Receptionist jobs are expected to grow substantially in the next decade - at least 15 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is faster than the average occupation. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that there were over one million receptionist jobs in 2008.
Employment growth will result from growth in industries such as offices of physicians and in other health practitioners, legal services, personal care services, construction, and management and technical consulting.
Secretaries and receptionists are employed in nearly every industry. They work in medical offices, legal firms, corporations, healthcare facilities, and small businesses. The job of this worker is to make people feel welcome and give off a great first impression.
Duties of a receptionist mostly include answering the phone, directing calls, responding to queries, arranging travel, booking conference rooms, welcoming guests, shuttling guests around building, alerting people of visitors, tidying reception area, creating correspondence, and more.
When an employer looks to hire a receptionist, it's important the candidate is warm, honest, friendly, ambitious, and capable of multitasking. Because the receptionist is the face of the company, it's important he or she never show anger or frustration. Everyone can have bad days, but the receptionist can't outwardly show when she's having one.
The duties of a receptionist have broadened considerably over the years. Before they were expected to answer the phones and route calls. Now the job has become more complex, involving correspondence, software, and mail systems.
A receptionist may handle the coordination of mail in and out of the office. He or she may also input data into databases and manage the dissemination of this information. If a person in the building needs a file or document, the receptionist retrieves that file and copies it.
Receptionists and information clerks in hospitals and in doctors' offices may gather patients' personal and insurance information and direct them to the proper waiting rooms. In corporations, they can greet visitors and manage the scheduling of the board room or common conference area. Many receptionists work in salons and spas, greeting customers and booking appointments.
They send out emails, fax documents, retrieve files, cancel and confirm appointments, take and file insurance, write down messages, update appointment calendars, prepare travel vouchers, perform bookkeeping, word processing, file documents, collect parcels, and perform research over the Internet.
Sometimes receptionist jobs are virtual, or performed at a remote location. Duties in this case would include managing a load of work that is sent over the Internet. He or she books appointments, manages schedules, transfers calls, and responds to queries, but does not have a physical presence at the company.
To become a receptionist, typically a high school diploma is needed. That's often the highest level of education required. Training is received on the job, so an individual who is a fast learner is preferred. The receptionist will need to know where everyone sits and their title, which could take weeks to learn. He'll need to know where to direct people when they come into the office and what extensions are most often used.
