Receptionist
Receptionists are the first point of contact for visitors to an organisation.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a receptionist, your tasks will depend on where you work. You could:
- greet visitors and direct them to the correct person or department
- manage people signing in and give out security passes
- answer enquiries in person, by phone and online
- manage reservations, meeting room bookings and appointments
- deal with incoming and outgoing post and deliveries
- take payments and handle invoices
Working environment
You could work in a reception area, in an office, in an NHS or private hospital or in a hotel.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career path and progression
With training and experience, you could become a senior receptionist, front of house supervisor or personal assistant (PA).
In a GP surgery or health centre, you could train to become a medical secretary.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- the ability to work well with others
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- administration skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- sensitivity and understanding
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
You can take a college course before applying for work as a receptionist. Some courses relate to particular types of work, others are more general.
For example:
- salon reception (beauty and hairdressing)
- business administration (office work)
- front of house reception (hospitality and catering)
- customer service
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More Information
You could get into this job through an apprenticeship, such as:
- Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Hospitality Accommodation Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Hospitality Supervisor Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
These take around 1 year to complete.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
You could begin as an admin assistant in an organisation, for instance by doing temporary work, then apply for a permanent job as a receptionist when a vacancy becomes available.
In a hotel, you could start in housekeeping and take further training on the job.
You may be able to apply directly for receptionist jobs. It will help to have good admin and customer service skills.
Some employers will prefer you to have GCSEs and IT skills to work with computerised booking or payment systems.
Further information
You can learn more about working as a receptionist in hospitality from Caterer.com.
You can also find out about medical reception work from NHS Careers.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.