Skills required:

A receptionist should enjoy dealing with the public.  He/she should be confident, pleasant, extremely patient, and an excellent articulate communicator.  It is essential for a receptionist to be able to stay calm under pressure, and to remain courteous when dealing with difficult people.  Receptionists need to be efficient, organised and self motivated because mostly they work alone. Reception areas will have office equipment, such as computers, switchboards, fax machines and photocopiers, so it is also necessary to be able to work with these, although normally onsite training will be given, because each machine or set up is different.  Receptionists should know about and be interested in the business of the company they work for.

The work:

Receptionists are the first people clients, visitors or patients come into contact with, whether in person or over the telephone.  Their main duty is to represent the company they work for, providing information, answering queries and directing people to the correct person or department.  In companies where the reception area is not so busy, receptionists may be required to perform other administration or secretarial duties.  In busy reception areas, there may be a team of receptionists, but very often a receptionist is expected to work alone.
Because the receptionist is working with the public, the impression he/she creates is vital to the reputation of the company.  The manner of greeting, appearance of receptionist and standard of the reception area is crucial, and the receptionist is responsible for all these things. 

Hotels: 

Nearly always receptionists will be expected to take on administration work, dealing effectively with reservations, and preparing bills to take into account any extra costs the guest has incurred; such as restaurant bills, leisure centre expenses, housekeeping etc. Queries from guests will always be directed at reception initially, so the receptionist will be expected to know where to find solutions if unable to help in person.  The receptionist will also be responsible for the switchboard, directing in-coming and external calls and dealing with queries via email.  Also, receiving and forwarding messages for guests and being responsible for valuables that need to be kept in the hotel safe, as well as helping guests cope with unforeseen emergencies and problems faced when staying away from home.  The receptionist will need to know all the emergency health and safety procedures in case of fire or accident.

Medical or Dental:

The receptionist is responsible for making appointments and taking care of patients information files.  They will also need to keep the reception area tidy and organise reading material and refreshments.  Receptionists need to understand and enforce the safety and security procedures or their employer.

Corporate:

The receptionist is responsible for meeting and greeting visitors for client meetings, seminars and other events.  Also liasing with the host in the company regarding special requirements,  keeping a booking system and taking and delivering messages effectively.  Often large companies may have several reception areas, and it will be necessary to know the business of all the different areas and departments.  Switchboard duties will normally be part of the job description, depending on how busy the reception area is.  It will be essential to maintain a professional, corporate image at all times.