associate.

Your daily duties differ based on your area of specialisation. However, the common tasks of associates include:

• interacting with clients and customers: as an associate, you are the first point of contact for clients and customers. Whether you work in a law firm or you are a sales associate, your job is to ensure that clients are comfortable and enjoy their experience. You welcome clients and find out what they are looking for.
• assisting senior managers: as an associate, you handle tasks assigned by the senior associate or manager. That means you perform administrative duties, like writing reports and taking minutes in meetings. You manage correspondence at the office and ensure official letters or memos get to the manager for immediate action.
• conducting research: as an associate, you assist senior associates with research. For instance, you conduct market research in retail stores to determine the best products to promote based on the season and consumer interests. In law firms, you perform legal research to determine the legal precedents for cases and come up with a defence strategy.
• coordinating other workers: you may be in charge of administrative workers, such as administrative assistants and data entry clerks. Your job is to ensure duties are completed on time. You supervise filing, data entry and bookkeeping tasks to ensure accuracy. In law offices, you work alongside legal secretaries and paralegals to ensure court files are ready and that all recordings are transcribed before court dates.

Associates work in law offices, judge's offices, financial institutions and retail stores. Regardless of your area of specialisation, most of your duties require spending long hours at the office. You spend considerable time on your computer, conducting research and drafting reports. When you work as an associate lawyer or a judge's associate, you also work in courtrooms to attend court proceedings. Research associates spend time in laboratories during research, which means their work attire includes protective equipment, like gloves and goggles.

Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include legal counsel, legal secretaries and administration assistants. You might also be working in close proximity to administrators and office managers, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, judges, lawyers and paralegals.

The typical work schedule of an associate in Australia is 40 hours a week. You work weekdays during traditional business hours, usually from 9 am to 5 pm. While working overtime is rare, you are likely to work evenings and the occasional weekend if you have a deadline. As an associate lawyer, you may work outside business hours when clients need your help with a legal matter. Aside from full-time positions, associates also work part-time. Some companies have remote and hybrid work settings.

As an associate, you are a junior-level professional in your field, which means you can progress to senior roles in your field. For instance, you can become a senior associate in a law firm. Alternatively, specialise in your area of interest and become a research associate or sales associate. Your career opportunities expand when you specialise in a specific field.

Finding your associate job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
 

• a wide variety of training and development opportunities
• an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
• a range of opportunities in your area
• get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
• temporary and permanent contracts

Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as an associate is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Thousands of people earn a permanent contract every year with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.

As an associate, you work in collaboration with various professionals to complete daily tasks and support senior employees. You speak to clients, find out what they need and direct them to the right office. Aside from welcoming clients, you perform administrative duties, like writing reports and performing research.

As an associate, you earn an average salary of $104,000 per year. However, your remuneration package fluctuates based on your area of expertise and qualifications. Entry-level associates start with a salary of $81,000 per year, but with experience, your earnings increase gradually, and you can take home over $161,500 annually.

Yes, as an associate in a company or law firm, you work in an entry-level role. While it is a low-level position in the company hierarchy, you require some experience to become an associate. You also have numerous opportunities for promotion to senior levels, depending on your expertise.

As an associate, you are assigned specific tasks related to a project and work with a team of professionals. An assistant usually acts in a supporting capacity to other senior employees or managers.

Working as an associate is a promising career since you can progress in your field of specialisation. For instance, becoming an associate lawyer prepares you for a career as a legal counsel.

Applying for an associate job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.