Receptionist Job Description

Pretty much every enterprise is in need of a professional, detail-oriented receptionist to support its organizational processes and facilitate improvements in customer service.

But, what does an applicant need in order to get employed? - A resume tailored to the job description!

In this guide by our online resume writing services providers, we are going to tell you: 

  • Who is a receptionist;
  • What are the main receptionist duties;
  • What skills and proficiencies one needs to build a career;
  • And share a well-structured receptionist job description.

After reading this article, you will know how to write ATS friendly resume. So, let’s dive in!

Receptionist Job Description Example

To help you learn what to include in your receptionist resume examples, here’s a sample job description:

Job Overview

XYZ Hotel is looking for a dedicated receptionist with an ultimate eye for detail and exceptional customer service skills.

Responsibilities:

  • Greeting the hotel’s customers
  • Answering and routing phone calls
  • Taking messages
  • Providing the customers with the necessary information and handling their special requests, problems, or complaints
  • Handling travel arrangements, meetings schedules, bookings, etc.
  • Ensuring that all the main organization procedures are followed when customers arrive and leave
  • Preparing bills and handling payments
  • Handling documents and records
  • Handling mail and email correspondence

Requirements:

  • High school degree and proven work experience in a receptionist or similar role
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Productivity and time management skills
  • Solid customer service
  • Proactive approach
  • Proficiency in handling office equipment

Now, let’s move on to the receptionist definition.

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What Does a Receptionist Do?

So, what is a receptionist? In a nutshell, people who occupy this position become the company’s first point of contact with its customers. 

What does a receptionist do? The role’s duties often include greeting guests, handling correspondence via phone, mail, and email, and providing customer service.

Receptionists work at the front desk and handle a wide range of relevant organizational and administrative activities. They can work in a variety of industries. Namely, some popular jobs can be found at Walt Disney World Resort and Hyatt.

Average Salary of a Receptionist

Often, in the receptionist job, employees receive money on an hourly basis. Though this mostly depends on the financial policies of each particular company.

The average salary for receptionist is $13.5 per hour, and the range is $13.28-$16.51.

Receptionist Job Description

According to a typical job description for receptionist, people who apply for this job should have a high school degree or equivalent, complemented with 1-2 years of experience in the same or a similar role.

The key job duties include greeting visitors/customers, answering and directing calls, answering customers’ questions, handling mail, following procedures, keeping logbooks, etc. Some higher-paying jobs may also require handling additional responsibilities.

Receptionists usually work at the front desk. The key skills typically highlighted in a receptionist description include multitasking and time management, excellent communication, strong work ethic, high motivation, and a positive attitude.

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Receptionist Responsibilities

So, what are the receptionist duties and responsibilities a potential employee should know about? Although different employers may have different receptionist responsibilities listed, there is a number of duties of a receptionist that are included in this career almost always:

  • Greeting the company’s visitors, customers, vendors, etc.;
  • Guiding the visitors to the appropriate person/department;
  • Answering incoming phone calls, taking messages for the company’s staff, and directing the calls;
  • Managing filing systems;
  • Making bookings, scheduling meetings, and making travel arrangements;
  • Completing the company’s procedures;
  • Handling bills and payments;
  • Handling special requests, issues, or complaints;
  • Maintaining calendars;
  • Escorting visitors to the needed destinations;
  • Informing the company’s employees of guests’ cancellations and arrivals;
  • Handling customer data, records, and documents;
  • Handling email and mail correspondence.

Top Receptionist Skills and Proficiencies [Receptionist Requirements]

To show your level of qualification on a resume effectively, you should use the job description to identify the key receptionist skills a particular employer is looking for.

To help you get started, here are the main skills you will need to possess working as a receptionist:

  • Customer service
  • The ability to communicate effectively
  • A focus on customer satisfaction
  • Proactive and positive attitude
  • Strong work ethic
  • Written and verbal communication
  • Adaptability
  • Patience
  • Attention to detail and accuracy
  • Problem-solving
  • Phone answering
  • Supply management
  • Microsoft Office
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Integrity
  • Listening skills

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Top Receptionist Resume Skills

When writing your receptionist resume skills section, job seekers should focus on the job description in order to bypass the applicant tracking system (ATS system), which recruiters use to scan applications and weed out the ones that don’t meet the requirements. Thus, the list of resume skills is always different depending on the specific needs of every company.

The most common points for a receptionist skills resume section include:

  • Customer service
  • Office equipment use
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office
  • Experience in using phone systems
  • Attention to detail
  • Supply management
  • Verbal and written communication
  • Knowledge of the basic office equipment
  • Problem-solving

Receptionist Job Skills

When writing a receptionist duties resume, one must focus on the skills that employers specify in the job description and which are crucial for getting your job application noticed. That’s what we call resume skills.

Yet, there are also other professional skills for resume that may not be included on a receptionist job description resume but are absolute must-haves if you want to land a job and excel in your new role. These are called job skills, and here are some of them:

  • Listening
  • Friendliness
  • Overachieving attitude
  • Conflict resolution
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Customer focus
  • Organization
  • Tolerating stress
  • The ability to work under pressure

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To Sum Up

Hopefully, this guide will help you ensure that your resume writing efforts don’t go in vain and help you land an interview with ease.

In a conclusion, let’s recap the key points:

  • A receptionist is someone working at the front desk and being the first point of contact between a company and its clients.
  • The list of responsibilities of a receptionist is long and includes phone answering, greeting visitors, handling bookings, keeping records, and many others.
  • In order to ensure that your resume will help you achieve your objectives, you must tailor it to the receptionist job description.
  • Job descriptions tell you about the receptionist requirements, duties, and skills that need to be on your resume that wins an interview.
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