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

What is a switchboard receptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a switchboard receptionist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.19 an hour? That's $31,601 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 4,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSwitchboard ReceptionistUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,601

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 5.91%

Black or African American 11.09%

Hispanic or Latino 19.98%

Unknown 4.09%

White 58.21%

Gender

female 94.15%

male 5.85%

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 a switchboard receptionist

Explore switchboard receptionist education requirements

Most common switchboard receptionist degrees

High School Diploma

34.3 %

Associate

27.9 %

Bachelor's

18.6 %

Start to develop specific switchboard receptionist skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	15.05%
Greeting Visitors	13.71%
Front Desk	12.02%
Scheduling Appointments	10.83%
Telephone Calls	8.52%

Complete relevant switchboard receptionist training and internships

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

Research switchboard receptionist duties and responsibilities

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Provide efficient and professional telephone services in challenging mental health office while upholding confidentiality under HIPAA standards.

Prepare your switchboard receptionist resume

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

Build a professional switchboard 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 switchboard receptionist resume.