Do you find yourself spending too much time doing mundane tasks? It’s time you hire an administrative assistant. But with the high demand for admin support roles, it might not be that easy.
As a business owner or manager, time is one of your most valuable assets. You’d rather spend it on more important things instead of doing repetitive tasks which other people can do for you.
The roles of admin assistants have adapted to the changes in technology and business structures but the demand for them to maintain the smoothness of daily operations remains high.
In the survey we conducted, administration scored 28% and ranked as the second most challenging department to fill positions for. That puts it in the middle of IT, which had the highest rating at 32%, and finance/accounting, the third-highest at 25%.
However, you’re not left completely hopeless. To find the best admin assistant for you, here are some tips to find one that matches your needs:
1. Write a clear job description
Every industry or department has its unique sets of requirements. To attract the candidates who can meet yours, you need to highlight the necessary skills and experience you’re looking for.
For admin assistants, soft skills are a must-have. You might also find it useful adding them to your job posting.
And lastly, keep the job summary concise and straightforward, so your potential candidates would know right away if they are a perfect fit for the role or not.
2. Assess your candidates thoroughly
In your job posting, you’ve done your task to let the potential candidates know the skills, experience, and expertise you need. Their application is the perfect opportunity to evaluate them and see if they meet your requirements.
This will give you insights about their potential job performance and determine if they’re a good fit for your company culturally. Can they multitask? Solve problems on their own? Can they handle work-related stress?
Additionally, assessing your candidates also lowers the risk of hiring the wrong person. This saves you valuable investments on the wrong candidate.
3. Offer competitive compensation packages
Due to the high demand for admin roles, the competition on getting the best admin support is tough. Offering a competitive salary and benefits package is vital in attracting top-notch talent.
You need to know more about the salary trends for the position, so you can provide a reasonable salary range based on the candidate’s skills and experience. Also take into account the complexity of the work and the effort required to successfully carry out the job. If possible, you can also offer remote work and flexible working hours since many assistants prefer that work arrangement.
The goal is to stand out as the most desirable company to work for.
4. Ask for referrals
Administrative assistants work closely with you and your team. That’s why you need to ensure that trustworthiness and reliability are one of your top requirements.
You might find it helpful to ask for referrals from your colleagues. Their familiarity with your role, needs, and work ethics can help them filter the people they would recommend. They can also give you valuable information about their skills, expertise, and overall compatibility with your team and organization. This way, you can save time and effort on your hiring process.
You may want to think about implementing a referral bonus program as a way to encourage the submission of high-quality referrals.
5. Partner with a reputable outsourcing provider
Technology has made it possible to perform administrative work remotely. With outsourcing, there’s no geographic restrictions. You can find the best talent regardless of where they are.
Offshoring can shorten your hiring process without missing out on excellent candidates. A reliable outsourcing partner helps you reduce the burden of recruitment such as creating job postings, resume screening, and interview scheduling.
It’s also a cost-effective strategy since you can utilize your remote staff provider’s technology and specialized expertise. They can even provide your offshore executive assistants with the necessary training program for them to greatly contribute to your business success.
Cloudstaff can provide the administrative support staff you need
Cloudstaff is a trusted outsourcing provider that services hundreds businesses across the globe. With 400K thoroughly screened candidates, we can find the perfect office support staff for you.