Receptionist skills to include on your CV

By Sophie · Published 30 October 2026

Receptionist know-how

Welcoming visitors

Describe the setting where you greeted visitors and explain what you did when they arrived.

On your CV Welcomed visitors to a busy office, checked appointments and notified hosts of their arrival.

Telephone and email handling

Give an example of handling enquiries and directing them to the right person.

On your CV Answered incoming calls and emails, taking messages and passing enquiries to the appropriate team.

Appointment scheduling

Show how you booked or changed appointments and kept the calendar accurate.

On your CV Booked client appointments and updated the shared calendar when meeting times changed.

Visitor sign-in

Explain how you recorded arrivals and followed the workplace visitor process.

On your CV Signed in visitors, issued passes and collected them at the end of each visit.

Administrative support

Name the routine office tasks you completed alongside reception duties.

On your CV Sorted incoming post and prepared meeting rooms for staff and visitors.

Qualities

Discretion with confidential information

Describe a task where you handled personal or sensitive information appropriately.

On your CV Kept visitor records out of public view and passed confidential messages directly to the recipient.

Calm handling of difficult enquiries

Give an example of helping someone who was concerned or unhappy.

On your CV Listened to a visitor concerned about a delayed appointment and contacted the relevant team for an update.

Prioritising interruptions

Show how you dealt with competing demands at the front desk.

On your CV Acknowledged visitors at the desk while finishing calls and directed urgent enquiries to a colleague.

Attention to detail

Describe a check you made to prevent mistakes in bookings or records.

On your CV Checked visitor names and appointment times against the daily booking list.

Tools and software

Microsoft Outlook

State how you used Outlook for the duties you carried out.

On your CV Used Outlook to manage a shared inbox and send meeting invitations.

Microsoft Excel

Name the records or lists you maintained in Excel.

On your CV Updated an Excel spreadsheet of office supplies and flagged items that needed reordering.

Visitor management systems

Name the system you used, if known, and describe the task you completed with it.

On your CV Used a digital visitor system to record arrivals and print visitor badges.

Qualifications

GCSEs in English and maths

List your actual grades and the year awarded in your education section.

On your CV GCSE English Language, grade 5, and Mathematics, grade 4, awarded in 2020.

Level 2 Diploma in Business Administration

Give the full qualification title and awarding organisation if you hold it.

On your CV Level 2 Diploma in Business Administration, City & Guilds, completed in 2022.

Microsoft Excel

Name the records or lists you maintained in Excel.

On your CV Updated an Excel spreadsheet of office supplies and flagged items that needed reordering.

Visitor management systems

Name the system you used, if known, and describe the task you completed with it.

On your CV Used a digital visitor system to record arrivals and print visitor badges.

Choose receptionist skills for the role

Start with the duties in the job advert. A receptionist in a medical practice may spend much of the day arranging appointments and handling sensitive information. An office receptionist may deal more often with visitor passes and meeting rooms. Put the duties you have performed that are most relevant to the post near the top of your CV.

Check whether the employer names a phone system, booking tool or other software. Include it if you have used it, and say what you did with it. If you have used a different system, name that one instead. Experience from customer service or an administrative role can also help: a shop counter role, for example, might show how you handled enquiries and resolved problems.

Where to put skills on your CV

Use your employment history to show skills in context. Under each job title, add concise bullet points about your responsibilities and, where useful, the setting. A bullet about managing a shared inbox gives the reader more information than a standalone claim about communication.

A short skills section can make relevant tools and duties easy to find. Include items such as appointment booking or Outlook only when you can support them with your experience. If you are new to reception work, draw on suitable examples from volunteering or a work placement.

Put qualifications in the education section with their titles and completion dates. List grades where they are relevant to the requirements or help explain your level of English and maths.

Mistakes to avoid

Do not add software or qualifications you do not have. If you have limited experience with a tool, describe the task you completed rather than implying wider expertise. Similarly, use figures only when you know they are accurate. An ordinary description of a duty is useful without a daily call count.

Avoid filling the page with qualities that have no supporting detail. Show discretion through the way you handled records, or patience through an enquiry you helped resolve. Keep examples brief enough for a recruiter to scan, while giving each one enough context to understand your contribution.

Before sending the CV, check names, dates and contact details. CV Ajuste can help tailor your CV to an advert using the facts you provide.

Official source on this job: Receptionist job profile, National Careers Service