A receptionist is the first impression of a company as they are the first medium of contact. Hence they have to be courteous, polite and professional irrespective of the situations. Some of the personal attributes that a receptionist must have are loyalty, initiative, maturity, well groomed, attentiveness, dependable, confident, being able to multi-task and handle pressure.

The ideal definition of a receptionist is something like this – noun, an office worker who chiefly receives visitors and answers phone calls. However the work of a receptionist is mainly of an office administration support.

Traditionally this has been a domain of women, but today men are also being employed as receptionists. There are synonyms in use for this post, like front desk coordinator and information clerk.

The responsibilities of a receptionist comprises of answering phone calls, multi-lines at times or a switchboard, attending visitors, setting appointments, keeping records, data entry, booking tickets, faxing and certain other office jobs. Sometimes book keeping, working as a cashier and even hospitality is also a part of a receptionist’s job.

At times the work of a receptionist endorses in security services as well. Services like issuing of identity cards, checking on employee identification and visitor passes and observing unusual activities.

This is the entry level for office work. It can lead to administrative jobs also like interviewers, secretary, dispatcher, or an office manager. Though office automation has reduced many vacancies with the introduction of computers and technology, yet an adept receptionist’s skills in office administration along with technical knowledge is still an advantage.