Hiring an Administrative Assistant for Your Small Business: Job Description, Training, & Salary Guide

Finding the right administrative assistant can be tough. But with all of the benefits, it’s worth the extra work to find someone who complements your business and provides value for you. Here is a guide on how to hire, train, and retain an employee that will serve as part of your team for years!.

The “administrative assistant duties and responsibilities list” is a job description that includes the duties of an administrative assistant. The salary guide will help you determine what to expect in terms of pay for this position.

You may be thinking whether now is the perfect moment to recruit an administrative assistant as a small company owner (or a similar role, like an office manager or receptionist). An administrative assistant may help your company run more efficiently, but finding the proper individual and training them can be tough. From crafting an Job Description for Administrative Assistant to a compensation guide, we’ll take you through all you need to know about hiring an administrative assistant, including:

Template for a Job Description for an Administrative Assistant

You may edit the job description template below for your Administrative Assistant job ad. Administrative assistants may serve a variety of tasks, as we’ll see in a moment, so you should tailor your template to the specific work obligations of your administrative assistant. An administrative assistant’s function is crucial for the success of a company as well as the culture of the workplace. You’ll locate the ideal individual for the position if you have a good job description and they can work effectively with the team (or person) they’re helping. This template is also available in Google Docs and PDF formats.

Administrative Assistant is the job title.

Overview of the Position: ABC Company provides/makes (short summary of your business). We were established in (year) and are based in (city) (city, state).

To join our team, we’re seeking for an experienced and well-organized Administrative Assistant. This role requires a flexible employee with expertise in (name your top three requirements; for example, calendaring, email responding, telephone answering, etc…). We’re searching for someone that is very organized, efficient, and a fantastic team member, as well as someone who can work alone and fulfill projects. This is a critical function for top management, team members, and customers.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Assisting the office and management team with phone calls.
• Managing the CEO’s schedule and assigning duties
• Managing the CEO’s email
• Creating client-ready PowerPoint presentations.
• Willing to perform various errands as required, such as fetching lunch, dry cleaning, etc.
• Ordering office goods and maintaining a supply inventory
• As required, other ad hoc jobs

Required abilities:

• Experience as an administrative assistant for at least three years.
• Requires a high school diploma. A bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree is preferable.
• Intermediate/advanced Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint abilities are required.
• Excellent proofreading and editing abilities.
• Superior phone skills and advanced communication abilities (verbal, written, and electronic).
• Ability to multitask and work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Ability to lift and transport office supplies (up to 20 lbs).
• In a fast-paced atmosphere, she thrives.

Details about the working environment:

This position will be (at an office/in a cubicle/at a reception desk/at a remote location).

(Describe the noise level/environment: is it loud, calm, or full of customers with phones ringing?).

The ideal applicant will flourish in the presence of a capable manager (insert 3 adjectives to describe what the manager is like for this role).

Compensation information:

($XX per hour or $XX per year) is the salary range. After XX days, benefits such as health insurance, dental, and vision are accessible. On a yearly basis, performance incentives are provided. After XX days, you will be given 2 weeks (10 days) of PTO and 1 week (5 days) of sick leave.

What Are the Signs That I Need an Administrative Assistant? 3 Self-Assessment Questions

Are you wondering whether you really need an administrative assistant or if it’s worth your time or money to acquire one before we get into the many sorts of administrative assistants? To assist you find your solution, go through the following three questions:

1. Do you spend several hours each week organizing meetings, making phone calls, inputting data, or doing other duties that might be done by someone who isn’t familiar with your company or industry?
2. Is there anything that an administrative assistant could do in your place? (e.g., email, phone, greeting customers/clients, Excel spreadsheet manipulation)
3. Is employing an administrative assistant going to help you concentrate on more vital business concerns or achieve a better work-life balance?

If you responded yes to two or three of these questions, an administrative assistant might be a good match for you. He or she may assist in increasing corporate productivity by executing a variety of jobs, enabling you to concentrate on other matters.

If you’re on the fence about whether or not an administrative assistant would be beneficial to your company, you may start by employing a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant (i.e., someone who does not work at your office) is less expensive than employing an in-house employee, yet they can do basic business responsibilities. Continue reading to learn more about virtual assistants.

Administrative Assistants Come in a Variety of Forms

There are other job titles that are comparable to administrative assistants that have emerged in the last ten years. These positions are all linked to that of an administrative assistant, although they have somewhat distinct meanings and duties. The discrepancies in this table will be explained.

*Please note that “Secretary” is not included in our chart since it is an out-of-date title.

*Salary range varies depending on region and if the employment is full-time with benefits (vs. part-time, hourly, and/or from home). Below is further information about pay.

In-House Administrative Assistants vs. Virtual Assistants

You may be wondering whether hiring a virtual assistant is simpler and less expensive than hiring an in-person employee. Let’s take a deeper look at the distinctions between hiring a virtual assistant and hiring an in-house professional (aka in the office).

Administrative Assistant vs. Executive Assistant

Between an executive assistant and an administrative assistant, there are a few key distinctions.

1. Training — An Executive Assistant’s training might take 6 months to a year, while an Administrative Assistant should be up and running in 90 days. This is due to the fact that an Executive Assistant is a long-term investment for your company. Many Executive Assistants remain with the firm for as long as the executive they serve does, and as time goes on, they take on more and more responsibilities.
2. Task Complexity — An Executive Assistant should be able to represent a C-level (e.g., CEO or CFO) or Vice President in their duties, but an Administrative Assistant will likely be performing more administrative work and will be less visible to significant customers (although not always depending on the size of your business).
3. Work Experience – An Executive Assistant should have worked directly for a Vice President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, or another senior executive. An Administrative Assistant will have more general support experience, such as working in a department or office, or for another small company (versus a Fortune 100 CEO).
4. An Executive Assistant will most likely have an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree, whilst an Administrative Assistant will most likely have a high school diploma or above.

So, what exactly does this imply? What if you need the services of an Executive Assistant?

• You’ll have to pay a higher price (about 33 percent more according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).
• The employment must be full-time and provide a salary with benefits.
• You must be ready for a real professional who may not be patient with a startup or a hectic environment. Ascertain that the individual is aware that you are a small company.

From Job Post to Offer: How to Hire an Administrative Assistant

We’ll go through how to employ an in-person administrative assistant for your firm in this part.

We’ll talk about:

Job Description for Administrative Assistant

Our administrative assistant job description template is a wonderful place to start. However, you should consider the following considerations before customizing the template for your own company. Download our template as a Google Doc or PDF to follow along.

Overview of the Position

Consider what the administrative assistant will be doing. Who will they be supporting, what department will they be helping, and why? What will their broad overview be – will it mostly consist of communicating to people and customers, or will it primarily consist of “behind the scenes” activities such as data input and email answering?

Duties & Responsibilities

On one hand, an administrative assistant’s responsibilities might be as easy as answering phones and sending emails. They may, on the other hand, do a variety of tasks, such as representing you in the media, communicating with clients in a rush, or putting together client materials. Consider what you’d want the administrative assistant to do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. What about in six months?

Required Qualifications

The following are some of the most frequent administrative skills:

• Microsoft Office proficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• For email interaction and presentation authoring, copywriting/written communication abilities are required.
• Ability to schedule meetings and conference calls using a calendar (GCal, Outlook)
• Working with management and team members requires verbal communication skills for answering phones, engaging with customers that come into the office, and more.
• Phone skills with many lines (if the person will be handling receptionist duties and using multiple phone lines)
• Skills in event planning are useful for organizing corporate trips or staff festivities.
• If minutes are required, note-taking abilities for meetings and/or conference calls are required.

The Working Environment

This is a crucial point! Is it just you and the new administrative assistant at your office? Say it right now! Do you have a lot of noisy clients at your workplace all of the time? Put it in this box! Because many administrative assistants thrive in one setting over another, this will begin to attract the best applicants for the job.

Compensation Information

This is where you’ll describe if this is an hourly, part-time, or full-time job, as well as the compensation and benefits you’ll be giving. If you don’t want to offer this information, be aware that applicants will want to know it as soon as possible during phone interviews.

What Job Boards Should You Use?

Administrative Assistant roles are in high demand among job seekers. When I was looking for one in Los Angeles, I received over 550 applications in only three weeks! Though the exact number will depend on your area, you’ll want to spread the word in a controlled manner.

Indeed is an excellent employment portal for all of the United States. We propose that you publish your Administrative Assistant job there and use social media to spread the word locally. You may also use a free $50 ad credit to promote your posting and get it in front of more people.

Indeed, have a look.

Other viable choices, based on your region and the kind of job you’re recruiting for:

• Administrative Assistants and Office Managers may benefit from Craigslist.
• Administrative Assistants, Office Managers, and Executive Assistants may all be found on ZipRecruiter.
• Upwork is a great place to look for virtual assistants (especially since you can see reviews of previous work).

Create a specific email address for applications to be sent to (for example, adminrole@abccompany.com or careers@abccompany.com). This way, you won’t be bombarded with application alerts in your inbox.

In this article on the greatest job posting sites, you can discover more.

How to Sort and Sort Applicants

After you’ve advertised your Administrative Assistant position, set aside time to review applications and evaluate resumes. After a week or two, you may stop the job advertising to catch up on the applications and examine them (Indeed, our recommended job posting site, has this great feature).

You should put your applications into three piles, regardless of how you arrange them.

1. You’ll surely want to interview these candidates.
2. Applicant(s) about whom you are unsure
3. Applicants who do not meet the requirements or who must be denied for other reasons (i.e. job jumping)

How Can I Tell the Difference Between a “Great” and a “Ok” Applicant?

Consider the personality match you and your workplace need. When it comes to recruiting an Administrative Assistant or someone in a similar capacity, this is usually the most important factor to consider.

Why? Because this is the person you’ll need to contact in an emergency, arrange a last-minute Christmas party, and keep the business running during a snowfall or when someone is sick.

An Administrative Assistant will witness the workplace at its best and worst, and will need to be trusted with sensitive information such as your email and phone messages at some point. You’ll need someone with whom you and the rest of your team can work well.

Also, keep in mind that it’s perfectly OK to fire someone who is competent but does not match your company’s culture! Interviewing someone with a strong résumé but no experience working for a Fortune 100 company may not be a good fit for you and your small business.

How to Conduct a Telephone Interview for an Administrative Assistant

Create an email template that says something like this to send to all of the prospects you want to phone screen to save time:

Thank you for your interest in working as an Administrative Assistant at ABC Company.

Please double-check:

• Are you available to work the (insert days/hours) schedule that has been provided?
• What is your desired hourly wage/salary range?
• Are you able to make a consistent commute to our office?
• Do you have any references from previous companies where you did a comparable job?
• What time slot do you have available on Tuesday, November 15th between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. for a phone interview? Please also provide a phone number where I may reach you.

Thank you,

Christy

In a few ways, a template like this puts you in charge of the applicants:

• In their comments, you can examine their handwriting and written communication abilities.
• It allows you to assess their ability to follow instructions.
• It will weed out those that do not respond properly, raise red flags, or are very pricey.
• It closes the gap on scheduling–provide 1 large window in 1 day to get these all done (versus 8 emails going back & forth to set something up).

When all of the candidates have responded and you’ve selected who will be called in for a phone interview, send them an email confirming the day and time of your call. Make sure you’re ready to concentrate on the phone screening by having each candidate’s CV and contact information ready to go, as well as a spot to take notes.

In this post about phone screens, you’ll learn about phone screens, methods for staying organized, and more.

Template for a 5-Minute Phone Screen for an Administrative Assistant

***Remember, in the 5-minute screen, ask all applicants the identical questions to be fair and to help you compare candidates. ***

Hello, this is Mary Jones from ABC Company, and I’m calling to see if Joan is available. Is this Joan, right?

Is it still a suitable time for us to discuss about the Administrative Assistant position for 5 minutes?

Wonderful. This will be a brief interview with just a few pre-determined questions. Why don’t you explain me why you’re a fantastic match for this position in 30 seconds or less, if you have the opportunity?

(cut at 30 seconds or close to 30 seconds)

Thank you very much. We need someone who can handle all of our scheduling and calendaring needs. Can you tell me about the calendar systems you’ve used before and how many people’s schedules you’ve managed at once?

Great. Tell me what you’d do if I handed you a presentation to edit in two hours, asked you to respond to 50 emails by the end of the day, and asked you to organize a workplace happy hour for the following week. What would you do with this to-do list if you had to prioritize it?

What is your reason for leaving/did you quit your previous position?

There are two ways to terminate the call:

If the applicant seems to be a good match,

Excellent, In these few minutes, I’ve been quite pleased with you. What’s your schedule like for a face-to-face interview? If this option is chosen, I may save time by attempting to work within this timetable.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope to chat with you again soon. Goodbye!

(within 48 hours, follow up with an in-person interview invitation)

If a candidate to be rejected, the following should be done:

Joan, thank you so much for your time today. We’ve just recently begun the recruiting process and are doing these fast five-minute conversations. If we wish to proceed further, I’ll get back to you within 48 hours with our choice. Please keep an eye out for an email from me.

(within 24-48 hours, send a rejection email)

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Goodbye!

The Administrative Assistant In-Person Interview

This list should have 3-5 people on it when you’re ready to arrange in-person interviews. If you have more than 5, you risk confusing applicants; if you have fewer than 5, you risk losing a candidate to a faster-coming offer (as well as having to assume that one of them will be a dud!). In-person interviews should last approximately an hour, and with individuals that are a good match, you may want to extend the time.

You may want to know how to conduct an interview and what to be careful of after your prospects have been booked for in-person interviews.

Top 5 Administrative Assistant In-Person Interview Questions

1. Why do you believe you’re the ideal candidate for an administrative assistant position? For this specific job? What factors influenced your decision to pursue this professional path?
2. Can you tell me about a time when you were working as an administrative assistant and how you dealt with a conflict? It might be with a client, a boss, or a coworker.
3. Can you share any feedback you’ve received from a boss? What did you learn and how did you adjust?
4. What kind of boss encourages you to provide your best effort as an administrative assistant?
5. Is it possible for you to work with me if I need you to remain late on a rare occasion or in the event of an emergency?

Top 5 Administrative Assistant Candidate Red Flags

1. Impatience – Does the applicant seem easily irritated or as though they wish they were someplace else? You want to make sure that your possible new recruit is there and prepared.
2. Lack of attention to detail – Did the applicant make a mistake on their résumé, arrive late without calling, or seem to let things slip through the cracks? Consider the situation when the new recruit is agitated and working on your emails. That’s not good!
3. Distraction – Did they keep their phone out or lose track of your queries because they were distracted? Imagine them doing this while on the phone with a key customer.
4. In a bad mood – Did they seem irritated when you inquired about critical feedback from previous employment, or did they claim they’ve never required it? You want your administrative assistant to be able to create a welcoming environment for customers and team members.
5. Professionalism – This person might be the face of your company. It’s crucial to pay attention to how they dress and how well they communicate, particularly if they’ll be representing you to consumers and clients.

Offer Letter for Administrative Assistant

If you’re ready to make an offer to a candidate, you may use our offer letter template. In that post, you’ll also learn how to make the offer.

When writing up the offer letter, you should ask yourself the following questions:

1. I’m not sure how much I should pay. – Look for other jobs in your city that are comparable to yours and see how much they pay (try Indeed postings, Salary.com, or PayScale.com). Will you pay hourly with overtime, or will you pay a salary? You will place yourself in a better position with the applicant if you are fair with your proposed compensation.
2. Will you provide any perks? – When will you give benefits and what will you provide? Should you pay the employee more if you don’t give benefits? Prepare to answer inquiries about the possible new hire’s perks. “Explain your advantages to me,” is frequently the first inquiry asked.
3. When do I want this individual to begin working with me? – Consider when you want this individual to begin. For example, skipping Christmas week is a horrible choice. Consider a work week in which you (or whomever will be teaching the worker) will spend the full week at the office.

After you’ve answered those questions, you should be able to fill up and deliver your offer letter to the applicant. Allow at least 48 hours for your prospect to ponder your offer, but no more than one week. To minimize miscommunications, address any offer letter questions with the applicant in person if at all feasible. This is also a good moment to check the candidate’s work history.

Salary Guidelines for Administrative Assistants

The decision of how much to pay someone is usually a difficult one in the recruiting process. Depending on your region and the degree of expertise you want, you may need to pay an administrative assistant as little as $9 per hour up to $20-30 per hour. The yearly salary ranges from $18K to $60K.

The following are some general salary recommendations for Administrative Assistants:

1. Businesses in big cities would often have to pay more than those in suburban/rural locations, owing to higher living costs and more competition for suitable candidates.
2. The cost of virtual resources might range from $3.50 per hour for someone located abroad to the same as hiring someone in person. They will differ significantly in terms of skill set, experience, and education. To view our list of the finest virtual assistant services and how much they cost, click here.
3. A seasoned Administrative Assistant may command a premium for this position. You may save a lot of money if you are ready to teach someone (but do you have the time for it?).

Salary Ranges for Administrative Assistants by Location

*PayScale and Glassdoor are the sources for all cities.

Here are some pointers to help you figure out how much your new administrative assistant compensation should be.

Pro Tip #1: Create an email template/ask ahead of time.

Once you’ve decided to interview a candidate, we suggest asking them what range they’re looking for in an email template. This not only saves time by weeding out applicants who aren’t in line with your budget, but it also gives you a sense of whether the amount you’re allocating for the position is reasonable. Is every candidate asking for twice as much as you wish to give? Then you must increase your rate.

Pro Tip #2: Make use of internet resources.

Look for comparable positions on job boards or use resources like Wage.com or PayScale.com to get salary statistics for your location.

Pro Tip #3: Consult with other entrepreneurs.

If you have any other company owner acquaintances in your town, ask them for their thoughts (you don’t have to ask how much they make, but you can get a range).

Pro Tip #4: Be open and honest about your financial situation.

What are you genuinely able to afford? Is it worth looking at virtual/on-demand resources, or should you instead search for someone part-time? Would you prefer a high-quality applicant for 10-20 hours per week or a lower-quality prospect for full-time employment? Consider a contract-to-hire arrangement, such as a 60-90-day contract.

Pro Tip #5: Don’t be alarmed.

For every position, there is a contender. When hiring, it’s common to need to go back to the drawing board and reconsider things, particularly if the job has never been at the firm before, and this normally begins with salary/budgeting considerations. You’ll be able to get the assistance you need!

What Is The Best Way To Train An Administrative Assistant?

You must now train your Administrative Assistant, who you have preferably recruited. This is a challenging procedure, particularly if you’ve never worked with an assistant before and have the mentality that “I can do it better myself.”

Training an administrative assistant may seem like additional work at first, and it may take time away from other chores, but it will guarantee that the individual understands how to do the job appropriately.

The following are some strategies for training the individual:

• Job shadowing — Have the new Administrative Assistant observe you for one to five days and take notes on your responsibilities. Make time for questions at the conclusion of the day.
• On-the-job education – Allow the new recruit to “try their hand” at a job and make errors (yes!) in order to learn. Calendaring is an excellent example. Allow them to experiment with a few fictitious situations in your calendar system.
• Create protocols — If you have a certain manner you want the phone to be answered, make a note of it. If a system or method can be implemented, do so and allow the individual to learn via repetition.

Here are some useful measures for both you and your administrative assistant to get the most out of training and assure its success after you’ve selected how to execute it:

Step 1: Over the course of a week or two, make a list of the jobs that an administrative assistant can do.

You should be keeping track of a list of responsibilities that this individual can take over even before you start recruiting for this position. Be both broad and particular in your approach. Consider some larger-scale duties that, depending on their abilities, the individual could be able to take over in 6 months or a year (i.e. complaining customers, client presentation composition, email marketing).

Step 2: Get into the correct frame of mind and get over your fear of privacy.

Before your administrative assistant starts, separate your business and personal affairs. Whatever you refuse to disclose will make taking over voicemails, emails, meetings, and calendaring more difficult for the individual. Separate it now or be willing to share it later. Make it a habit to label private meetings as such.

Step 3: Make a training calendar with deadlines and objectives.

Create a thorough itinerary for the first week, then switch to a weekly schedule until you’ve established a successful routine. Because virtual assistants may have several clients or operate in a different time zone, this is very crucial. Adjust the calendar as needed, and begin to see what objectives and deadlines are feasible. Inquire about your new hire’s thoughts as well!

Step 4: Make a timetable for daily check-ins and question time.

Set aside 15-30 minutes at the start of each day to check in with your administrative assistant on the day’s plan and assignments. During this moment, the admin may ask any questions he or she has regarding anything he or she hasn’t understood thus far in training. Many company owners continue to do this every day following training, however others transition to weekly meetings after three to six months. To keep organized and for your assistance to continue to give more, resist the desire to cancel this time.

Step 5: Provide honest and helpful comments.

Something you don’t like? Explain to your new administrative assistant how and why you want it done. Be truthful while while being constructive. To prevent problems festering, nip them in the bud as soon as possible.

Final Thoughts

For you and your small company, having a competent Administrative Assistant may be a game changer. Finding one and then training that individual, on the other hand, takes time, dedication, and work.

The “administrative assistant qualifications” are the skills that an administrative assistant should have. They include computer skills, organizational skills, and people skills. The salary for an administrative assistant is typically $35,000-$50,000 a year.

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