How To Become A Front Desk Receptionist: What It Is and Career Path

Q: How long does it take to become a Front Desk Receptionist?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a front desk receptionist. That is the time it takes to learn specific front desk receptionist skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

Q: How do I become a receptionist with no experience?

To become a receptionist with no experience involves having a good resume and cover letter, some prior work or volunteer experience, and meeting the right people. When creating a resume for a receptionist position, be sure to illustrate similar skills in past volunteer, extracurricular, or work experience.

Q: What are the duties of a receptionist?

The main duties of a receptionist are to receive visitors, answer phone calls, manage mail, do clerical work, organize meetings, and provide secretarial support. Receive Visitors greet visitors appropriately determine visitor needs in a professional manner maintain visitor register offer refreshments to visitors where appropriate direct visitors to the correct person ensure back up when absent from reception desk

Q: What is the difference between the front desk and the receptionist?

The difference between the front desk and the receptionist has to do with the scope of responsibility. A receptionist is more focused on just answering calls and dealing with customer questions, while a front desk professional focuses on check-ins, check-outs, and reservations.

Q: What qualifications do I need to work as a receptionist?

The qualifications you need to work as a receptionist include a high school diploma, professionalism, soft skills such as communication, and hard skills such as a basic understanding of computers, including Microsoft and scheduling programs (e.g., Google calendar).

Q: What skills do you need to be a front desk receptionist?

The skills you need to be a front desk receptionist encompass a wide variety of technical and interpersonal skills. To help break it down, we have compiled a list of the top nine skills needed to be a successful front desk receptionist.

What is a front desk receptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A front desk receptionist works in a variety of settings, including hotels, hospitals, and offices. Their duties include greeting visitors and providing them with information and assistance. They answer calls, schedule appointments, and manage the flow of people. Front desk receptionists must be friendly, organized, and able to multitask. They require communication skills and often handle difficult situations with tact and professionalism. Overall, a front desk receptionist ensures a positive experience for visitors.

ScoreFront Desk ReceptionistUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $31,050

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.91%

Asian 6.40%

Black or African American 10.61%

Hispanic or Latino 23.95%

Unknown 4.50%

White 53.64%

Gender

female 84.64%

male 15.36%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a front desk receptionist?

Pros

Gain experience in administrative tasks
Chance to work in a fast-paced environment
Opportunity for career advancement within the company
Potential for flexible scheduling
Ability to work in various industries

Cons

High stress due to demanding workload
May require working long hours or on weekends/holidays
Repetitive tasks can be tedious
Low pay or lack of benefits in some positions
May have to work alone or with limited interaction with coworkers

Key steps to become a front desk receptionist

Explore front desk receptionist education requirements

Most common front desk receptionist degrees

High School Diploma

32.6 %

Bachelor's

27.7 %

Associate

21.6 %

Start to develop specific front desk receptionist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	22.96%
Check-In	12.04%
Phone Calls	10.43%
Reservations	9.72%
Customer Service	9.69%

Complete relevant front desk receptionist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New front desk receptionists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a front desk receptionist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real front desk receptionist resumes.

Research front desk receptionist duties and responsibilities

Accomplish computer work using a PMS system; OperaXpress.
Collect and distribute mail and packages, prepare FedEx shipments and manage online postage machine.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic
Acquire knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT codes and achieve up-to-date knowledge of medical record practices, standards, and regulations.

Prepare your front desk receptionist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your front desk receptionist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a front desk receptionist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable front desk receptionist resume templates

Build a professional front desk receptionist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your front desk receptionist resume.

Apply for front desk receptionist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a front desk receptionist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do front desk receptionists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Front desk receptionist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2024

Pros

Good work life balance, low stress and responsibility

Cons

Low pay, lack of progression

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020

Cons

Graveyard Shifts! Staying up alnight is hard most nights that I had to work from midnight to 8am. And watching people suffer the most at that hour of the night morning.

Pros

Helping People.As a child my Mom was a Nurse in Long-term Care. And as My Mom, I get the most out of life when I'm helping someone.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Interacting with the public very friendly helpful in problem solving also I have patience with others

What is a front desk receptionist and how to become one

What are the pros and cons of being a front desk receptionist?

Front desk receptionist career paths

Key steps to become a front desk receptionist

Explore front desk receptionist education requirements

Most common front desk receptionist degrees

Start to develop specific front desk receptionist skills

Complete relevant front desk receptionist training and internships

Research front desk receptionist duties and responsibilities

Prepare your front desk receptionist resume

Choose from 10+ customizable front desk receptionist resume templates

Apply for front desk receptionist jobs

How did you land your first front desk receptionist job

Average front desk receptionist salary

How do front desk receptionists rate their job?

Front desk receptionist reviews

Front desk receptionist FAQs

How long does it take to become a Front Desk Receptionist?

How do I become a receptionist with no experience?

What are the duties of a receptionist?

What is the difference between the front desk and the receptionist?

What qualifications do I need to work as a receptionist?

What skills do you need to be a front desk receptionist?

Search for front desk receptionist jobs

Front desk receptionist jobs by state