Associate: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire an associate?

An associate is usually an entry-level position where the employee is still being trained for the role or looking to improve their skills. Depending on what industry they work in, an associate will have a variety of different skills that they can build on as they gain experience.

Contributions of a great associate:

• assisting others with getting their job done
• supporting other staff with organizational skills
• acting as the point of contact with clients and customers

What are the different types of associates?

The associate is a general term for a worker affiliated with a particular company. There are many different types of associate jobs, all of which are considered entry-level positions. The idea behind hiring an associate is that they will learn while on the job and move into the full position after a certain amount of time. The following is a list of different types of associate jobs:

• Sales Associate: will work in retail and learn sales techniques from lead salespeople.
• Associate Professor: will work at a University as a teacher but not have a full professorship. This position is usually given to people who are still in the process of finishing their graduate degrees.
• Associate Attorney: will work as an attorney but will be given lesser cases.
• Customer Service Associate: will work with the customer service department answering questions about the company and handling complaints.

Where to find an associate

To find the right associate for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Graduate school: If hiring for an associate professor position, you might want to start your search in the graduate school of the same department you are hiring for. Students working towards their graduate degrees are the best candidates for these positions. This would be the same for hiring an associate attorney.
• Job fair: If hiring a sales associate, attending a job fair is a great place to find entry-level workers.
• Referrals: Asking friends, families, and colleagues is another great way to find an associate. This way, you can be sure that the candidates you find are already qualified and reliable.

Post your job online: Try posting your associate job on Indeed to find and attract quality associate candidates.

Skills to look for in a great associate

A great associate candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• Ability to learn quickly
• Time management skills
• Ability to work in a team

Writing an associate job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified associate candidates. An associate 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 associate job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on associate jobs, according to Indeed data:

• associate
• sales associate
• retail associate
• customer service associate
• entry-level

Interviewing associate candidates

Strong candidates for associate positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Experience working in the industry
• Experience learning from others
• Experience with career advancement opportunities
• Experience with learning while on the job

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of interview questions for examples (with sample answers).