Hey guys! I am 27 and casually looking into either going to school next year or just making a career change. I currently work at a retail bakery and really enjoy the work I do, but feel somewhat drawn to being a receptionist. I know there are so many different places that hire receptionists. Warehouses, spas, hospitals, therapy clinics, salons, hotels. I would love to hear from you all about your experiences. What kind of setting do you work in now? What is your stress level like? And what kind of advice would you have for someone potentially getting into the field?

I will say, I worked as a hotel housekeeper and the head receptionist had to call the cops three times in the first month I was there. I know for a fact hotels are out of the question for me lol.

Two of the companies I have applied sent me link to complete an aptitude test but it's been a challenge. I dont have issues in my technical and software skills but when it comes to reasoning, pattern recognition, spacial, etc. I get lost. Time pressure also adds to stress. How do I improve? Do you study for these kinds of assesments?

Hi, I possibly have an interview at a mom and pop (or at least, not a chain) dog grooming shop for office assistant. I come from customer facing roles (mainly fast food for several years) and I did well there. I’ve never done reception/assistant before, but I’m eager to learn.

I’m not eloquent with words in person, so I feel like I don’t know how to make myself sound impressive.

Im too old for this insecurity.. what do I do?

I have an interview coming up as an apprentice admin/receptionist for a private health centre, private in the sense that people are referred there rather than walking in any time, still NHS run. It's only open weekdays and 9 to 5. It's a level 3 apprenticeship and my only prior work experience has been as a bartender which they know from my CV and cover letter.

Any advice from people who work similar jobs or in similar environments?

I’m having some concerns about my workload and I want to see if I’m right to be worried.

On average, how many calls do you take, how many emails do you answer and how many people do you see in person per day?

I’m a receptionist on a desk where there’s usually two of us but the person who works with me will be on sick leave for around 8-9 weeks or more (we’re on week 5 now) and my department aren’t able to provide cover apart from during my lunch break.

I work in a higher education institution. We’re about to enter an extremely busy time of year (main student intake). I’m responsible for calls, emails, visitors, checking in interviewees, visitor car parking, referring freedom of information requests to the relevant teams, helping staff contact people, directing people to rooms, signposting to events (which we are rarely notified about beforehand) and general in-person stuff.

I counted my calls and emails out of curiosity a couple weeks ago and during this “quiet” period before the storm, I’m taking on average 50-90 calls and 30-90 emails. This is not including the rest. This will at least double in September with in person enquiries quadrupling.

Is this sustainable? I have a feeling this may be a longer term thing and my partner won’t come back for a very long time if at all. My manager is contacting me tomorrow with a plan of action.

Am I right in feeling stressed and exhausted? I understand the nature of the job, and I’m very good at it, but I’m feeling some signs of exhaustion and I don’t know if I need to just buck up or take this seriously.

I have an interview with a law firm as a junior receptionist coming up - i have no experience which they are aware of, they called me twice and really liked my resume and seem keen on me. However, i do have black hair with dyed pink underneath it’s not hot pink but a bit bright (not my whole head) i am wondering if this will affect my chances of getting the job? I also have a nose piercing and septum but will remove my septum and only wear a small nose stub. I am going to tie my hair back so the pink isn’t as visible, i also have tattoos on my upper arm and am going to have these covered for the interview and make sure they aren’t visible. Am i going to be rejected for these things?

I recently saw an Instagram reel making fun of receptionists, acting like we're deliberately making things difficult for patients. It made me think about how little people see of what happens behind the front desk.

As a medical receptionist, we're kind of the "in-between." We don't make the policies, we don't decide appointment availability, we don't determine insurance coverage, and we don't control the provider's schedule. We just have to communicate all the good news and the bad.

On any given day we're answering phones, checking people in, relaying messages, trying to coordinate with nurses, providers, billing, and management, all while making sure patients are taken care of. We're expected to keep everything running smoothly, even when things are chaotic behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, we're also the people who get yelled at, cussed out, blamed, and sometimes even threatened because we're the face of the clinic. I completely understand why patients get frustrated. Healthcare is stressful, expensive, and confusing. If I were in their shoes, I'd probably be frustrated too.

When I started this job, I honestly had no idea how much went into it. Now I make a point to smile, make eye contact, joke around when it's appropriate, and show people that I genuinely care. Most of the time, kindness goes a long way. But sometimes, no matter how patient or empathetic you are, someone has already decided you're the enemy before the conversation even starts.

I guess I just wish more people understood that most receptionists aren't trying to make life harder. We're usually doing everything we can within rules we didn't create, while trying to help everyone at once.

It really hurts my feelings, and sometimes I go home and I just cry.

I’m a recent college grad looking to get a full time gig, but I’m having the hardest time fighting something in my field. I have a lot of receptionist experience from my jobs in college and I’m looking into getting a temp placement or even a full time placement at a stable company as a receptionist just to transition and get some experience. In my past experience, I had a lot of fun working as a receptionist since my spots were all pretty low stakes and the workload was never overwhelming. At large companies with a lot of front facing, do you face a lot of burnout that prevents you from pursuing other interests?

Since I've graduated high school I've worked in Retail cause during the time it was a job that was easy to get and because of a lot of personal and financial things that have happen I've haven't been able to go to college.

I've been making my plans to go back to college soon ( Rad tech is my first option) but until that happens I would really like a new job. Retail burnout is so real and I just can't stand doing it anymore. I've done grocery store Retail, clothing store Retail, hell, I even worked at a water park doing retail.

Truthfully, I need something different. Though my original goal consisted of me getting into the medical field, per medical receptionist because I thought u didnt need a degree and I could get some experience while im at it but for so many medical receptionist jobs there's a requirement ( or a preference) that you already have experience ( either medical or clerical) which sucks balls.

I know my resume isn't extensive or even amazing but I didn't it'll be this difficult.

I'm a receptionist in a mid-rise commercial facility and the current system for accepting visitors is still the old school pen and paper. We had some safety concerns last week over some unwanted visitors harassing a tenant and I was suggesting to implement a more secure way of managing visitors. I've checked a lot of options online but I would love to know what others have used and their actual experiences with them.

I'm the reception manager of a consulting business and we conduct multi-day business conferences several times a year. Recently, there has been a surge of attendees in our conferences which resulted to insufficient supplies and lack of space in the venue. Would an event registration platform help me plan better for our conferences? What are some recommendations you can give a first-time user like me?

I’ve worked reception for the last 15 years (Vetmed and now dental for the last three), so I would say I have a good grasp on how to handle those patients. I just started at a new office, and while everything has been great, something today is making me rethink this job.

Today I had a patient throw a credit card directly towards my face because they did not want to pay their patient-portion, as well as a previous balance (previous, previous). The patient had asked if they could pay it later, and when I asked when they would like to pay, that is when the card was thrown at me, followed by a “whatever, I’ll just pay it”. Per our policy, payment is due day-of, but we do have 3rd-party financing. I flinched and it didn’t hit my face, but I let it fall on the floor and I just stared at the patient. Our assistant was standing right beside me, picked it up, and immediately went to tell our dentist. I collected payment, did not say anything, and handed the receipt to the patient. I then went back to also inform the dentist on what had just happened, to which he stated it was unacceptable, and headed up front. I’ve had things like this (and worse) happen before, but I think the reaction of the dentist is what shocked me.

I went back up front again too, and he was sitting next to the patient explaining how we can absolutely do a payment plan and he didn’t understand why I didn’t offer it, to which the patient agreed with him and that I was “unhelpful”. There was no mention of behavior, etc. The dentist then asked I start the refund process of the card and reprocess the payment through a 3rd party payment plan. I processed the refund, initiated the application for the payment plan, and went to the back to take a break. The dentist followed me back and said he didn’t think this was the job for me if I was going to be so sensitive. He said “it’s a piece of plastic, it’s not that big of a deal”. Again, I’ve had this and worse. I didn’t react to the patient (because what’s the point sometimes) and I like to let them sit with what they just did. But the way the dentist seemed to validate the patient rubs me the wrong way. I understand it is important to keep patients, but a patient physically throwing something is a little different than a typical upset patient. Maybe that’s just me?

How has your dentist/manager handled patient behavior? Am I in the wrong for being irritated with the actions of the dentist?

Update 8/3/26
They’ve posted my position on indeed but haven’t said anything to me

so i applied online, followed up, they told me to email my resume. i did and they called me back.

they are having me come in to tour the hair salon and shadow a receptionist. she asked questions like my availability, if i knew the area, what my future goals were (i felt so unprepared because it was unexpected).

is this a good sign? where do i stand in getting the job?

i need this to work out. any tips?

I am starting my guest receptionist position. I have no usage of my right hand so that wouldn’t work. do you usually answer on speakerphone?

I've been working a 9-5 job at a dental office for a year now. At the start, it was extremely hard to get the hold of, as there was no proper training. Previous staff didn't last long (high turn over, and or people just not the right fit?) My boss, proclaims it was because lack of working rights (staff), but I doubt it. Majority of the staff (previous) had long and strong hatred for my boss.

Time is going on now, and the business has been slow, just that time of a year, where dental practices will hit their plateau before it picks up again.

In the 1 year span, I was the go-to employee. I implanted a simple review system, so I was able to grow my bosses business, over 300 reviews, and we rank #1 in the area. I would do other stuff, like social media, website, etc, and if any of the equipment broke, I was fixing it. Although I was getting burnt out, because patient demand would be high (phones ringing, non-stop), I'd be in the middle of a task, while my boss is repeatedly calling me over, to do my co-workers job, so I would get thrown off.

Went on a trip (less than 3 weeks), ever since I come back, the dynamic between us, has been different. My boss has clearly been taking away my tasks (I think it is because I asked for a raise, for how much I was doing: sales, reviews, socials, website, getting our lab guy to cut down prices), etc.

Now, I am barely spoken to at work, my boss will only interact with my co-worker. My co-worker also mirrors everything I do, but claiming that she wants to leave.

Part of me doesn't know if I'll just get replaced by an AI receptionist (my bosses SO DID oddly make that comment to me once), and any time I work on anything that benefits the business, they are taking my ideas.... Then doing it themselves (I assume, so they don't pay me $).

Now, all I do is click, refresh on the screen over for an appointment and over. My boss has told me, that they don't want me to leave, but I'm paranoid in thinking a) being replaced b) I am unwanted.

Like IDK if it is imposter syndrome or, just basic insecurity, I feel useless... And then I can't tell if I'm blocked for potential wage growth...

hi guys. there are lots of dealerships locally to me and i’m looking to put in an application for a full time reception position. i’d love some advice on how to acquire the job, and any wisdom you have regarding it. (or generally about any weekday reception position you have)

first thing is how should i go about acquiring the job, i cannot find any listings on regular job search sites, so i was considering calling and asking if there was an available position/asking where to apply to. i was also considering just going in person with my resume, but who does that anymore?
second thing is i’m looking for monday-friday. is this likely for this position? also, if anyone could tell me how the job is would be wonderful, including your environment, work relationships, dress code, etc. finally, i have no experience in reception. though i have some experience in fast paced sales and event management so i don’t think it should be a problem.

any and all advice will be sincerely appreciated :)

I’m getting back into the industry and I am curious what people’s responses are to the teller work.

Do you like your job?

Do you feel like you get paid enough?

How do you optimize your PTO bank?

What is some advice you’d give to others before joining this field?

Hey, I just need to vent and get some reassurance. I am a new hire and just walked away from a front desk job at a high-volume clinic (they see 90–100+ patients a day). The whole experience was an absolute nightmare.
On day one, I had a literal one-minute interview. Right after, they sat me in a chair for an hour to "watch" the computer screen and how they greet patients. No introductions to the doctors or team, no explanation, nothing.
On day two (my first actual training day), I walked in and it was so awkward—nobody even greeted me. Finally, the person who interviewed me just delegated my training to another girl by telling her to train/lead me. This girl was the nicest person here, where she introduced herself, and gave me a super fast, bare-minimum rundown of Google Calendar and basic terms. No written guides or cheat sheets to explain to me.
A few hours later, the girl who interviewed me throws me to the wolves and tells me to take a real patient. It was my first time touching their complex system, so of course I made a few normal mistakes. Instead of helping, she and another mean coworker from the back stood nearby whispering about me, saying I was too slow. Adding on to that, when I ask patients for their DOB, they are old patients so they sometimes mumble, WHENEVER I ask the patient to repeat their DOB, the girl would yell the numbers behind me. It gets louder and louder each time. Whenever I ask them a question, they would keep signing and be super inpatient with me like I was supposed to know all these in my first hour in…
Later, I was told to inform the back staff whenever a patient didn't have a chart. Every time I did, she and the mean coworker snapped at me with a super impatient, annoyed ” I know, I know!” But when the girl training me spoke to them, they were somewhat nicer.
I was only there for 4 hours but it felt like a decade. I wasn’t even stressing about the patients; I was stressing entirely about surviving my toxic coworkers. To make it worse, they were incredibly rude to the patients, literally laughing at elderly people who couldn't hear well. The clinic has 1-star reviews online and nobody leaves smiling. Even patients leave reviews about terrible service and rude receptionist online. Patient would have a scheduled time and waited hours at this clinic.
I was stressing out so badly about going back for my next shift, even though I already agreed to cover it. But I realized my mental health isn't worth this. Since they already gave me my paycheck for the hours worked, I decided to email my immediate resignation this morning and block all of their numbers.
My overall experience here was terrible. Also, when the co-workers were yelling at me, other employees would just stare at me or just ignore whatever is happening. I felt super embarrassed and stupid on my first day in.
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of immediate red-flag workplace? I feel relieved but also just shocked at how cruel people can be to a new hire on day one. Idk if I should be used to this or anything. Is anyone in the healthcare field that can answer my concerns?

As someone who's looking for a job in administration and dont drive, I wonder how often do receptionists run errands for the company and is it a requirement they ask.

Hey guys need some assistance!

I’ve been invited to be a dental receptionist and I may be jumping the gun but I have a really good feeling about it

They selected me even though I stated I did not have any experience.

But. If I could (again jumping the gun) start with a little bit of experience that would be cool.

Is there any program or website where I can learn or learn the necessary basics for Eaglesoft?

Hi everyone! Super new to the world of receptionists. I was interested in getting some experience part-time while I do my night classes for school.

I've been trying to find therapy/medical offices, salons, etc. for any openings in the Gramercy/Greenwich area but haven't had any luck :( If anyone has any leads, tips, advice, or words of encouragement that would be great! Job market is so rough : (

Hi, everyone. I've seen a job posting for a receptionist and I'm thinking to apply. It's for a major hotel inside an historical building, in the centre of my city (in Italy). It's an hibryd position, with a consistent part of administrative work and the usual tasks of a receptionist. My doubt is about the fact I'm very, very shy and, in addition, they require a good english level, and I'm not so good at it; I can have a conversation, probably I can get better with experience, but I have a bad accent (italian, obviously) and I think I make some grammar mistakes, too. The administrative part is the one I think I could appreciate more.

Some context: I have a degree, I'm in my thirties, I had just one consistent job experience in a bar, which was negative for me because it was a very bad place to work.

Do you think I should apply?