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Receptionist Career Info

Receptionists are usually a business's first point of contact and therefore are depended on to create a good first impression. Receptionists have varied responsibilities that generally include greeting visitors, answering telephones, routing and screening calls, providing information about the organization and responding to inquiries from the public. A high school diploma and some basic computer skills are usually the minimum required to obtain a position as a receptionist. Positions are often part-time and are sometimes viewed as stepping stones on a career path.

Recommended Schools for Business Admin:

  • Virginia College

    • » Associate's - Business Administration
    • » Associate: Accounting Specialist
    • » Associate: Administrative Office Mgmt
    • » Bachelor: Business Administration
    • » Certificate: Administrative Assistant

  • Sanford-Brown

    • » Associate: Business Administration
    • » Associate: Business Administration - Accounting
    • » Associate: Business Administration - Management
    • » Associate: Business Office Administration
    • » Bachelor of Science - Business Administration

  • Everest

    • » Associate: Applied Mgmt
    • » Associate: Business
    • » Bachelor: Applied Mgmt
    • » Bachelor: Business
    • » Diploma: Business

  • Kaplan University

    • » Bachelor of Business Administration
    • » Bachelor: Accounting
    • » Bachelor: Professional Studies
    • » BS in Accounting (Advanced Start)
    • » BS in Business Administration (Advanced Start)

  • South University Online

    • » Associate of Science - Accounting
    • » Associate of Science - Business Administration
    • » Associate of Science - Business Administration: Hospitality Management
    • » Bachelor of Business Administration

Receptionist Duties and Responsibilities

Receptionists often end up handling a wide variety of tasks. Basic functions may include answering telephones, screening and routing calls, greeting visitors, responding to inquiries from the public, providing information about the organization, opening and sorting mail, collecting and distributing packages, transmitting and delivering faxes, updating appointment calendars, managing conference room schedules and performing basic bookkeeping, filing and word processing. Receptionists are often asked to perform many miscellaneous activities on an as needed basis. Some examples of responsibilities can be seen in the following excerpts from job postings on monster.com:

-'Receptionist answers incoming calls on multiple lines, forwards claims to the appropriate claims personnel, acts as contact person for office machine maintenance and physical office and codes and inputs all claims into computer system.' --TRISTAR Risk Management

-'Applicant should be able to greet visitors courteously and in a professional manner, maintain a professional front desk environment, administer facilities management activities and coordinate the company's participation in philanthropic endeavors.' --Midwest Employers Casualty Company

Job Requirements for Receptionists

Most employers require a high school diploma and competent computer skills. They are also expected to operate basic office machinery, such as the fax machine, copier and multi-line phone systems. Since they are depended upon to make a good first impression, receptionists should be courteous and friendly and maintain a professional appearance. They should also possess good interpersonal and communication skills. Common requirements requested by employers are illustrated by the following excerpts pulled from listings on careerbuilder.com:

-'Applicant should possess a friendly personality and positive attitude, a clear and pleasant speaking voice, excellent communication and customer service skills, outstanding computer skills and the ability to multitask.' --DirectBuy of Las Vegas East

-'Qualified candidates will have one to two years of previous receptionist or administrative assistant experience, be proficient in Microsoft Office and cultivate a professional appearance and demeanor.' --Friends & Company

Job Outlook for Receptionists

Job prospects for receptionists continue to be fair despite threats from encroaching technology. Because of the personal nature and variety of the tasks they perform, receptionists will continue to be an essential part of many business operations. Receptionists with experience generally find good opportunities for advancement by transferring to occupations with more responsibility, such as administrative assistants or by being promoted to supervisory positions. According to bls.gov, average earnings for a receptionist are $11.01 per hour.

Specialized Programs for Office Receptionist

 

Your Search Returned 5 Recommended Schools:

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Business Admin
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Office Receptionist Degrees

Virginia College

Virginia College responds quickly to information requests through this site.

Program suggestions:

  • Associate's - Business Administration,
  • Associate: Accounting Specialist,
  • Associate: Administrative Office Mgmt,
  • Bachelor: Business Administration,
  • Certificate: Administrative Assistant

Academic fields:

Business Admin, Business Administrative Services and Support, Business Administrative Assistant, Clerical and Office Administrative Services, Business Mgmt...

Degree levels:

Certificate Courses, Undergraduate
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Sanford-Brown

Sanford-Brown responds quickly to information requests through this site.

Program suggestions:

  • Associate: Business Administration,
  • Associate: Business Administration - Accounting,
  • Associate: Business Administration - Management,
  • Associate: Business Office Administration,
  • Bachelor of Science - Business Administration

Degree levels:

Request Info

Everest

Everest responds quickly to information requests through this site.

Program suggestions:

  • Associate: Applied Mgmt,
  • Associate: Business,
  • Bachelor: Applied Mgmt,
  • Bachelor: Business,
  • Diploma: Business

Academic fields:

Business Admin, Business Mgmt and Operations

Degree levels:

Certificate Courses, Undergraduate
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Kaplan University

Kaplan University responds quickly to information requests through this site.

Program suggestions:

  • Bachelor of Business Administration,
  • Bachelor: Accounting,
  • Bachelor: Professional Studies,
  • BS in Accounting (Advanced Start),
  • BS in Business Administration (Advanced Start)

Academic fields:

Business Admin, Accounting and Record Keeping, Business Administrative Services and Support, Call Center Support and Customer Service Diplomas, Inventory...

Degree levels:

Certificate Courses, Certificate - Post-Degree Classes, Graduate Classes, Undergraduate
Request Info

South University Online

South University Online responds quickly to information requests through this site.

Program suggestions:

  • Associate of Science - Accounting,
  • Associate of Science - Business Administration,
  • Associate of Science - Business Administration: Hospitality Management,
  • Bachelor of Business Administration

Academic fields:

Business Admin, Accounting and Record Keeping, Business Administrative Services and Support, Inventory Operations and Warehousing Mgmt., Business Mgmt and...

Degree levels:

Graduate Classes, Undergraduate
Request Info

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