Receptionists hold myriad responsibilities including answering and forwarding incoming calls, welcoming and directing visitors to the appropriate persons, and keeping the reception area clean and presentable. In order to succeed in this role, you’ll need the proper education or administrative skills. In the following guide, our certified resume writers offer tips on designing an exceptional receptionist resume that can help get you noticed by hiring managers.Let’s begin by going over the three standard resume designs.
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Job Duties of a Receptionist
Receptionists play a key staff role in almost any organization. Since they are nearly always the first representatives of most companies to communicate with visitors, all receptionists must not only be professionally courteous and have a pleasant demeanor, but they also need to know where to direct any inquiries.
The most common receptionist duties likely include the following:
Managing meeting rooms.
Coordinating events.
Attending to and transferring incoming calls.
Handling professional grievances and complaints with a clear intent to retain customers and to understand the issues fully.
Welcoming all visitors, whether in-person or remotely, through digital or physical tools like phone lines.
Managing and maintaining office supplies including office stationery, furniture and other required essentials.
Maintaining financial records, including credit and debit transactions.
Sorting and distributing digital and physical mail.
Coordinating with the HR department on recruitment and termination processes.
Exemplying business etiquette and possibly developing related manuals for the rest of the team.
Median Salary for Receptionists
The average hourly wage for receptionists was $14.45 as of May 2019. Since receptionists’ employment expects to grow by 4% from 2019 to 2029, overall job opportunities and the median pay rate will rise.
Top Skills for a Receptionist
Growing demand for trained and proficient receptionists means more people will try to get those jobs, leading to more competition. The following list of skills will help you determine whether you can be competitive in a job search against other candidates.
- Effective communication: A good command over written and verbal communication plays a vital role in receptionist jobs. A courteous and polished demeanor towards customers, such as listening to their queries patiently and resolving them quickly, is essential.
- Multitasking ability: Completing several tasks simultaneously and successfully shows you can handle a receptionist’s daily task churn. One example of this ability includes taking multiple phone calls, scheduling appointments with clients through separate digital platforms, all while patiently dealing with clients in-person or over the phone.
- Respectful customer service: Your tone is almost as important as its content in this job. Imagine yelling at an annoyed customer — they won’t listen to you even if you give them the exact, correct information. That’s why a courteous demeanor is so essential. At any moment, you will be the face of the company and need to act like it and respond to customers accordingly
- Technical expertise: Sound experience with and knowledge of phone systems, printers, computers, and different physical and digital records maintenance play a vital role for receptionists. Familiarity with MS Office, macOS and other software programs is also preferred, especially in calendaring and communications.
Educational requirements for Receptionist jobs
Educational requirements to become a receptionist vary by employer and employee. Typically, companies require at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. See the full list below:
High school diploma
While employers prefer to recruit receptionists who possess a high school diploma, receptionists can also acquire higher education skills. As long as candidates have exposure to and a good understanding of computer software, especially in using spreadsheets and word processing programs, you should have a shot at a receptionist job. If you have a higher degree than a high school diploma, including an associate or bachelor’s degree, you are more likely to get a job interview and the job itself.Professional training
Many receptionists receive short-term, on-the-job training to enhance their skills. These sessions may include learning how to welcome customers into a reception area, receiving and making calls, and knowing how to use different types of computers and their associated programs. The length of training could last from a few hours to weeks. Either way, you need to explicitly state the training in your resume.Certification
Certifications are usually not required for receptionist jobs but they are definitely recommended if you want to advance to a secretary position. The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), the International Virtual Assistants Association, and the National Association of Legal Secretaries all offer certification courses. The CAP (Certified Administrative Professional) credential from the IAAP requires experience in the field of at least 48 months.
Receptionist Resume-Writing Tips
Writing a resume isn’t hard if you pay attention to the job description and write about your jobs and skills concisely and truthfully. But there are other tips related to writing an effective receptionist resume. We’ve listed a few below:
- Categorize your skills. Hard skills are usually technical skills like software knowledge and soft skills are usually personal ones, like the ability to make conversation easily, that help make your argument for getting a job. Categorizing them into separate sections on your resume will help the recruiter read them easily and better understand your qualifications.
- Emphasize customer service experience. You should thoroughly explain your customer service experience and skill specializations throughout both the experience and the skill sections of your resume. Why? Because including training such as maintaining financial records, organizationizing travel plans, or experience with specific business software shows you can handle any receptionist job. Also, it helps keep your resume focused on administrative work, which is the main reason you will be considered for any receptionist job.
- Optimize your resume for applicant tracking systems (ATS). Optimizing means using keywords in your resume that match those found in the job description. Many companies use ATS software to eliminate unqualified applicants who do include these keywords. The ATS scans your resume for keywords, grammatical errors, and gives them a score. Only qualified applicants with well-optimized resumes proceed for an interview.
FAQ
Is being a receptionist a promising career?
With more than a million receptionists working in the U.S., the answer is a resounding yes. A receptionist role often acts as a stepping stone to other jobs at the same company. For example, Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau worked as a front desk receptionist at his gym in New Hampshire starting in 1993. Twenty years later, he was named the company’s chief executive. But even if not all receptionists advance to the executive level, the job does have good earning potential. Moreover, you can gain valuable skills that apply to different positions.
How do you become a receptionist?
Typically, it requires a high school diploma or its equivalent. Plus, good command over communication skills and appearance plays a vital role. Since receptionists are the first and last person with whom a client may come in contact, a courteous and calming presence is essential.
What is the job outlook for a receptionist?
Since there are receptionists in almost every industry, employment opportunities should rise by about 9% from 2016 to 2026. Overall, job opportunities for receptionists will grow, especially in the health care sector. According to recent data, the number of available jobs is 1,105,300, giving receptionists a wide range of options to develop a successful career.