1. Receptionist CV Example, Template, and Writing Guide

Receptionist CV Example, Template, and Writing Guide

LiveCareer Editorial Team
Update:

As seen in:

Your receptionist CV must be a reflection of you: organised, diligent, and command order over the chaos. You must be able to cut through the noise and deliver what’s important—just like when both phones are ringing, you have someone at the desk, and the manager is coming. 

With this receptionist CV guide, that will be easy. It will show you how to stand out from the crowd and have you double booking interviews. By selecting the right receptionist skills and structuring your CV in an organised way, you will have the phone falling off the hook even at home.

This guide will show you:

  • A receptionist CV example that is better than others.
  • How to write a CV for a receptionist that gets interviews.
  • Tips on listing your receptionist skills on a CV.
  • How to nail the receptionist job description on a CV.

Create an effective CV in minutes. Choose a professional CV template and fill in every section of your CV in a flash using ready-made content and expert tips.

Create your CV now

Create your CV nowreceptionist cv example

The LiveCareer online CV maker lets you build a professional CV fast and download it as a PDF or DOC.

Need a different CV example? Check these guides:

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our CV examples.

Receptionist CV example

Mollie Stone

57 Caerfai Bay Road

Tayvallich

PA31 6FR

070 7628 6260

mollie@stone.com

Personal Statement

Personable and organized receptionist with 4+ years of experience in busy London businesses. Not only professional and presentable, but also with a proven track record of implementing solutions that reduced supplies spending by 27%, call waiting times by 15%, and worked through a period in which appointment volume, and therefore revenue increased by 35%. Seeking to apply these proven skills to a more challenging environment and produce similar results for the Harley Street Clinic.

Work Experience

Receptionist

Sunhill Private Medical Clinic, Hackney, London

November 2018—Present

  • Independently handling over 400 combined appointments a month for 5 different doctors, with zero double bookings or errors.
  • Responsible for ordering all office supplies, procured a better supplier which reduced spending by 27%.
  • Implemented a rigid telephone script which cut down on call durations and therefore cut call waiting times by 15%.
  • During this period, appointment volume and revenue increased by 35%.
  • Handled confidential patient date with due care and full GDPR compliance.
  • Coordinated staff leave requests and holidays to ensure a consistent availability of care to the patients. 

Receptionist 

Keychain Property Management, Camden, London

January 2016—November 2018

  • Performing all front of house and clerical duties for a 34-strong team of property professionals.
  • Handling up to 50 incoming calls a day and redirecting them to the appropriate professionals.
  • Signing for and distributing up to 60 letters and deliveries a day.

Education

A-levels: English Literature, Sociology, Psychology, September 2014–June 2016

Clapham Academy, London, UK

6 GCSEs including Mathematics and English, June 2014

Clapham Academy, London, UK

Skills

  • Cost Reduction: Procured office supply supplier and saved 27%.
  • Medical Record Entry: Over 5,000 medical records entered.
  • Scheduling: Over 400 appointments a month with 100% accuracy.
  • 75 WPM Typing Speed
  • Active Listening

Languages

  • French (Intermediate)
  • Spanish (Basic)
  • Italian (Basic)

Here's how to write a receptionist CV: 

1. Craft a receptionist CV personal statement

Imagine your prospective employer is the receptionist. You have to walk up to the desk, and in one breath, explain exactly who you are and why they should hire you.

Does that sound ridiculous? One study found that the average recruiter looks at a CV for 7.4 seconds. So, one breath is just about right. What would you say, if that’s all you had?

Surely, you would start off with saying how many years and what type of experience you have.

You would list your two to three biggest achievements or metrics that illustrate what you can do for the employer, and say what you are hoping to do for them. Ding! Like in this CV personal statement:

Receptionist CV personal statement example

Personable and organized receptionist with 4+ years of experience in busy London businesses. Not only professional and presentable, but also with a proven track record of implementing solutions that reduced supplies spending by 27%, call waiting times by 15%, and worked through a period in which appointment volume, and therefore revenue increased by 35%. Seeking to apply these proven skills to a more challenging environment and produce similar results for the Harley Street Clinic.

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

Create your CV nowcv builder

2. Write your receptionist CV job description

If the personal statement on your receptionist CV was good enough, you now have a chance to get the rest of the page read. Let’s not waste that opportunity. You have an advantage over most in the pile, you know what they will look like.

Most receptionist CV examples will list the boring laundry list of duties and responsibilities. Sure, something has to fill the space, but try to focus on measurable ways of showing what workload you can manage and what impact you can make.

Imagine what kind of responsibilities your new position will require, and prove that you can handle them at a high level. The PAR (Problem Action Result) formula can be very helpful in writing these bullet points.

Make a list of 3 to 7 bullet points, descending in order of importance. Record your relevant receptionist work experience under the following heading:

[Job Title]

[Employer Name, Location]

[Dates of Employment]

For more previous positions, limit yourself to 3 bullet points. 

Receptionist job description for a CV

Receptionist

Sunhill Private Medical Clinic, Hackney, London

November 2018—Present

  • Independently handling over 400 combined appointments a month for 5 different doctors, with zero double bookings or errors.
  • Responsible for ordering all office supplies, procured a better supplier which reduced spending by 27%.
  • Implemented a rigid telephone script which cut down on call durations and therefore cut call waiting times by 15%.
  • During this period, appointment volume and revenue increased by 35%.
  • Handled confidential patient date with due care and full GDPR compliance.
  • Coordinated staff leave requests and holidays to ensure a consistent availability of care to the patients. 

3. Include an education section in your receptionist CV

Unless the job advertisement calls for a specific level of education for some reason, save the space on your receptionist CV, and record it in a shortened format.

In your education section just list the qualification, key subjects, date of graduation, and school name, like below:

Hotel receptionist CV education section

Education

3 A-levels: English Literature, Sociology, Psychology, June 2016

Clapham Academy, London, UK

6 GCSEs including Mathematics and English, June 2014

Clapham Academy, London, UK

4. List your relevant receptionist skills

Most receptionist CVs will not be getting job offers based on their education, but on their proven, real-world skills. So expand on them a little by listing an achievement or a metric that proves that skill.

You can use this opportunity to list some additional receptionist skills, or simply to recap the most important points from your job description, almost like an advertising slogan: “Scheduling: Over 400 appointments a month with 100% accuracy.” 

Either way, make sure these are the most important things to your employer as per the job posting. Focus on some extra skills you bring to the desk (communication or IT skills), or ones you excel at. Like so:

Receptionist skills for a CV

Skills

  • Cost Reduction: Procured office supply supplier and saved 27%.
  • Medical Record Entry: Over 5,000 medical records entered.
  • Scheduling: Over 400 appointments a month with 100% accuracy.
  • 75 WPM Typing Speed
  • Active Listening 

5. Add additional sections on your receptionist CV

In a high-pressure dynamic situation like the reception desk, some real-world skills are more important than what grade you received in GCSE Biology. What’s relevant? Well, 82% of managers would rather hire someone with volunteering experience than without. However, languages are your best bet here.

Medical receptionist CV additional sections

Volunteering

  • Volunteer Cook — Street Meals Initiative (2013-2018) 

Languages

  • French (Intermediate)
  • Spanish (Basic)
  • Italian (Basic)

6. Attach a receptionist cover letter

Treat your receptionist cover letter as another chance to stand out and make an impression. The key to a stellar receptionist cover letter is simple.

Right away, hook them with your most unique achievement or skill. Fulfill their expectations in the body of your cover letter, and close out by laying out exactly what you can do for them, with numbers. Be bold and request an interview.

Remember: If you are sending a receptionist CV with no experience, this is your chance to highlight your transferable skills.

7. Use a proper receptionist CV formatting

In order to get that appointment most important of them all, make sure you don’t lose out on the presentation points. In a job that requires organisation, presentation, and tidiness, you need to make sure to follow strict CV format rules:

  • Use an easy-to-read CV font. Set even margins on all sides.
  • For a neat CV layout, use bold, clear headings for each CV section, and space sections out to create a structure you can skim-read.
  • Best CV templates are ATS-scannable so it is recommended to avoid an infographic template.
  • Unless told not to, save your receptionist CV in a PDF format.
  • Should your CV be one page? Definitely if you are a junior. If you've got more than 5 years of experience under your belt, a two-page CV is fine.

In a high application volume job like the receptionist, the follow-up call could be what tips the scales. If you don’t hear back after a week, give them a ring.

See you at the front desk!

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

Create your CV nowcv builder

Did we answer all your questions on how to write a receptionist CV? Got any job hunting tips and tricks you’d like to share? Did you find our hotel receptionist CV sample useful? Use the comments section below. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.

About the author

LiveCareer Editorial Team
LiveCareer Editorial Team

Since 2005, the LiveCareer Team has been helping job seekers advance their careers. In our in-depth guides, we share insider tips and the most effective CV and cover letter writing techniques so that you can beat recruiters in the hiring game and land your next job fast. Also, make sure to check out our state-of-the-art CV and cover letter builder—professional, intuitive, and fully in line with modern HR standards. Trusted by 10 million users worldwide.

Follow us

Rate this article:

Receptionist cv

Average:

Thanks for rating!
5.00  (8 Rating)

Looking for a job-winning CV?

Try our cv builder for free
CV examples made in our CV builder

As seen in: