Articles

What do you need to become a professional receptionist?

by Amelia Jackson Content Strategist

Are you thinking about being a receptionist? If that is the case, then you will need to start making preparations right away. One of the main things that you should start looking at are hotel receptionist certification courses. But in addition to that you will also need to have more qualifications and skills that will help you in this career. Here is a small guide of these so you have an idea of what you should start working on.

Enrol on hotel receptionist certification courses

Your first step should be to get the right training. If time and money are issues you can look for hotel receptionist courses online that are accredited. If you are a parent who has kids at home and still want to study you can look for hotel receptionist courses from home. There are many different options available for professional hotel receptionist courses online that you can make use of, no matter what your requirements are.

Communication​​

Before anything, you should focus on your verbal and written communication skills, along with your sharp listening abilities. Play up your customer service successes and your track record of providing office support. You will be communicating with a lot of people and this is also one skill that your hotel receptionist training courses will focus on.

Learn to multitask

Handling several tasks simultaneously is the status quo for receptionists. Some examples include juggling multiple phone lines; face-to-face contact with clients, visitors and employees; and clerical duties. Note the types of tasks and situations you've handled regularly, and how you did so calmly and efficiently.

Learn to prioritise

Receptionists are often asked to deal with tackling dozens of duties at once, with many requests coming in on the fly, and this will require you to operate with grace under fire. Detail how you prioritize multiple projects and requests. The last thing an employer wants is an easily flustered receptionist.

Have good organisational skills

A proficient receptionist’s resume shows that you're organised in every task or project you take on. A great receptionist should be able to locate any files and phone numbers at a moment's notice and maintain a tidy work area. You should know how to execute and maintain a filing system and this also be on your resume if possible.

Hon your technical skills

Your receptionist resume should include your experience using phone systems, copiers and printers. Word processing skills are a must, while familiarity with Excel, desktop publishing or industry-specific software can give you an edge. Be sure to play up these assets.

You should have great interpersonal skills

You will be working with a lot of different people and you will also be the eyes and ears of the company as the receptionist. Therefore having soft skills like being able to handle office politics correctly is a big advantage. It will help you protect both your own reputation and the company’s one as well. Note your ability to maintain good relationships with employees at all levels of the company, including executives.

How much initiative do you take? Are you good at problem solving?

In a recent Office Team survey, administrative professionals noted how they are taking on a multitude of tasks beyond their conventional role, including event planning and controlling costs. In another section of the same survey, most managers who were interviewed said that support staff have taken on other key tasks, including helping companies manage their social media profiles and with screening job applicants. This means that the modern workplace requires you to step outside of the parameters drawn by your job description and work with ownership and initiative. As a receptionist you will also encounter many issues that have to be dealt with swiftly and that is why, you will need excellent problem solving skills.

Be dependable

Because receptionists interface with nearly every client and employee, whether it's face to face or on the phone, they need to be highly dependable. You need to hone these qualities in you so that it is not just a word on your resume, but a genuine nature of yourself. So keep working on all these skills and you will be able to land your dream job in no time.

 


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About Amelia Jackson Innovator   Content Strategist

22 connections, 0 recommendations, 68 honor points.
Joined APSense since, January 31st, 2019, From London, United Kingdom.

Created on Jun 11th 2019 02:21. Viewed 663 times.

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