Receptionist Resume Example

1. Action Verbs for a Receptionist

Archived	Filed	Ordered
Assisted	Followed Up	Organized
Coordinated	Greeted	Received
Created	Implemented	Researched
Developed	Logged	Welcomed

Learn how to use action verbs to enhance your resume.

2. Begin with a Professional Profile

Offering an overview of your professional experience, skills, and achievements does a huge favor for recruiters and hiring managers. Starting your resume with an introduction like a professional profile saves employers time and helps convince them to read through the rest of the document.

A professional profile has four main parts. First, the job seeker should start off by introducing themselves and their years of experience or education. Here’s how the sample above begins:

• “Receptionist with 11 years of experience managing administrative functions for office personnel”

The second point should pinpoint some relevant skills or abilities. The applicant above states:

• “Possess strong ability in analyzing information and providing solutions to problems“

The third point of a professional profile should reveal an area of expertise or specialty. Our applicant explains:

• “Recognized for ability to implement processes that reduce costs, while improving efficiencies”

Finally, the last point of a professional profile should mention your best achievement. The sales associate above mentions:

• “Achieved: Saved the company $10K in undue payments from inaccurate billings”

Follow this four-point model, and your professional profile will be sure to inspire HR managers to read through the rest of your resume.

3. Tackling the Professional Experience Section

Deciding what to write in the professional experience section is often the most difficult aspect of the resume writing process. That’s why many take the easy way out and merely list generic job duties. However, simply listing your responsibilities just doesn’t cut it because doing do almost never gets employers excited about hiring you.

Luckily, there is an easy way to overcome writer’s block and strengthen your bullet points. It’s called the PAR Method, which stands for problem, action, results. The idea behind the PAR method is that your bullet points should:

• Problem: Identify a task or issue at work
• Action: Explain what you did 
• Results: Reveal the outcome of your action

While it may seem tough to fit all this information into just one bullet point, you’ll find that it is actually quite simple. Check out this example from the reception resume sample above:

• “Organized complex travel arrangements for 10 sales representatives, while reducing travel expenses by 40% by coordinating lower cost travel routes”
  

Here’s another example:

• “Implemented data management system that expedited data retrieval by 70% and solved the company’s backlog issue”

It’s important to notice that the problem, action, and results can be placed in any order throughout the bullet point. Additionally, the results segment presents a great opportunity to add a number to your resume. Managers love to see numbers on a resume because they provide evidence of the candidate’s abilities.

Applying the PAR Method to your professional experience section will speed up the writing process and maximize your chances of getting called in for an interview.

4. Key Skills to Include on your Resume

Below are the most common skills and abilities required for receptionists. Do your best to demonstrate these on your resume:

• Technical: Ability to use and maintain standard office equipment, including printers, scanners, copier, shredder, etc.
• Computer Skills: Familiar with accounting programs, Microsoft Office, and database software
• Communication: Answer visitor and caller inquires in a polite and professional manner
• Multitasking: Juggle multiple tasks all at once while prioritizing those with the highest urgency
• Organization: Handle the organization of files, documents, and correspondences, while maintaining confidentiality