How To Become An Office Receptionist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an office receptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Office receptionists perform various administrative support tasks. This includes answering phones, receiving visitors, preparing meeting and training rooms, sorting and distributing mail, and making travel plans. They welcome visitors and deliver exceptional customer service assistance by addressing their questions and needs. They keep the reception area and all common areas clean and tidy at all times. Also, they operate standard office equipment regularly, such as fax machines, copy machines, and computers. Additionally, they maintain an inventory of office supplies and restock as needed.

For this role, you need a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent. You must have at least two years of relevant experience in an office environment. You must be proficient in Microsoft Office. Also, you must possess multitasking, prioritization, interpersonal, organization, time management, and communication skills. Employers may provide on-the-job training. Your salary will be between $23,000 and $42,000, with an average of $31,127 yearly.

ScoreOffice ReceptionistUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,554

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.91%

Asian 6.41%

Black or African American 10.27%

Hispanic or Latino 22.62%

Unknown 4.67%

White 55.12%

Gender

female 90.48%

male 9.52%

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

Key steps to become an office receptionist

Explore office receptionist education requirements

Most common office receptionist degrees

Bachelor's

35.9 %

High School Diploma

25.3 %

Associate

23.1 %

Start to develop specific office receptionist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	20.12%
Customer Service	14.88%
Phone Calls	12.20%
Data Entry	8.84%
Front Desk	5.95%

Complete relevant office receptionist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New office 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 an office receptionist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real office receptionist resumes.

Research office receptionist duties and responsibilities

Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
Answer phones, make copies, Microsoft, PowerPoint, scheduling, greet and interact with clients, filing and mailing.
Complete and audit payroll for accuracy.
Process payroll and monthly/quarterly sales tax liabilities.

Prepare your office receptionist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your office 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 an office 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 office receptionist resume templates

Build a professional office 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 office receptionist resume.