehouse Assistant for the Back End Pharmacy you have an opportunity to make a real difference in the life of a patient within specialty pharmacy, the fastest growing part of the pharmacy industry. In this role you will partner closely with the Operations Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians to coordinate, assemble and package customer orders for shipment. You will also assist with stocking supplies and other tasks associated with the department. With opportunity for growth, this is a great position to transition into if you enjoy being on your feet and working in a team oriented environment. In order to be successful and enjoy the activity of this role, you will need to be able to lift 50lbs or more, stand, walk, lift, reach, twist, turn, bend, stop and walk for up to ten hours daily. The schedule for this role will require you to be flexible starting anytime from 9am to 11am. You will need to close twice a week (11am - 7:30pm) with rotating Fridays.Based on experience and education, new hires in this position are expected to start between $16.00/hr- $17.50/hr.We offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision insurance as well as a wide-ranging list of supplemental benefits and discount programs. In addition to sixteen paid days off for employees, we also offer ten paid holidays.
   Pay Range
   
   The typical pay range for this role is:
   
   Minimum: 16.00
   
   Maximum: 25.00
   
   Please keep in mind that this range represents the pay range for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual salary offer will take into account a wide range of factors, including location.
   
   Required Qualifications
   
   • 6+ months of general work experience. • Must be able to lift 50-70 pounds. • Must be able to stand, walk and lift for up to ten hours daily. • Ability to reach, twist, turn, bend, stoop and walk.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   • Previous experience in a warehouse related position.#SBE_Pwa
   
   Education
   
   • Verifiable high school diploma or GED or equivalent experience.
   
   Business Overview
   
   Bring your heart to CVS HealthEvery one of us at CVS Health shares a single, clear purpose: Bringing our heart to every moment of your health. This purpose guides our commitment to deliver enhanced human-centric health care for a rapidly changing world. Anchored in our brand - with heart at its center - our purpose sends a personal message that how we deliver our services is just as important as what we deliver.Our Heart At Work Behaviors™ support this purpose. We want everyone who works at CVS Health to feel empowered by the role they play in transforming our culture and accelerating our ability to innovate and deliver solutions to make health care more personal, convenient and affordable. We strive to promote and sustain a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging every day. CVS Health is an affirmative action employer, and is an equal opportunity employer, as are the physician-owned businesses for which CVS Health provides management services. We do not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, promotion, or any other personnel action based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new assistant. 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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