Receptionist CV example (2026)

Writing the CV for the receptionist role

Start your CV with the organisation where you worked and the number of visitors per day. Then put your systems, such as the switchboard and the diary system. That way the reader sees the scale of the reception in the first lines.

In this role you welcome visitors, answer the telephone and manage diaries. The number of visitors, the switchboard and your knowledge of Microsoft 365 are points you can name concretely. A CV that names them fits the role.

What you do in this role

A receptionist welcomes visitors, announces them and directs them onwards. The receptionist also answers the telephone, books meeting rooms and manages colleagues’ diaries. Parcels and post are registered and passed on. When there is a complaint, the receptionist records it and sends it to the right department.

Keep the CV to one or two pages.

How your CV matches the advert

Read the advert and note the organisation, the switchboard, the diary systems and the languages. Say in your CV which of those points you already have, and name the type of organisation you worked for. That way the reader sees straight away which environment you know.

A reception is the first point of contact and is about calm, overview and discretion. Describe in your CV how you handled a busy morning: which visitors were prioritised, how you kept the telephone and diaries in order, and what you improved afterwards. That shows how you work, without needing to use the word hospitable.

Check the names of organisations, systems and languages. Read your CV aloud and cut general phrases. A short CV with the type of organisation and one concrete morning is stronger than a list of qualities.

A reception keeps a log of visitors, parcels and special matters. Describe in your CV how you kept it and how you handed over to the next shift. That shows the reader you keep track of things, even when you sit behind the desk alone.

Confidential information should not be lying on the reception desk. Describe in your CV how you protected discretion in practice, for example when putting calls through or handling post. That shows you understand the role of the reception.

A visitor with an appointment expects a clear welcome and a short wait. Describe in your CV how you received appointments, escorted visitors and limited waiting times. That shows you organise the reception as a process, not as a single action at the desk.

Which layout suits the receptionist CV

Choose one column, clear headings and a standard font. Tables and text boxes can cause errors when software reads a CV.

Choose a neat single-column layout with calm headings. Put your hospitality and your systems at the top. Keep the job descriptions short and concrete, with the type of organisation and the number of visitors per role.

Save your CV as a PDF with a recognisable file name, such as firstname-surname-cv.pdf.

What to put on the receptionist CV

Every CV contains at least your contact details, your work experience with dates, your education and certificates, and your skills and languages.

Name the organisations where you worked reception, the number of visitors per day and your telephone duties. Mention your diary management for several people, your knowledge of Microsoft 365 and the switchboard you used. Describe how you handled parcels, post and visitors. Include your languages if visitors come in English or German.

Put your name at the top, with your town, email address and phone number. Your citizen service number (BSN), date of birth or marital status do not need to be on your CV.

Profile text: example (good and weak)

Below are two profile texts for the receptionist, both written for a fictional person. You can copy the structure.

Presentable receptionist with five years of experience at the front desk of an office building and a care institution. I welcome visitors, manage the directors' diaries and handle phone calls with care. I am discreet, organised and enjoy working with a team of administrative staff. I am looking for a permanent position at the front of an organisation.

Receptionist with six years of experience at the front desk of an office building with 350 staff and around 120 visitors a day. I welcome visitors, book meeting rooms and manage the diaries of three board members. I am the first point of contact for complaints and pass them on to the right department. I am looking for a role in which hospitality and organisation go together.

The first example names the organisation, the number of visitors and the tasks. The second names the years, the diaries and the responsibility for complaints. The weak version says something about presence, but nothing about the work. Numbers and systems make it concrete.

Weak version: “I am a hospitable receptionist who is always ready for visitors, gets on well with people and has a positive presence.”

A profile text is short: four or five sentences. Write in the first person and say what you do, what you are good at and what you are looking for.

Making your work experience stand out

The example bullet points below belong to a fictional example CV. The figures are illustrative: use only your own figures, and only if they are accurate.

Start each bullet with an action word and state the result, not only the task.

• Around 120 visitors received per day at an office building with 350 staff, including registration and access passes.
• Diaries of three board members managed, with the planning of meetings and the booking of meeting rooms.
• Telephone answered and calls put through on the switchboard, with a fixed greeting in two languages.
• Parcels and post handled, with registration per recipient and an email notification.
• Complaints recorded and passed on to the right department within one working day.
• New receptionists trained on the emergency procedures and the visitor registration system.

For each job, give the job title, employer, place and period, and put your current job at the top.

No work experience?

Have no reception experience yet? A part-time job in a hotel, at a dental practice, in a shop or at a gym counts. Describe what you did: welcoming people, answering calls or planning appointments. A telephone skills course or training in customer experience shows that you take it seriously.

Action words for your CV

Action words make your work concrete. A few that work well on a CV:

• Organised
• Supervised
• Improved
• Monitored
• Planned
• Recorded
• Consulted
• Delivered
• Coordinated
• Ensured

Use each word only once per job, and only if it matches your work.

Education on your CV

An mbo (senior secondary vocational education) course in office management, administration or hospitality suits this role. A course on telephony, diary management or customer experience goes in the same section, with the year. Leave out education unrelated to reception or administration.

List older education more briefly, so that recent work gets more space.

Skills on the receptionist CV

Hard skills

• Switchboard and call transfers
• Diary management
• Microsoft 365
• Hospitality

Soft skills

• Staying hospitable when it is busy
• Supporting several people at the same time
• Handling confidential information discreetly
• Staying calm with angry visitors
• Planning ahead in other people’s diaries

Show the busyness with a situation: a day with many visitors and a meeting you moved without anyone noticing. That is more concrete than the word hospitable.

Choose five to eight hard skills that you currently use.

Give an example from your work for Switchboard and call transfers, Diary management, Microsoft 365 and Hospitality.

Certificates, languages and hobbies

For reception, a telephone training, a customer experience course and a Microsoft 365 course are relevant. State the name, the institution and the year. List a first aid (EHBO) certificate if you have one, as reception is often the first point of contact in emergencies. Name your Microsoft 365 skills per programme, such as Outlook, Excel and Teams.

Put a certificate on your CV if it fits the role.

• Telephone skills and customer experience (Academie voor Dienstverlening, 2019)

Languages in this example: Dutch (moedertaal), English (goed).

Example receptionist CV

This is how the example looks in a real template. It is a starting point: take over the structure, not the text.

The fictional candidate is called Iris Bos and lives in Leiden. The example carries the headline: Receptionist · office and care institution.

Common mistakes on the receptionist CV

• Describing hospitality without a situation or a number of visitors.
• Not naming the switchboard or the diary system.
• Only writing “supportive” or “strong in organisation”, without evidence.
• Not giving periods or organisations for your roles, so it is not clear how long you were at a desk.
• Leaving out your language skills, if you have them.

Check the names of the organisations and the systems. A wrong name for a switchboard or a diary package stands out at once.

Key points

• Name the number of visitors per day and the number of staff at the organisation, so the busyness is visible.
• Show that you managed diaries for several people, with the meeting rooms and the planning.
• Name your Microsoft 365 skills per programme, such as Outlook for diary management.
• Put a first aid certificate at the top if you have one, as reception can be the first point of contact in emergencies.

Read your CV aloud before you send it.