How to hire a receptionist: A step-by-step guide
Find the best receptionists with talent assessments
Does your organization struggle with first impressions and administrative overload?
Then, it’s time to hire a receptionist. If you’re not sure where to start, our step-by-step guide has you covered.
In our guide on how to hire a receptionist, we discuss:
What a receptionist is
Where to find the best receptionists
Top skills needed for receptionists
How much receptionists cost
Sample interview questions to hire a receptionist
Plus, we provide a receptionist job description template and tools to assess your future receptionist’s skills. Let’s dive in and solve your front desk recruitment problem.
Table of contents
What is a receptionist?
A receptionist is an employee primarily responsible for receiving and greeting visitors, giving them directions, answering the phone, and assisting with other administrative tasks. Receptionists are the face of the company and play an essential role in being a positive first point of contact for visitors.
The receptionist is vital for any business that receives visitors or fields phone calls because they help ensure people’s first impression of the company is positive.
Why should you hire a receptionist?
If you’re on the fence, it’s worth looking at why you should hire a receptionist.
Reasons to hire a receptionist include:
Maintaining your organization’s 5-star reputation: A great receptionist can limit the fallout from upset clients and protect your organization’s reputation. For instance, if callers have a problem, they can immediately reach your skilled receptionist rather than waiting on hold or stewing over the issue before receiving a callback.
Accelerating the purchasing process: Your receptionist speeds potential clients down the purchasing funnel by directing them to the appropriate staff member to speak with. That speed matters! A survey by HubSpot shows about 90% of customers expect a response from businesses within 10 minutes of inquiry.
Lightening the administrative load: Skilled receptionists can help with the administrative tasks that keep your organization running smoothly, freeing up your other staff to focus on what they do best.
Before we discuss how to hire a receptionist, let’s explore what your receptionist does to help an organization thrive. Receptionists are responsible for performing various tasks that contribute to day-to-day operations.
Typical duties of a receptionist include:
Greeting and directing visitors
Answering calls
Responding to emails
Maintaining the reception area
Providing customer service
Keeping records
13 fundamental skills for receptionists
Several receptionist skills are worth considering when hiring a receptionist. Interestingly, many receptionist roles now require both technical and soft skills.
Receptionist hard skills
Below, we have compiled a list of hard receptionists skills, along with some examples of how they apply in their daily work activities:
Hard skills | Description |
Situational judgment skills | Situational judgment skills are a must-have for your front desk staff. For instance, a great receptionist can route upset clients to the right person to resolve their issues. |
Language proficiency | Multilingual team members prove your organization’s commitment to serving a diverse client base. |
Problem solving | Receptionists often need to think on their feet. For example, a receptionist who works in hospitality should be able to resolve urgent customer complaints and handle travel emergencies. |
Customer service | Receptionists need to have excellent customer service skills so that clients feel welcome and valued. A good receptionist handles inquiries, complaints, and feedback professionally and empathetically. |
Technological skills | Many roles require knowledge of software tools, such as Google Workspace and Salesforce. By possessing these technical skills, a receptionist can work efficiently and effectively. |
Attention to detail | Receptionists are responsible for handling important documents and sensitive information – and need to be able to spot errors and correct them quickly. Therefore, it’s essential for the role to have a keen eye for detail to make sure everything is accurate. |
Multitasking | Receptionists need to be able to handle multiple tasks at once. Excellent multitasking abilities help them prioritize tasks and manage their time effectively without compromising the quality of their work. |
Learn how to use TestGorilla to measure receptionist hard skills
One of our friendly experts is on hand to demonstrate the benefits of using talent assessments to hire skilled receptionists.
Receptionist soft skills
The receptionist role is evolving to become more than just answering phones and greeting guests. Here are some of the most critical soft skills every receptionist should have:
Soft skills | Description |
Communication skills | Receptionists should have excellent communication skills to interact effectively with others. Receptionists should be able to communicate clearly and professionally, whether in person, on the phone, or via email. |
Organizational skills | Receptionists schedule appointments and meetings, and they keep track of key documents. For instance, in a law firm, receptionists track court dates, deadlines, and other important events. |
Adaptability | The ability to adapt to new situations is critical. This skill is essential when faced with a challenging situation, such as handling an unexpected visitor. An adaptable receptionist swiftly assesses the situation and responds appropriately. |
Positive attitude | A good receptionist can maintain a warm and welcoming attitude, even in stressful situations. Their positive attitude, often as the first person customers see, creates a friendly environment that nurtures good relations. |
Time management | For receptionists, strong time management skills are critical to guarantee smooth business operations. Receptionists have multiple tasks to manage and should be able to prioritize and complete tasks efficiently. |
Teamwork | A receptionist should be able to work effectively in a team, showing strong interpersonal skills. Collaborating with colleagues to meet client and business needs is vital. For example, a receptionist may need to help a client who needs technical assistance by collaborating with the IT team to solve the problem promptly. |
3 steps on how to hire a great receptionist
If you’re wondering how to hire a good receptionist, it’s easy with the right system.
Follow our simple three-step guide to attract great new team members with every hire.
Write the perfect receptionist job description (or use ours)
Test receptionist skills
Plan your receptionist interview questions
1. Write the perfect receptionist job description (or use ours)
Writing the perfect job description is equal parts art and science. Here’s a SparkNotes rundown of your goals when creating a job posting for your receptionist role.
Your job description should:
Concisely and accurately communicate the role
Attract the best candidates
Be a preview of the interview
Represent your company culture
Answer key questions about the role (full-time or part-time?)
We have an in-depth walkthrough with a receptionist job description template on our blog. Feel free to customize it when you’re ready to find the right receptionist.
Once you have your job description, it’s time to find the perfect candidates.
When looking for where to hire a receptionist, staffing agencies and recruiters offer a seamless funnel. If your organization is focused on reducing costs, online job boards (like Indeed and LinkedIn) and social media recruiting are great ways to attract applicants.
2. Test receptionist skills
Finding candidates with the necessary skills is crucial to hiring a great receptionist. Talent assessments make this process simple and replicable – and empower you to focus on core competencies rather than past job titles.
Pro tip: When choosing a test platform, find one that lets you create your own tests and add custom questions to existing tests.
TestGorilla offers a wide array of pre-employment tests you can use to identify the best applicants. On our platform, you can also create your own assessments and add personalized questions.
Below are five of the best pre-screening tests for assessing a receptionist’s skills:
Typing Speed test
A typing speed and accuracy test is a vital assessment tool because receptionists need to type emails, memos, and other correspondence regularly.
For this, you can use our typing speed tests. These tests can help you assess how many words per minute (WPM) a candidate can type using software such as Microsoft Office or Google Docs, which is essential for a receptionist position.
Unlock the power of objective hiring with skills tests
Getting started with TestGorilla’s talent assessments is easy and 100% free. All you need to do is sign up and start planning your candidates’ next assessment.
Customer Service test
83% of customers rated good customer service as the most critical factor when making a purchase.
A receptionist’s customer service skills should be exceptional, and our Customer Service test can help.
This test includes scenarios that simulate common customer service situations, such as dealing with difficult clients or handling complaints. The test assesses a candidate’s ability to stay calm and professional under pressure and anticipate clients’ needs.
It’s important to note that performance during pre-employment screening correlates with performance on the job in customer-facing roles. For instance, Click&Boat saw that the highest-scoring applicants hired to their customer service team were 30% more productive than average.
Attention to Detail test
If you need to evaluate applicants’ ability to pay attention to details at work, we’ve got you covered.
You can try our Attention to Detail test to evaluate a candidate’s ability to maintain accuracy and consistency in their work, which is essential for providing efficient service to clients and visitors.
This test includes tasks that require the candidate to proofread documents, identify errors in data entry, and spot inconsistencies in information.
Communication skills test
Our Communication test is an effective way to assess a receptionist’s ability to communicate effectively with clients, visitors, and coworkers.
The test evaluates whether a candidate can converse clearly and concisely, listen actively, and handle sensitive information with discretion. It also evaluates a candidate’s ability to use professional etiquette.
Personality tests
Finally, you should use our Enneagram or Big 5 (OCEAN) test to analyze candidates’ personality types. Both tests evaluate a candidate’s personality traits, their ability to manage emotions, and their approach to others – fundamental for finding the right fit for your company culture and working style.
3. Plan your receptionist interview questions
Knowing what questions to ask is a critical part of the interview process.
Here are six interview questions to ask when hiring a new receptionist:
What experience do you have as a receptionist?
What software programs are you proficient in?
Can you give an example of a time when you went above and beyond your duties to serve a customer?
How do you manage demanding customers?
What is your strategy for managing multiple phone lines and visitors arriving at the same time?
Why did you leave your last company?
To learn more about the art and science of interviewing to hire the most effective receptionist, read our guide to unstructured vs. structured interviews.
How much does hiring a receptionist cost?
The salary range for a receptionist can vary based on factors such as location, industry, and experience. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for receptionists in the United States is $17.23.
Receptionist salaries might vary depending on your industry. For example, receptionists in the healthcare industry usually earn more due to the specialized nature of the job.
Additionally, receptionists with more experience or advanced skills may earn a higher salary. According to Glassdoor, a senior receptionist can earn up to $46,000 annually in the US.
Of course, when calculating the cost of hiring a receptionist, you should factor in other tangible benefits. For instance, your healthcare and retirement plan contributions impact the overall amount of resources your organization is investing in the role.
How to hire a receptionist with pre-screening tests
Pre-screening tests are an effective tool for hiring receptionists and other professionals for your organization. They help you evaluate applicants’ skills and their suitability for the role and the company, which is why using a skill-testing platform can streamline hiring workflows and eliminate bias.
At TestGorilla, we offer several tests designed to evaluate and hire receptionists in our test library. Hiring the best candidate to set up your business for success has never been easier.
If you’re wondering how to hire a receptionist, we’re here to help. Sign up for a free 30-minute live demo and take a look at our product tour to see for yourself how much easier it can be to hire the right person.
If you prefer to dive right in, we recommend signing up for a Free Forever plan.
Hiring a receptionist FAQs
How do I find the right receptionist?
To find the right receptionist, you need to finetune your hiring process. First, write a persuasive and detailed job description (or use ours). Second, put your job description in front of experienced candidates, either using online job boards or a recruiting service. Then, administer pre-screening tests to streamline hiring and eliminate bias. Lastly, assess your candidates with thoughtful and strategic interview questions.
Is it hard to find a good receptionist?
The job market for receptionists is large and steady, with more than 1,068,000 receptionists in the United States. That means there are plenty of good receptionists to fill your position. Finding a great receptionist takes a thoughtful approach, combining a detailed job description, a structured interview, and skills tests to eliminate bias from your hiring funnel.
What are the five qualities of a receptionist?
When hiring a receptionist, you should look for these five qualities:
Organized
Adaptable
Positive
Team-oriented
Communicative
If you’re not impressed with the quality of your candidates, consider adding pre-screening tests to your hiring process. Quantitative testing of new hires adds rigor and reduces bias.
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