How to Write a Resume for a Receptionist Job

Receptionists perform a lot of roles. They are a mix of secretaries, hostesses and office managers. With the increase in obligations comes a large demand for employees that have the training and the ability to fulfill more than one role. In fact, few receptionists today would be able to find a job without a college degree on their resume.

Instructions

Write a Receptionist Resume

1. Make note in your resume of any post-secondary education you may have. Many people who apply for a receptionist job only have a high-school education, either because they just finished studying or because they decided not to continue on to college. If you have further education, write about it, mentioning any degrees or certifications that are particularly relevant to the job.

2. Make sure the titles you use to explain former jobs accurately describe your position and obligations. If you did more than answer phones and take appointments, you may be better off describing your former job as that of an office manager or executive assistant. This is especially important if you did bookkeeping or managed the clerical staff.

3. Mention specific projects or areas you worked on at your previous job. Rather than giving a list of general job duties (answer phones or file paperwork), focus on what you did to improve the efficiency of the office or how your ideas helped improve sales and organization.

4. Don't ignore the basic areas that you are expected to cover as a receptionist as you write your resume. Let the employer know you are able to work with computers, handle word-processing, manage cash flow and work comfortably with other office employees. If you have special skills regarding computers or the Internet, stress them, as they are becoming an essential part of this job.

5. Highlight your people skills, including your ability to deal with difficult customers, manage large groups and communicate with anybody. If you live in a large city, language skills are also important, as you may have to deal with people who speak no English or speak it poorly.

Tips & Warnings

• Most people looking for a job as a receptionist are either young and fresh-out-of-college or wishing to complement their income by taking a job during the summer. If you are older, you may actually have an advantage, since it probably means you have been involved in the field for more than a few months and already know the ins and outs of the job.