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Office administrator/receptionist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted experts
Allison White,
Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical office administrator/receptionist skills. We ranked the top skills for office administrator/receptionists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.6% of office administrator/receptionist resumes contained phone calls as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an office administrator/receptionist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 office administrator/receptionist skills for your resume and career

1. Phone Calls

Phone calls are a wireless or wired connection made over a telephone or a mobile phone between two people. Two parties are involved in a phone call, the caller and the receiver. A caller dials the number of the one he wants to call, and the recipient hears a bell or a tune to which he picks up the call. The call establishes a connection between them through which they can communicate. The voice is converted into signals and is transmitted through wired or wireless technology.

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use phone calls:
  • Screened/delegated phone calls to proper departments.
  • Answered all phone calls, emails, and faxes continuously throughout each day while performing all patient and insurance billing.

2. Data Entry

Data entry means entering data into a company's system with the help of a keyboard. A person responsible for entering data may also be asked to verify the authenticity of the data being entered. A person doing data entry must pay great attention to tiny details.

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use data entry:
  • Greeted Clients Management of payments Data entry Appointment scheduling Management of payroll hours/overtime
  • Performed office duties including data entry, copying, scanning, faxing, organizing and filing of documents and electronic files.

3. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use customer service:
  • Manage and route Customer Service calls and in-office customer visits to appropriate department and or representative while maintaining strict company guidelines.
  • Received compliments from management, customers, and vendors for friendly and professional customer service and administrative support.

4. Front Desk

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use front desk:
  • Welcomed on-site guests at the front desk, determined nature of business, and announced guest to appropriate personnel.
  • Managed to process Payroll with 100% accuracy, while coordinating the front desk and assisting new Hires.

5. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use payroll:
  • Prepared payroll for building superintendents.
  • Managed multiple bank accounts, union payroll for IBW Local 3 and non-union payroll w/BDB.

6. Telephone Calls

Telephone calls are a communication means through which a caller is connected to the called party. The call is done through a telecommunications device called a telephone. The caller can use a landline, mobile phone, or satellite phone to make the call.

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use telephone calls:
  • Received and directed telephone calls and relay conversation and pertinent messages to others while maintaining accuracy, clarity and confidentiality.
  • Fielded telephone calls and answered customer inquiries about policies; interpreted for Spanish-speaking customers; performed Daily Payment Reminder calls.

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7. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use scheduling appointments:
  • Record messages or direct calls to the appropriate person, scheduling appointments.
  • Assist sales staff with leads, scheduling appointments and all meetings.

8. Office Equipment

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use office equipment:
  • Assisted with the on boarding of new employees by providing training on all office equipment and addressing any inquiries or concerns.
  • Monitored office inventories and ordered general supplies, business cards, office equipment, and special requests as needed.

9. Greeting Visitors

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use greeting visitors:
  • Managed the receptionist area, including greeting visitors and responding to telephone and in- person requests for information during evening shift.
  • Front of house duties, greeting visitors & contractors as required, ensuring they sign in.

10. Word Processing

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use word processing:
  • Provided word processing, created weekly agendas, and ordered supplies online, scheduled, coordinated, and facilitated meetings.
  • Completed assigned word processing, photocopying and data input requests by staff.

11. Administrative Tasks

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use administrative tasks:
  • Coordinate ongoing office/administrative tasks as required, adhering to all company policies and procedures.
  • Assist departments with miscellaneous administrative tasks/projects as needed.

12. Event Planning

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use event planning:
  • Created inter-organizational e-newsletter Skills Used Event Planning Writing Publication Design Logistical management Organization Technological literacy Industry trends Interpersonal
  • Assisted with event planning Filing office documents Medical transcription Covering front office phones when needed Covering for my supervisor when needed

13. Travel Arrangements

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use travel arrangements:
  • Assist in coordinating company events/meetings as well as executive travel arrangements.
  • Scheduled travel arrangements and conference room meetings via Microsoft Outlook.

14. Office Administration

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use office administration:
  • Directed multifaceted services for full-charge bookkeeping functions, office administration, and reception.
  • Handled all office administration tasks including copier and printer maintenance.

15. Office Operations

Here's how office administrator/receptionists use office operations:
  • Presided independently over general office operations daily solely fulfilling majority of office responsibilities.
  • Managed office operations in addition to providing switchboard support.
top-skills

What skills help Office Administrator/Receptionists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on office administrator/receptionist resumes?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

Knowledge of spreadsheets software such as MS Excel is a commonly sought-after skill. Employers want word processing and spreadsheet skills but often say they want high school graduates and pay accordingly. These skills aren't always taught in high school. Those in the field should seek these skills. Additionally, medical and legal assistants have highly sought after. Terminology courses for these specialized areas are sometimes offered at the vocational schools but are usually offered at the post-secondary level.

What office administrator/receptionist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy

Assistant Professor, Tarleton State University

I think this piggybacks a little bit on what I said above on finding a way to distinguish oneself from the competition. Anything done during a gap year would hopefully yield some knowledge, skill, or ability that can be listed as a bullet point on their resume that others may not have. Suppose a student just wants to travel to China for a while and see the Great Wall. "Back-packed in the Orient" would not be a resume bullet but "conversational in Mandarin" would be. To a lesser extent, "Cultural competency with Chinese colleagues and associates" would be, and if asked, the student could explain their familiarity with Chinese customs and etiquette came from extensive time abroad. That might give the students an advantage in certain jobs, but just being able to speak another language could be a job in itself, like as a translator. Whatever a student does during a gap year, ideally, they should walk away with a skill that someone will pay for.

Unfortunately, because of economic realities, a lot of students just take the year off to work and they work in a job where a year of experience won't necessarily count for much (if anything) when they graduate with their expected degree. This goes for both high school graduates and college graduates taking a break before their next degree. I've read the arguments about the benefits of taking a gap year, but aside from students that are on a waiting list for a prestigious program who just have time to kill, I personally find the concept of a gap year to be ill-advised as a general rule, more so between an undergraduate degree and masters or masters and doctorate. Often times the pitfalls outweigh the benefits at any stage. It just presents an opportunity for life to get in the way of something a student knows they want to do, or it delays it. Someone fresh out of high school taking a gap year to get a skill that they think will benefit them in their career after graduation might find themselves in a completely different career by the time they graduate. And university graduates who plan to further their education- taking a break or just working for a while before graduate school can put them at a disadvantage. Taking a break makes graduate school potentially harder once they have gotten used to living without that stress, the transition back to a student can be unnecessarily difficult than if they went straight through.

Those who start their career with a bachelor's degree when they know they need more than can make life choices and financial commitments that are very difficult to keep in grad school. Perhaps they financed a car or became invested in a project they don't want to abandon but would have easier with a master's degree. Or they start a family and now have to juggle caring for and providing for their family with getting the next degree they need when caring for family would have likely been easier if they had an advanced degree. My bachelor's degree was in social work and many of my classmates decided that they just wanted to work for a while before attending grad school, only to find their return to school delayed and all of the experience they gain with that license not translating into an advantage after they graduated and were looking for a job with the higher license. Essentially many of them just had to play catch-up to those that went straight through and started their career at a higher level. Starting at one level when you know that you need the next level can just be lost time, especially since starting with a bang would only put off working for two years to get the next degree.

I had classmates that intended to go back after a year or two, but by the time they intended to return, they fell in love, got married, had beautiful babies, and all of these blessings meant that they couldn't walk away from a job and health insurance to study full-time. This meant it was harder and took far longer and increased their time working for lower pay, whereas if they hadn't taken a break, they would be working full-time at a higher pay with no classes to juggle. I'm not suggesting that people put off life until school is done or delay marriage, children, or buying a home in favor of going back to school if that is their next step in life, only that they can't assume that it'll be easy to just pick up where they left off if they choose to wait.

Less fortunate things can happen as well, like health crises and caregiving, developing an illness, or having to care for aging parents. These things would have been easier if they have chosen to go straight through. These are some reasons why I think taking a gap year is risky. But if anybody wants to take a gap year, I would be conscientious not to commit to anything that would delay returning to school or not make up for that time by giving them a competitive edge. Otherwise, a year off can easily turn into a decade and it can just add up to lost time.

What type of skills will young office administrator/receptionists need?

Veronica CochranVeronica Cochran LinkedIn profile

CEO, International Association of Administrative Professionals

Those entering the administrative profession in the upcoming years will find it beneficial to understand what it means to be a strategic partner to their direct manager/supervisor, department, and organization at-large. As strategic partners, their role will extend beyond being a support person. It will involve strategically aligning oneself to fulfilling the organization's mission and vision while achieving business outcomes and success. The following skills will optimize both professional and organizational effectiveness:

1. Time management and organization
2. High EQ and interpersonal communication
3. Leadership effectiveness and accountability
4. Relationship management - (high inclusion capacity and high collaboration)
5. Problem-solving and innovation
6. Strategic planning and adaptability

What technical skills for an office administrator/receptionist stand out to employers?

Amanda CarpenterAmanda Carpenter LinkedIn profile

Director, California State University Channel Islands

-Data analytics skills are critical technical skills that stand out to employers in today's market. According to NACE (2018), the use of data analytics is projected to have the most significant impact on an organization's operational efficiency and revenue generation.
-Source (NACE): www.naceweb.org
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about office administrator/receptionist

List of office administrator/receptionist skills to add to your resume

Office administrator/receptionist skills

The most important skills for an office administrator/receptionist resume and required skills for an office administrator/receptionist to have include:

  • Phone Calls
  • Data Entry
  • Customer Service
  • Front Desk
  • Payroll
  • Telephone Calls
  • Scheduling Appointments
  • Office Equipment
  • Greeting Visitors
  • Word Processing
  • Administrative Tasks
  • Event Planning
  • Travel Arrangements
  • Office Administration
  • Office Operations
  • Multi-Line Phone System
  • Office Procedures
  • Expense Reports
  • Office Management
  • Direct Calls
  • HR
  • Clerical Support
  • Conference Room
  • QuickBooks
  • Business Cards
  • PowerPoint
  • USPS
  • Fax Machines
  • Bank Deposits
  • FedEx
  • Computer System
  • Mail Merge
  • Inbound Calls
  • Collating
  • Postage Machine
  • Transferring Calls
  • Office Machines
  • Patient Appointments
  • MLS
  • Insurance Verification
  • Conference Calls
  • Service Calls
  • Financial Statements
  • Insurance Claims
  • Administrative Functions
  • Insurance Billing
  • Customer Inquiries
  • Customer Complaints
  • Greeting Clients

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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