Free office assistant job description templates: general, entry-level, front desk, small business, part-time, and medical front office. Download as DOCX.
Six templates for the entry-level office support hire: general, entry-level, front desk, small business first hire, part-time, and medical front office. Download as DOCX.
The first person a small business hires to handle the office is rarely an administrative assistant. The job starts smaller than that. Someone to cover the front desk, keep supplies from running out, sort the mail, keep the files in order, and take scheduling off the owner. That role has a name, and it is office assistant.
I have watched owners write this posting badly for years. They copy an administrative assistant description they found somewhere, attach an entry-level pay range, and then wonder why the applicants are either overqualified and gone in four months or completely lost in week one. The title and the duties have to match. The gap between them is where early turnover starts.
The six templates below are written for the entry-level version of office support: the first administrative hire, front desk coverage, office upkeep, supplies, mail, and scheduling help. Each one is ready to fill in and post. At FirstHR we build for owners who hire without an HR department, so everything here assumes you are writing the posting yourself, between everything else.
TL;DR
An office assistant is the entry-level office support role: front desk coverage, supplies, mail, filing, data entry, and scheduling help. It is hourly and non-exempt, and it sits a step below an administrative assistant, who supports named managers and owns calendars. The closest federal occupation reports a median wage of $21.64 an hour. Six free templates below.
The Office Assistant Role, Defined
An office assistant keeps a physical office running: greeting visitors, answering the phone, handling mail and deliveries, restocking supplies, filing and scanning, entering data, and helping other people manage their schedules. The defining feature is that the work follows established office procedures rather than setting them.
That single line does most of the work when you are deciding what to call the role. If the person you need will build the systems, own an executive calendar, and make judgment calls on behalf of the company, you are hiring something more senior. If they will run the routines that already exist and keep the place from falling apart, you are hiring an office assistant.
There is no separate federal occupation code for the title. The work maps to 43-9061 Office Clerks, General, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics defines as duties too varied and diverse to be classified in any specific office clerical occupation. That occupation covered about 2.46 million jobs in the May 2025 wage survey, which is why it is a reliable benchmark for both the duty list and the pay range.
Office Assistant Duties, Grouped Four Ways
Office assistant duties cluster into four groups: front desk and visitors, office upkeep and supplies, mail and records, and scheduling support. Pick the real tasks from each group instead of listing every task an office has ever needed.
Front desk and visitors
Greet visitors and sign for deliveries
Answer, screen, and route phone calls
Keep the reception area presentable
Office upkeep and supplies
Track and reorder supplies before they run out
Keep kitchen and shared spaces stocked
Coordinate with building services and vendors
Mail, documents, and data
Sort and distribute incoming mail and packages
File, scan, and organize records
Enter and verify data in company systems
Scheduling and team support
Book rooms and help schedule appointments
Set up meeting spaces and catering
Handle routine requests from staff
The weighting is what changes between openings. A front desk role leans hard on the first group and the desk has to stay covered. A first admin hire at a small company touches all four and invents the routines as it goes. Write the responsibilities section in the order that matches how the hours will actually be spent.
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Office Assistant vs Administrative Assistant vs Receptionist
An office assistant supports the office as a place, an administrative assistant supports specific people, and a receptionist owns the front desk as their entire job. The three overlap at reception, which is why small employers mix them up, and the mix-up shows up later in pay disputes and early quits.
Dimension
Office assistant
Administrative assistant
Receptionist
Primary focus
The office itself: desk, supplies, mail, files
Named managers or executives
The front desk and the phone
Level
Entry-level support
Mid-level, more senior
Entry-level, narrow scope
Typical reporting line
Office manager or owner
One or more managers or an executive
Office manager
Calendar work
Books rooms, helps schedule
Owns and defends manager calendars
Books appointments at the desk
Independent judgment
Follows set procedures
Exercises real discretion
Follows set procedures
Can leave the desk
Yes, moves around the office
Yes, mostly desk-independent
Rarely, coverage is the job
Median hourly pay (BLS, May 2025)
$21.64
$22.86
$18.27
Responsibility by responsibility, the split looks like this. Use it to decide which title goes on the posting before you write a word of the summary.
Responsibility
Office Assistant
Admin Assistant
Receptionist
Greets visitors and covers the phone
Orders supplies and keeps the office stocked
Sorts mail and handles deliveries
Files, scans, and enters data
Owns a manager or executive calendar
Drafts correspondence for someone else
Books travel and processes expenses
Handles confidential business information
The pay gap is smaller than most owners expect and the scope gap is larger. If you need calendar ownership and correspondence, read the administrative assistant job description instead. If the desk simply has to be staffed all day, the receptionist version is the closer fit. For a role that supervises the office and its vendors and budget, that is an office manager.
Which Version Fits Your Opening
Match the template to the shape of the job: general for a standard office, entry-level for a first office job, front desk when coverage is the point, small business for a first dedicated admin hire, part-time for set weekly hours, and medical front office for a practice or clinic.
General
Standard baseline
The all-purpose version: front desk, supplies, mail, filing, data entry, and scheduling support. Start here if you are not sure.
Entry-Level
First office job
For a candidate with no office background. Training is spelled out, requirements stay light, and a growth path is named.
Front Desk
Reception-weighted
For an office where the desk must be covered. Reception, visitors, and deliveries lead; office tasks fill the gaps between them.
Small Business, No HR
First admin hire
For an owner making a first dedicated office hire. Includes 30, 60, and 90 day markers so an early hire knows what good looks like.
Part-Time
Set weekly schedule
For steady part-time coverage. Posts the schedule, the handoff expectation, and how overtime is handled.
Medical Front Office
Practice or clinic
For a non-clinical front office role: check-in, scheduling, and paperwork, with a HIPAA privacy note built in.
Post the Job You Actually Have
The strongest filter in any entry-level posting is honesty about scope. Name the schedule, say whether the role is on-site, list the real tasks, and publish a real pay range. Specific postings pull in candidates who want that job and repel the ones who do not, which is the screening work you would otherwise do by hand. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
6 Free Office Assistant Job Description Templates
Download all six as one Word document or copy them individually. Every version follows the same structure: company and job summary, grouped responsibilities, required and preferred qualifications, pay range, and how to apply, with an equal opportunity statement and the non-exempt hourly classification built in.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
General, entry-level, front desk, small business, part-time, and medical front office. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Office Assistant (General)
The all-purpose version: front desk, supplies, mail, filing, data entry, and scheduling support, with duties grouped so a candidate can picture the day. Start here if you are not sure which fits.
Office Assistant Job Description (General)
OFFICE ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: __ (Office Manager / Owner)
Employment type: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time
FLSA status: Non-exempt (hourly)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Two or three sentences about your company, the office this role supports, and
the schedule. Note whether the role is fully on-site.]
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring an Office Assistant to keep our office organized and
running day to day. You will cover the front desk, answer and route calls,
handle incoming and outgoing mail, keep supplies stocked, maintain files, and
support the team with scheduling and paperwork. This is an entry-level support
role for someone reliable, organized, and comfortable being the first person
visitors meet.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
FRONT DESK AND VISITORS
•Greet visitors, clients, and deliveries and direct them appropriately
•Answer, screen, and route incoming phone calls and take messages
•Keep the reception area clean, stocked, and presentable
OFFICE UPKEEP AND SUPPLIES
•Track supply levels and place orders before anything runs out
•Keep kitchen, supply closet, and shared areas organized
•Coordinate with building services and outside vendors as directed
MAIL, DOCUMENTS, AND DATA
•Sort, distribute, and prepare incoming and outgoing mail and packages
•File, scan, copy, and organize paper and digital records
•Enter and update information in spreadsheets and company systems
SCHEDULING AND TEAM SUPPORT
•Book conference rooms and help schedule meetings and appointments
•Set up meeting spaces and order catering when needed
•Support staff with routine administrative requests
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•Basic computer skills (email, word processing, spreadsheets)
•Strong organization and attention to detail
•Clear, friendly written and verbal communication
•Dependable, punctual, and able to handle several tasks at once
PREFERRED (NICE TO HAVE)
•Prior front desk, retail, or customer service experience
•Familiarity with [scheduling or office software you use]
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
Schedule: __
Benefits: __ (PTO, health, paid holidays)
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants
receive consideration without regard to any protected characteristic.
Template 2: Entry-Level Office Assistant
For a candidate with no office background. Training is spelled out, the requirements stay light, and a growth path toward coordinator or assistant work is named so the posting reads as a start rather than a dead end.
Entry-Level Office Assistant Job Description
ENTRY-LEVEL OFFICE ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __
Reports to: __ (Office Manager / Supervisor)
Employment type: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time
FLSA status: Non-exempt (hourly)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring an Entry-Level Office Assistant. This is a first office
job with training provided. You will learn how our office runs and support the
team with front desk coverage, mail, filing, supplies, and basic data entry. No
prior office experience is required. We are looking for someone reliable,
organized, and willing to learn.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
•Answer the phone, take clear messages, and route calls
•Greet visitors and sign for deliveries
•Sort and distribute mail and prepare outgoing packages
•File and scan documents and keep records organized
•Enter data and double-check it for accuracy
•Restock supplies and keep shared spaces tidy
•Help set up meeting rooms and support the team as needed
•Learn and follow our office procedures
WHAT WE WILL TEACH YOU
•Our phone, scheduling, and filing systems
•How we handle mail, vendors, and supply ordering
•The software the office runs on: _______________________
•Professional communication with clients and visitors
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•Basic computer and typing skills
•Dependable, punctual, and detail-oriented
•Friendly and comfortable talking with people
•No prior office experience required
GROWTH PATH
This role is a starting point. Strong performers move toward senior office
assistant, office coordinator, or administrative assistant work here.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
Training: paid, on the job
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 3: Front Desk Office Assistant
For an office where the desk has to be covered. Reception, visitors, and deliveries lead the responsibilities, office tasks fill the gaps between them, and coverage hours are stated. Compare it against a dedicated front desk role before you post.
Front Desk Office Assistant Job Description
FRONT DESK OFFICE ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __ (on-site)
Reports to: __ (Office Manager)
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Non-exempt (hourly)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
Coverage hours: __
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Front Desk Office Assistant to be the face of our
office. You will own the reception area, greet everyone who walks in, manage the
main phone line, handle mail and deliveries, and keep the front of house
running. You will also support the office with supplies, filing, and scheduling
between visitors. Presentation, warmth, and consistency matter in this role.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
RECEPTION
•Greet and check in visitors, clients, and candidates
•Manage the visitor log, badges, and security procedures
•Answer and route the main phone line and general inbox
•Keep the lobby and reception area clean and presentable
MAIL AND DELIVERIES
•Receive, log, and distribute mail and packages
•Prepare outgoing shipments and courier requests
•Notify staff of deliveries and time-sensitive items
OFFICE SUPPORT BETWEEN VISITORS
•Restock supplies, kitchen items, and printer stations
•Book conference rooms and prepare meeting spaces
•File, scan, and complete routine data entry
•Support the office manager with recurring tasks
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•Professional, warm, customer-facing manner
•Reliable attendance (the desk must be covered)
•Basic computer skills and comfort with a phone system
•Organized and calm when several things happen at once
PREFERRED
•Front desk, hospitality, or retail experience
•Familiarity with visitor management or scheduling tools
COVERAGE NOTE
This role requires on-site presence during posted coverage hours. Backup
coverage during breaks and time off is arranged by: __
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
Benefits: __
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 4: First Office Assistant (Small Business, No HR)
For an owner making a first dedicated office hire. It says plainly that there is no HR department, describes the variety honestly, and adds 30, 60, and 90 day markers so an early hire knows what good looks like.
First Office Assistant (Small Business, No HR)
OFFICE ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION (SMALL BUSINESS, FIRST ADMIN HIRE)
Company: __ (small [industry] business)
Location: __
Reports to: Owner
Employment type: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time
FLSA status: Non-exempt (hourly)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
ABOUT THIS ROLE
We are a small business and this is our first dedicated office support hire.
There is no HR department. You will work directly with the owner and a small
team, and you will have real influence over how the office runs because you will
be the one building the routines.
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring our first Office Assistant to take the office off the
owner's plate. You will handle the phone, the mail, the filing, the supply
orders, and the scheduling that currently get squeezed between everything else.
We need someone dependable who likes variety, asks questions, and can turn a
messy process into a repeatable one.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
DAY TO DAY
•Answer the phone and respond to the general email inbox
•Greet customers, vendors, and deliveries
•Sort mail, handle shipping, and manage supply orders
•File and organize documents, both paper and digital
•Enter data and keep our records current
•Schedule appointments and keep the shared calendar accurate
AS YOU SETTLE IN
•Document how recurring office tasks are actually done
•Suggest simpler ways to handle repeat requests
•Take ownership of vendor and supply relationships
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
FIRST 30 DAYS
•Cover the phone, mail, and front desk without daily direction
•Learn our customers, vendors, and where everything is filed
FIRST 60 DAYS
•Own supply ordering and the shared calendar end to end
•Write down two recurring office processes so anyone can follow them
FIRST 90 DAYS
•Be the go-to person for how the office runs
•Free up several hours a week for the owner
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•Reliable, organized, and comfortable working with little supervision
•Basic computer skills and willingness to learn our tools
•Friendly and professional with customers and vendors
•Flexible: at a small company, the job changes as the business grows
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
Schedule: __ (some flexibility for the right person)
Benefits: __
To apply, email your resume and a short note to __
by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 5: Part-Time Office Assistant
For steady part-time coverage on a set weekly schedule. It posts the days and hours, names who covers the desk otherwise, sets a handoff expectation, and states how overtime is handled if a week runs long.
Part-Time Office Assistant Job Description
PART-TIME OFFICE ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __
Reports to: __
Employment type: Part-time (approximately ______ hours per week)
Set schedule: __ (days and hours)
FLSA status: Non-exempt (hourly)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Part-Time Office Assistant to keep our office
organized on a set weekly schedule. You will cover the front desk, handle mail
and supplies, file and scan documents, and support the team during your posted
hours. This is a good fit for someone who wants steady, predictable part-time
work with a clear task list.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Cover the front desk and phone during scheduled hours
•Sort and distribute mail and handle outgoing shipments
•Restock supplies and keep shared spaces organized
•File, scan, and complete data entry assigned for the week
•Prepare meeting rooms and support scheduled appointments
•Leave a short handoff note for the days you are not in
SCHEDULE AND EXPECTATIONS
Scheduled days: __
Scheduled hours: __
Coverage on your days off is handled by: __
Overtime: rarely needed and must be approved in advance. Any hours over 40 in a
workweek are paid at the overtime rate required by law.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•Reliable attendance on the posted schedule
•Basic computer skills and clear communication
•Organized and able to pick up where the last shift left off
•Comfortable working independently for part of the day
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
Benefits available to part-time staff: __
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 6: Medical Office Assistant (Front Office)
For a non-clinical front office role at a practice or clinic: patient check-in, scheduling, paperwork, and records, with a HIPAA privacy note and a confidentiality acknowledgment built into the onboarding expectations.
Medical Office Assistant Job Description (Front Office)
MEDICAL OFFICE ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION (FRONT OFFICE, NON-CLINICAL)
Practice: __ ([medical / dental] practice)
Location: __
Reports to: __ (Practice Manager / Owner)
Employment type: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time
FLSA status: Non-exempt (hourly)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
JOB SUMMARY
[Practice Name] is hiring a Medical Office Assistant for our front office. This
is an administrative, non-clinical role. You will check patients in and out,
answer the phone, schedule and confirm appointments, collect and file paperwork,
handle mail, and keep the front office stocked and organized, all while
protecting patient privacy.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
PATIENT-FACING
•Greet and check in patients and verify their information
•Answer the phone, schedule appointments, and send reminders
•Collect forms, copays, and insurance cards as directed
•Check patients out and book follow-up visits
RECORDS AND ADMINISTRATION
•Scan and file documents into the patient record system
•Enter and update patient and appointment data accurately
•Sort mail, faxes, and referral paperwork
•Prepare charts and paperwork for the next day
OFFICE UPKEEP
•Restock front office and waiting room supplies
•Keep the waiting area clean and presentable
•Coordinate with vendors and the practice manager as needed
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•Friendly, calm, professional manner with patients
•Basic computer skills; scheduling or records software a plus
•Strong attention to detail with paperwork and data
•Discretion with confidential information
PREFERRED
•Front office experience in a medical or dental practice
•Familiarity with [practice management system you use]
PRIVACY NOTE
This role handles protected health information. Plan for HIPAA privacy training
and a signed confidentiality acknowledgment as part of onboarding. This template
is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
Benefits: __
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Practice Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Qualifications Worth Requiring
A high school diploma or equivalent, basic computer skills, organization, clear communication, and reliable attendance cover almost every office assistant opening. Everything beyond that belongs under preferred, not required.
Requirement
What to look for
Required or preferred
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Required
Computer skills
Email, word processing, spreadsheets, basic data entry
Required
Core traits
Organization, attention to detail, reliable attendance
Required
Communication
Clear, friendly, professional with visitors and staff
Required
Experience
Front desk, retail, or customer service background
Preferred
Software
Your scheduling, phone, or practice management system
Preferred
Setting-specific
Discretion with confidential or patient information
Required in a medical front office
Over-requiring is the most expensive mistake in an entry-level posting, because capable candidates skip listings where they meet most but not all of the requirements. Keep advertisements neutral and job-related as well: the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that express a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide to developing a job description walks through the standard sections if you want a second structure to check against.
Pay and Overtime Classification
Office assistants are paid hourly and are non-exempt, so overtime applies at one and a half times the regular rate over 40 hours in a workweek. Benchmark the rate to the general office clerk occupation, then adjust for your local market.
Median $21.64 an Hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), general office clerks had a median hourly wage of $21.64, about $45,010 a year at full-time hours. The lowest 10 percent earned under $14.57 an hour and the highest 10 percent earned over $31.10, across roughly 2.46 million jobs (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Publish the range. Several states now require pay transparency in job advertisements, and even where it is optional a posted range cuts the number of conversations that end at the salary question. Entry-level hires with no office background sit at the bottom of the band; experienced assistants in high-cost metros sit near the top.
A Salary Does Not Make the Role Exempt
The FLSA administrative exemption requires a salary at or above $684 per week ($35,568 a year), a primary duty of office or non-manual work directly related to management or general business operations, and the exercise of discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance. Following established office procedures fails the duties test, so an office assistant stays non-exempt and is owed overtime no matter how the pay is structured. This is general information, not legal advice.
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For a small business, the office assistant is often the first hire whose whole job is to make other people more productive. That makes the posting worth getting right, because the mistakes here are predictable and all three of them are avoidable.
You are hiring office support for the first time, with no HR to check the posting
The most common mistake is reaching for an administrative assistant description because it sounds more serious. It is a different job. An administrative assistant supports named managers, owns calendars, drafts correspondence, and handles sensitive material with real independence. An office assistant keeps the office itself running: the desk, the mail, the supplies, the files, the shared calendar. Post the job you actually have. If you advertise the senior role and pay the entry-level rate, the strong applicants leave once they see the work, and the ones who stay were never a fit.
The classification looks obvious and small employers still get it wrong
An office assistant is non-exempt and paid hourly in nearly every case. The FLSA administrative exemption requires a salary at or above the federal threshold, a primary duty of office or non-manual work directly related to management or general business operations, and the exercise of discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance. Following established office procedures does not meet the duties test, so paying an office assistant a flat salary does not make the overtime obligation go away. Classify by actual duties and pay rather than by the title on the posting, and check your state rules, which can be stricter. This is general information, not legal advice.
This role turns over, so you will run the same hire more than once
Entry-level office support is a stepping stone for most of the people who take it, which means a small business hires for it repeatedly. That makes the process worth building once rather than improvising each time. Save the posting you actually used, keep the pay range current, and standardize what happens after the offer: signed offer letter, new hire paperwork, first-week checklist, and a home for the documents. FirstHR covers that side for a small team with e-signature, an onboarding wizard, task workflows, and document management tied to each employee profile. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
If you want the fundamentals behind any posting rather than a role-specific one, the guide to writing a job description covers the structure, and the EEO policy template gives you the closing statement to paste in.
From Signed Offer to a Working First Week
The job description is step one of four. Once someone accepts, the same document becomes the offer letter, the first-week plan, and the standard you review against at 90 days. This is the stretch where small businesses without HR lose the momentum they built during hiring.
Put the offer in writing
Title, hourly rate, schedule, start date, and at-will language. Spelling out the non-exempt hourly terms up front prevents an argument about overtime later.
Collect the paperwork
Form I-9, Form W-4, direct deposit, and policy acknowledgments, signed electronically so nothing sits half-finished on someone's desk.
Run a real first week
Phone system, filing conventions, supply vendors, who to ask for what. An office assistant is useful on day three if someone shows them the routines.
Keep the records together
Signed offer, tax and eligibility forms, training acknowledgments, and the job description itself, stored against the employee profile from day one.
An office assistant is unusual among entry-level hires in that they can be genuinely useful within days, but only if someone hands over the routines deliberately. Left to figure out the phone system and the filing conventions alone, a good hire spends three weeks looking incompetent. A short, repeatable onboarding plan fixes that, and the new hire paperwork should be signed before day one rather than during it.
FirstHR connects the offer, e-signature, new hire paperwork, onboarding workflow, and document storage in one place so a small team can run the same process every time it hires. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll provider, so pair it with whoever runs your payroll. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
The two details generic templates skip are the ones that cost money later: the non-exempt hourly classification, and a title that matches the actual scope. Fix both in the posting and the rest of the hire gets easier.
Key Takeaways
An office assistant is the entry-level office support role: front desk, supplies, mail, filing, data entry, and scheduling help, following procedures rather than setting them.
An administrative assistant supports named people with calendar ownership and real discretion, while a receptionist covers the desk as their entire job. Title the role for the work you actually have.
The role is non-exempt and hourly. A salary does not create an exemption, because entry-level office support fails the discretion and independent judgment test.
Benchmark pay to the general office clerk occupation: a median of $21.64 an hour, or $45,010 a year, in the May 2025 federal wage survey.
Keep the required qualifications short and move everything else to preferred. Over-requiring is the most expensive mistake in an entry-level posting.
Pick the version that matches the opening: general, entry-level, front desk, small business first hire, part-time, or medical front office.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an office assistant do?
An office assistant handles the entry-level support work that keeps a physical office running. The core duties fall into four groups: front desk and visitors (greeting people, answering and routing calls, signing for deliveries), office upkeep (tracking and reordering supplies, keeping shared spaces stocked, coordinating with vendors), mail and records (sorting and distributing mail, filing, scanning, and data entry), and scheduling support (booking rooms, helping with appointments, preparing meeting spaces). The work follows established office procedures rather than setting them, which is what separates it from more senior administrative roles. In a small business the scope is usually broader, because the office assistant is often the only person handling any of it.
What is the difference between an office assistant and an administrative assistant?
Scope and seniority. An office assistant supports the office as a place: the front desk, supplies, mail, filing, and the shared calendar. An administrative assistant supports people: named managers or executives, with calendar ownership, correspondence drafted on someone else’s behalf, travel booking, meeting preparation, and access to confidential material. The administrative assistant role carries more independent judgment and higher pay. Federal wage data reflects the gap: secretaries and administrative assistants, excluding legal, medical, and executive roles, had a median hourly wage of $22.86 in the May 2025 survey, against $21.64 for general office clerks, while executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants sat far higher at $36.82. Title the role for the job you actually have, because posting the senior title at the entry-level rate produces mismatched applicants.
Is an office assistant the same as a receptionist?
No, though the two overlap at the front desk. A receptionist is defined by reception: greeting visitors, managing the phone, and covering the desk for posted hours. That is the whole job, and the desk generally has to stay covered. An office assistant does reception as one part of a wider role that also includes supplies, mail, filing, data entry, and scheduling support, and can step away from the desk to do it. Receptionists and information clerks reported a median hourly wage of $18.27 in the May 2025 federal survey, below the office clerk figure, which reflects the narrower scope. If your office needs the desk staffed continuously, hire a receptionist or use the front desk version of the template.
Is an office assistant exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
Non-exempt in nearly every case, which means overtime is owed at one and a half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The FLSA administrative exemption sets three requirements: the employee must be paid on a salary or fee basis at or above the federal threshold of $684 per week ($35,568 a year), the primary duty must be office or non-manual work directly related to management or general business operations, and that primary duty must include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance. Entry-level office support follows established procedures, so it fails the duties test even if the pay clears the salary threshold. The Department of Labor is explicit that job titles do not determine exemption status. Classify by actual duties and pay, and check state rules, which can be stricter. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much should I pay an office assistant?
Benchmark against the federal occupation the work maps to. There is no separate federal code for office assistant, so the closest match is 43-9061 Office Clerks, General. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), that occupation had a median hourly wage of $21.64, or $45,010 a year at full-time hours. The lowest 10 percent earned under $14.57 an hour and the highest 10 percent earned over $31.10. Entry-level hires with no office background sit toward the bottom of that band; experienced assistants in high-cost metros sit toward the top. Adjust for your local market, publish the range in the posting, and check whether your state requires pay transparency in job advertisements.
What qualifications should an office assistant job description require?
Keep the required list short and honest. A high school diploma or equivalent, basic computer skills (email, word processing, spreadsheets), organization and attention to detail, clear communication, and reliable attendance cover almost every office assistant opening. Everything else belongs under preferred: prior front desk or customer service experience, familiarity with a specific scheduling or practice management system, or industry knowledge. Over-requiring is the most expensive mistake in an entry-level posting, because capable candidates skip listings where they meet most but not all requirements. For a front desk version, add a professional and warm customer-facing manner. For a medical front office version, add discretion with confidential information and plan for HIPAA training during onboarding.
How do I write an office assistant job description that attracts good applicants?
Write the posting for your actual office rather than a generic one. Name the setting and the reporting line in the header, open with a short summary of what the role covers, then group the responsibilities into front desk, office upkeep, mail and records, and scheduling support so a candidate can picture the day. State the schedule and whether the role is on-site, list the non-exempt hourly classification and a real pay range, and separate required from preferred qualifications. Close with an equal opportunity statement and exact instructions for applying. Keep job advertisements neutral and job-related, since federal law prohibits postings that show a preference based on a protected characteristic. One clear page beats two vague ones.
