Receptionist Careers

6 min read

Overview

Receptionists are the professional face of an office. You greet visitors, route calls, manage the reception area, and often help with light admin work. It's an excellent first office job and a common stepping stone to administrative and office manager roles.

Typical daily responsibilities

Greeting visitors, issuing badges, and notifying hosts.
Answering the main phone line and routing calls.
Booking meeting rooms and preparing conference spaces.
Accepting deliveries and coordinating couriers.
Helping the admin team with light data entry, scheduling, and mail.

Required skills

Warm, professional in-person and phone presence.
Reliable punctuality — the front desk cannot be empty.
Comfortable in Outlook, Word, and Excel.
Solid typing and 10-key for light data entry.

Recommended training on this website

Focus on the Office Skills lessons for phone etiquette, Outlook, and business communication. Layer in Typing Practice and 10-Key so you can help with data entry when the phones are quiet.

Helpful software to learn

Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel).
A visitor management tool such as Envoy or Proxyclick.
The company's phone system (RingCentral, Zoom Phone, or a traditional PBX).

Typical salary range

Receptionists typically earn in the mid-teens to low-twenties per hour, with medical, legal, and corporate settings paying at the higher end. Pay varies by industry and location.