How to Write a Captivating Receptionist Resume
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How to Write a Captivating Receptionist Resume

A friendly face and a warm personality are some of the essential traits for any receptionist.But how do you show the hiring manager that you have so much more to offer and are the best person for the receptionist job?A receptionist resume is the best way to introduce yourself and your qualifications. Whether it's an entry-level receptionist resume or a senior receptionist resume, you should ensure it has all the required information.

Last update:
31/7/2024

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Example of a Receptionist Resume

Matthew Cooper
Receptionist
445-873-221
matthercooper@gmail.com
Getzville, NY

Personable Receptionist with eight years of experience in a wide range of clerical duties. Detail-oriented and committed to customer service and accurately enters information in the company database. Always willing to support colleagues with scheduling appointments and maintaining records.

Work Experience

Medis Dental Clinic
Receptionist
January 2018-Date

Responsible for maintaining and restocking office inventory and submitting purchase orders for new products.
Scheduled new appointments according to which provider was available by maintaining a master calendar.
Interviewed patients to obtain medical information, dental health history, and vital signs and maintained patient records on the database.

Mayo Clinic
Medical Receptionist
September 2015-December 2017

Provided skilled clerical assistance to administration and office personnel by answering phones, confirming appointments, and ensuring office inventories were organized and complete.
Filed patient information, including charts, reports, and correspondence, in digital form.Kept bookkeeping up-to-date by preparing and sending financial statements to appropriate recipients.

Education

MTI college
Diploma in Business Administration
May 2015

Skills

Multitasking
Creative problem solving
Front desk operations
Report generation and analysis
Administrative support
Computer literate
CRM systems
Communication skills

Activities

Certified Medical Administrative Assistant from the National Healthcareer Association

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Let's look at some more tips that will help you write the perfect resume that gets you your dream job.

Additional Information About The Receptionist Resume


The U.S. Bureau of Statistics projects that employment of receptionists will grow four percent from 2019 to 2029.

The industries with the highest employment levels in this occupation include offices of physicians, offices of dentists, personal care services, offices of other health practitioners, other professionals, scientific, and technical services.

The average salary for a receptionist based on their experience, including overtime pay, tips, and bonuses, are as follows:

  • Entry-level $12 per hour
  • Early-career $12 per hour
  • Mid-career $13 per hour
  • Late-career $14 per hour
  • Experienced $14 per hour

The average hourly pay for a Receptionist is $13 (Payscale).

receptionist

How to make a Receptionist Resume

A receptionist takes on multiple tasks in the office, including greeting guests, updating the filing system, answering phone calls, ordering office supplies, and taking care of office equipment such as fax machines.

These administrative tasks require you to be a multitasking expert and have the professional skills to perform the job efficiently and effectively. You will need to tailor and personalize each resume you send out when applying for receptionist jobs. This ensures that you set yourself apart from the other applicants.

Some of the ways you can personalize your receptionist resume includes:

  • Remember to add a resume summary that grabs the hiring manager's attention.
  • Tailor each resume you send out and avoid using one generic resume for multiple jobs.
  • It is essential to use a resume format that is easy to read.
  • Check the receptionist job description and add the required keywords and action verbs to help you beat the ATS systems.
Most hiring managers use applicant tracking systems to filter out receptionist resumes that do not meet the requirements. Adding the right keywords and action verbs to your resume helps you beat the ATS systems and allows you to progress in the recruitment process.

The layout of the Receptionist Resume

The best resume format for your receptionist resume is the reverse-chronological format which focuses on your experience and professional achievements. This format is also popular with hiring managers because ATS systems can easily scan it.

The structure of the Receptionist Resume

If you don't have much experience, you can use the functional resume or combination resume format.

The functional resume focuses on your skills and is sometimes referred to as a skills-based resume. If you are making a career change or are a recent graduate, this format is perfect.

The combination resume is also referred to as a hybrid resume because it blends the best features of the functional and reverse-chronological resume formats. It focuses on both your skills and experience.

The structure of your reception resume should have the following sections:

  • The header section
  • Resume summary/resume objective
  • Work experience
  • Education section
  • Skills section
  • An additional section (awards/honor, volunteer work, certifications, interests, and languages.)

Start with the Header of the Receptionist Resume

The header in your resume has your full name, job title, contact information, and a link to your LinkedIn profile or career blog. This information should be accurate so that the recruiting manager can reach you.

Example of a good header for a Receptionist

CORRECT
Regina Bos

Receptionist

523-998-345

reginabos@gmail.com

Portland, OR

linkedin.com/in/reginabos


Example of a bad header for Receptionist

INCORRECT
Regina Bos

Receptionist

523-998-345

reginabos@gmail.com

Date of birth 30/04/1995

808 Kincheloe Road

House number 21

Portland, OR

linkedin.com/in/reginabos


You shouldn’t overload your header section with too much personal information. You don’t need your full address if the application didn’t request this. Keeping your message concise and specific is the best approach.

receptionist

Is a photo required in the Receptionist Resume?

It is advisable to leave a photo out of your receptionist resume because it tends to increase discrimination and unconscious bias.

Also, most US companies say that they would not consider an applicant with a photo in their resume. However, if the job you are applying for requires you to add a photo, ensure it is professional.

Choosing your Receptionist Title

Many candidates make the mistake of using one generic title for all the receptionist resumes they send out. You need to personalize and tailor the title on each resume because failure to do so may cause you to miss out on some great opportunities.

Professional summary for Receptionist

A receptionist resume summary is a short paragraph right after the header section that introduces your resume. It summarizes your experience, skills, and professional accomplishments and should compel the recruiting manager to read the rest of your resume.

CORRECT

Talented Clerical professional with over six years of experience in the medical industry. Personable attitude when greeting patients, answering calls, operating multi-line phone system, and performing all the other administrative functions. Cooperative with teammates, highly organized in managing filing systems, and accurately enters data using the database software.


INCORRECT

Receptionist with the ability to perform various receptionist duties in a professional manner. Currently looking for a receptionist role in your company.


A resume objective summarizes your career goals and shows your potential employer how your goals align with the company goals. It also allows you to express your passion for the job and demonstrate the value you will bring.

Work Experience in the Receptionist Resume

Whether you are writing a medical receptionist resume, a dental receptionist resume, or a front desk receptionist resume, you need to include your professional experience. It helps to show the hiring manager what you can do based on your previous work history.

Receptionist resume examples are beneficial if you have a hard time figuring out this section of your resume. You can check out our resume examples.

Describe your professional experiences on your Receptionist Resume

When adding the professional experience to your receptionist resume, you should add the relevant experience and leave out any other experience that is not related to the job. If you are starting your career and don't have relevant experience, you can add any other work history that allows you to talk about your transferable skills.

Under each workplace, you can add three to five duties and responsibilities and quantify your achievements using figures to show the hiring manager the value you will bring.

Examples of professional experiences for a Junior Receptionist

The Hope Clinic

Receptionist

March 2016-December 2018

  • Enhanced a positive first impression to every visitor by keeping the reception area clean and organized.
  • Answered clients' account-related questions, resolved issues and referred unresolved problems to appropriate personnel to contact clients personally.
  • Answered phones, received incoming mail on behalf of the office personnel, and identified accounts that required insurance verification.

Examples of work experience for a Senior Receptionist

Patients Choice Medical Clinic

Senior Receptionist

June 2013-September 2017

  • Responsible for managing and controlling office supply inventory and keeping stock from becoming depleted by making timely orders.

  • Organized a monthly calendar for various levels of management and staff and updated their daily/weekly schedules.

  • Promoted efficient and expedient communication by taking accurate messages for staff and management.


receptionist

Education in the Receptionist Resume

A reception role is a great way to get started in any industry. With a high school diploma, you can apply for a receptionist position and get it. Most reception jobs do not require a college degree, but it can help you secure a role in a top company if you have one. Every job posting is different, so you should take your time and review it before sending out your resume to ensure you include the educational qualifications required.

Should you start with education or work experience in a Receptionist Resume?

The format you decide to use on your resume determines whether you start with education or experience. You should choose the reverse-chronological order if you have experience as it starts and emphasises your experience. However, if you don’t have a lot of experience, we recommend you start with the skills and education also know as the functional resume format.

How to properly list your education in a Receptionist Resume?

When listing your education, you will start with the name of the degree or diploma, the name of the school, location, and year of graduation. If you have a Master's or college degree, you don't have to add a high school diploma.

Example of the education section of a Receptionist Resume

Diploma in Business Administration

Anoka Technical College, MN

December 2016


Skills to put in the Receptionist Resume

If you want to work as a receptionist, you need to have specific skills in your resume that show the recruiting manager you are the best candidate for the job. The perfect receptionist resume showcases a good blend of technical skills and soft skills.

The skills section can also help you beat the ATS systems by adding some of the skills in the job description to your resume. If you don't know how to list your skills, you can use a receptionist resume example to help guide you and ensure you do not leave out any relevant skills.

What are the main skills sought for in a Receptionist Resume?

Some of the receptionist skills you need to have in your resume include:

Hard skills
  • Microsoft Office
  • Data entry
  • Recordkeeping and bookkeeping
  • Filing
  • Typing 90 WPM
  • Correspondence management
  • Account Management
  • Multi-line telephone skills
Soft skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Communication
  • Excellent customer service
  • Problem-solving
  • Multitasking
  • Attention to detail
  • Time management
  • Organizational skills

What skills for a junior receptionist?

  • Report transcription
  • Critical thinking
  • Minute taking
  • Executive management support
  • Travel planning
  • Data collection
  • Computer proficiency
  • Multi-Task Management

What skills for a qualified senior receptionist?

  • Knowledge of the office scheduling system
  • Microsoft Office Specialist Certified
  • Business operations understanding
  • Physical and digital filing system
  • Flexible
  • Patience
  • Project coordination
  • Prioritization

receptionist

Write the Ideal Resume Hook for a Receptionist Resume

Receptionist jobs can be very competitive as most people start their careers in this role to get their foot in the door and work their way up. This means that without an exceptional receptionist resume, you will not get the job. A resume hook helps to showcase your professional accomplishments and value proposition. You can check our resume templates that allow you to add a resume hook as a quote, testimonial, personal description, or achievement.

Example of a tagline for a Junior Receptionist Resume

Accomplished Receptionist with experience as a primary communications liaison for corporate executives.

Sample tagline for a senior level Receptionist

Two-time recipient of the Above the Call Award in 2018 and 2020.

Additional Headings for your Receptionist Resume

Your receptionist resume would be incomplete without an additional section. Every receptionist resume sample usually has an additional section because it helps show your potential employer what else you can do.

The recruiting manager wants to know what makes you unique and what other qualifications you have. Let's look at some of the sections you can add to this part of your resume.

Computer skills and certifications in a Receptionist Resume

If you are certified in Microsoft Word, Excel or have any other computer skills that will help your resume stand out, you should add this section and them here. This ensures the recruiting manager does not miss them.

Your certifications should have their section to ensure the recruiting manager does not miss them. Some of the certifications that will help your receptionist resume stand out include:

  • Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)
  • Nationally Certified Medical Office Assistant (NCMOA)
  • Medical Administrative Specialist (CMAS)

Interests in a Receptionist Resume

This section is optional, so you may add your interests if they fit the profile. Interests such as listening to music and playing video games may not look too good on your resume. However, if you volunteer at a community shelter or participate in CrossFit challenges, you can add it to your resume as an interest.

Languages in a Receptionist Resume

A receptionist interacts with many people, and if they can talk in multiple languages, it is a significant plus on their resume. You should add the language skills, including the official language reference, as follows:

  • IELTS for English (with a score of 30 points and above)
  • SIELE for Spanish/span>
  • DELF for French (with a score of 70% and above)/span>

Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect Receptionist Resume

Let's look at a summary of the main points from this article.

  1. Use a resume format that is easy to read to ensure the recruiting manager reads your resume.
  2. It is advisable to check the job posting and include all the necessary keywords and action verbs to help you advance in the recruitment process and get the job.
  3. Constantly tailor each receptionist resume you send out and avoid using one resume for multiple receptionist jobs.

Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your Receptionist Resume

Cover letters allow you to express your passion for the job and talk about some of your achievements.

While most hiring managers do not ask for one, it is essential to accompany your resume with a matching cover letter to help your application stand out.

Frequently Asked Questions for a Receptionist Resume

How do you describe a receptionist on a resume?

You can talk about the duties of the receptionist and the experience you have in the role that will help you do an outstanding job. You can also add your achievements which will help set you apart from everyone else.

What skills should I put on my resume for a receptionist?

Some of the skills you should have in your receptionist CV include communication skills, positive attitude, Typing skills, record keeping and filing, excellent customer service, problem-solving, and multi-line telephone skills.

How do I write a resume for a front desk receptionist?

You should ensure you add all the necessary sections, including the header, summary/objective, work experience, education, skills, and an additional section (volunteer experiences, interests, languages, computer skills, certifications, and awards/honors)

How do I write my receptionist experience?

You will start with the most recent experience and then add the other workplaces. It is also advisable to add relevant experience and leave out any experience that is not related to the job.

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