Admin, HR and secretarial staff: how to find the right person for your office
Who exactly you need: receptionist, secretary or office manager
Even employers mix up job titles in an office. A receptionist greets clients and manages the flow of visitors, a secretary handles correspondence and the manager’s schedule, an office manager looks after supplies, purchasing and paperwork, an executive assistant takes on personal and work errands for the boss, and an HR manager fills vacancies and handles personnel records. If you mix the roles, the candidate will arrive with the wrong experience.
On BlaBlaPrice you describe the vacancy once and candidates reply on their own. For the employer it is free.
Where to look
- Receptionist / administrator — salon, clinic, hotel, studio; dealing with clients and a booking system matter.
- Secretary — calls, post, meeting schedule, documents.
- Office manager — buying stationery, records, liaison with suppliers, couriers and contractors.
- HR manager, recruiter — hiring, personnel records, onboarding.
- Executive assistant — support, travel, communications, confidentiality.
What to put in the vacancy
- Position and duties — a list of daily tasks, not just the title.
- Schedule — 5/2, shifts, part-time; whether overtime happens.
- Pay — salary, bonus, formal employment.
- Office address — city, area, whether there is parking and transport.
- Software and skills — Excel, QuickBooks, CRM, email, calls, English.
- Experience — how many years, whether references are needed.
- Start — from which date you need the person.
Example: “Looking for a receptionist for a dental clinic in Central, 2/2 schedule, 9:00 to 20:00. Booking patients, calls, the cash desk, working in a CRM. At least a year of experience. Pay HK$1,900 a month plus a bonus. Can start from next Monday.”
Think about personal qualities too. A receptionist needs to stay calm under pressure and be friendly, a secretary needs to be precise and punctual, an office manager organised, an executive assistant completely discreet. Say so in the vacancy in one sentence, and people with the right temperament will reply.
For an HR role, state which vacancies the person will fill and how fast, whether there is a budget for advertising vacancies and which tools are used. For a receptionist, say which clients they will deal with and whether a presentable appearance matters.
If you are not sure you need a full-time post, try describing the actual volume of tasks: sometimes part-time is enough, which cuts costs noticeably.
How to choose a candidate
Replies come in the chat: the person tells you about experience, start date and the pay they expect. The system shows the best offer by substance first, and reviews are visible next to each. Compare by duties, not only by “years of experience”: a receptionist in a salon and in a hotel do different things. At the interview, give a situational question: “A client complains about the waiting time, what do you do?” For a secretary or assistant, good language skills and discretion matter; for HR, examples of vacancies closed. Contacts are hidden, and only the chosen candidate gets your phone.
More on the “How it works” page. If you need a sales manager, also see retail and sales.
The request stays active for 7 days and can be edited and extended. If there are few replies, add specifics about the schedule, pay or office location.
If you are looking for a job
Register on BlaBlaPrice as a service provider, choose this category and region and answer vacancies with your own application: your experience, when you are ready to start and what pay suits you.
