Administrative Assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
2025-10-0134580.0066976.14110000.00YEARLY
Administrative Assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
As of April 2022, the average number of job seekers per administrative assistant job in Australia is 45.
an administrative assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
As of April 2022, the average number of job seekers per administrative assistant job in Australia is 45.
Why hire an administrative assistant?
No matter what industry you are operating in, any business has to deal with plenty of administrative matters, from minute taking and scheduling appointments to data entry. An experienced administrative assistant is a huge asset to any company, as they will free up your time and allow you to focus fully on higher-level tasks, knowing the clerical side is taken care of.
Contributions of a great administrative assistant:
- Organisational all-rounder with a clear head who keeps things organised
- Has great writing skills and confidently handles internal and external correspondence
- Maintains records with an eye for detail so nothing goes awry in your organisation
Deciding between a full-time vs freelance administrative assistant
Administrative assistants can be hired on a full-time or freelance basis. Full-time admin assistants usually work in-house, giving you the advantage of direct personal contact. If they are on your premises, it’s also easier to train your administrative assistant in your corporate software and any other programs they need to use.
Today, many roles can be done remotely, and administrative assistant roles are a perfect example of this, especially when their main task is data entry. Your freelance administrative assistant can easily work from home and log in to your databases from anywhere. Coming into the office is only an advantage when physical paperwork is involved or documents need to be filed away. Hiring a freelance admin assistant also gives you the freedom to only book the hours you actually need, saving you costs and resources.
What are the different types of administrative assistant?
When hiring an administrative assistant for your business, make sure you know exactly what type of
clerical work
you need them to carry out. There are various types and ranks of administrative assistant, so it’s important to choose the right one for your needs!
- Receptionist: Often combined with an administrative role; takes phone calls, welcomes guests on site, handles correspondence and runs errands.
- Bookkeeping clerk: Keeps financial records and is responsible for recording transactions, updating financial statements, issuing invoices, paying bills and maintaining financial records.
- Executive assistant: Provides administrative support to company directors, executives and other senior-level staff, including booking travel and organising their schedules.
- Data entry clerk: Records data electronically or on paper, organises and files data and documents for the company.
Where to find an administrative assistant
To find the right administrative assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Social media: Today, hardly any company isn’t using social media to engage with customers or potential new hires. Post your vacancy on your company’s Facebook page, for example, and you’ll be sure to receive plenty of applications in no time. Younger candidates, in particular, are likely to look for a new role on social media.
- Local high schools and universities: School leavers or uni students may be ideal candidates keen to dip their toes into the corporate world while they are completing their studies or to kick off their career after they graduate. Attend open days and let learning institutions know about your opportunities.
- Recruitment days: Many employers choose to hold
recruitment
open days to showcase their organisation and attract new hires at the same time. Open your doors to connect with potential new candidates in an informal atmosphere.
- Get referrals: Ask your current employees and even your family members if they know someone who may be interested in an administrative role and might be a good fit.
Post your job online: Try posting your administrative assistant job on Indeed to find and attract quality administrative assistant candidates.
Skills to look for in a great administrative assistant
A great administrative assistant candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:
- being highly organised with great time management skills
- being computer literate and comfortable using various software programs
- a proactive approach and pronounced problem-solving skills
- ability to work independently
- an eye for detail and ability to follow instructions
Writing an administrative assistant job description
A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified administrative assistant candidates. An administrative assistant job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.
When writing your job description for an administrative assistant, consider including some or all of the following keywords to strengthen the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on administrative assistant jobs, according to Indeed data:
- administration
- administrative assistant
- administration assistant
- admin
- receptionist
- office administrator
- office assistant
- customer service
Interviewing administrative assistant candidates
Strong candidates for administrative assistant positions will be confident answering questions regarding:
- experience with administrative tasks
- familiarity with software and computer programs
- interpersonal skills and proactive attitude
- ability to multi-task and stay organised
- spotting typos and errors in important documents (you may even want to give them a brief test in the interview!)
Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of administrative assistant interview questions for examples (with sample answers).
*Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions, and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.
