How to Become a Receptionist

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

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.

While past jobs may not have involved receptionist duties, skills like effective communication, organization, and telephone experience can be highlighted.

Networking can be a great way to get a referral. This means building a connection of contacts of old supervisors, family members, or acquaintances.

Another great way to improve your chances of landing your dream receptionist job is to gain experience through short-term assignments at a temp agency, or as a student employee in a high school referral or college work-study program, among other options.

No, an office assistant is not the same role as a receptionist. While these roles can be similar in some companies and even be held by the same person, the roles are not the same.

The office receptionist is the representative of the company that visitors encounter first. Their duties are primarily in customer service, ensuring that everyone who walks through the door or who makes a phone call has a positive first impression of the company.

Meanwhile, office assistant is more focused on their administrative duties. A person in this role spends most of their day making sure that the office is running smoothly. The office assistant will type documents, send emails and faxes, schedule appointments, and perform any other office related task that they are assigned.

Essentially, an office receptionist is focused on ensuring excellent customer service, while an Office Assistant is focused on ensuring excellent office support.

Yes, being a receptionist is a stressful job. This largely depends on the company you work for. However, a typical receptionist is usually on the go for most of the day.

As a receptionist, you have to think on your feet, deal with multiple tasks at once, greet people, make bookings, emails, and take and make calls. Having to manage all these tasks at once does cause stress.

On a regular day, receptionists will have to greet visitors, have them sign into the visitor database, and handle incoming calls and accept deliveries.

Trying to do too many tasks at once can lead to things going wrong. Attempting to do too many things at once can also lead to feeling overwhelmed and being stressed out.

Receptionists also serve as the face of the company and may need to resolve issues on behalf of staff members and deal with difficult customers while maintaining a professional demeanor. For some people, having to always be the front-facing person of the company while juggling this can be very stressful.

Yes, being a receptionist is a good career. Being a receptionist can be a very rewarding job. While it doesn't pay a lot, it can open the door to a lot of exciting opportunities. It has a good work-life balance, and you get to meet a lot of interesting people.

One often overlooked benefit of being a receptionist is that they become the face of the company.

Another reason why a receptionist is a good job is that it helps to refine many different skill sets. Most receptionists must be talented multitaskers, able to manage multiple ongoing situations without breaking a sweat. Receptionists typically must have well-developed skills in computers (e.g., Microsoft 360), communication, and organizational abilities.

Receptionist jobs are often seen as short-term roles, part-time positions, or stepping stones on your overall career path.

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

Answer Phone Calls

• answer and address incoming phone calls in a timely and polite manner

• clearly determine the purpose of the call

• deal with queries and provide correct information

• forward calls to the appropriate person

• take and deliver messages accurately and completely

Manage Mail

• sort and distribute incoming mail

• prepare outgoing mail for pick-up or courier

• organize courier deliveries

Clerical

• photocopy and collate documents

• fax documents

• file documents accurately

• maintain equipment and report any malfunctions

• monitor, control, and order office supplies

Organize Meetings

• book meeting room

• inform participants

• set up the meeting room with necessary stationery and equipment

• organize catering for meeting

Secretarial Support

• prepare correspondence and documents

• update databases

• organize mailings

• prepare and maintain spreadsheets

• schedule and follow up on appointments

There are no specific qualifications for being a receptionist. At a minimum, a high school or GED will suffice.

However, unless you know someone, it may be hard for you to land a job as a receptionist, as you will need to have some work experience. However, If you have a bachelor's degree, you may be hired with minimal work experience. It doesn't matter if the past jobs involved receptionist duties.

If you can communicate with customers, or organize files, or answer telephones, then you are already on your way to becoming a receptionist.

Another great way to build experience is through temporary jobs. This can help to build contacts and get referrals.

The top skills you should work on to become a good receptionist include:

• Communication skills.

• Customer-service skills.

• Integrity

• Interpersonal skills

• Organizational skills.