Receptionist CV Example, Template, and Writing Guide

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.

In this guide, you'll see an expert receptionist CV example and learn how to write a CV for a receptionist that gets interviews. We'll equip you with tips on listing receptionist skills on a CV and show you how to nail the receptionist job description.

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

Receptionist CV example

Here's how to write a CV for a receptionist: 

1. Craft a receptionist CV personal statement

So, what should your CV look like? First, 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

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.

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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, especially if this is your first CV. 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. 

No experience for a CV? You can still create a strong application by focusing on transferable skills, relevant experiences, and your enthusiasm for the role.

Receptionist job description for a CV

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

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

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

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!

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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.

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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.