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Receptionist CV example

A receptionist is the first person clients meet, so employers look for warmth, calm under pressure and good systems. This receptionist CV example shows all three with the details a practice manager wants: call volumes, booking systems and how you handle private information.

Written for New Zealand, with notes for Australia · Checked

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The example

A Receptionist CV, start to finish.

Angela Reyes is made up, and so are the employers. The layout and the wording are what New Zealand employers expect: no photo or date of birth, the most recent job first, and every bullet showing what was done and what came of it.

Angela Reyes

Receptionist, dental and allied health

Nelson · 021 555 0119 · angela.reyes@email.com

Profile

Friendly, organised receptionist with seven years on busy front desks in dental and physiotherapy practices. Keeps the day running on time, handles upset patients calmly, and is careful with personal and health information. Confident with practice management software, invoicing and ACC paperwork.

Skills

Front desk and patient welcome · Multi-line phones · Appointment booking systems · Invoicing and EFTPOS · ACC claims paperwork · Privacy and records management · Microsoft 365 · Handling complaints calmly

Experience

Front of House Receptionist, Kōwhai Dental

Nelson · 2022 to now

  • Welcome up to 60 patients a day and answer around 80 calls across four dentists and two hygienists
  • Manage the appointment book, filling late cancellations from a waitlist and cutting empty chair time by about a third
  • Send recall reminders by text and email, lifting the number of patients who book their six-monthly check
  • Take payments, set up payment plans and follow up overdue accounts politely and on time
  • Keep patient records accurate and private, and handle requests for records under the practice's privacy process

Receptionist and Administrator, Hoiho Physiotherapy

Richmond · 2019 to 2022

  • Booked appointments for five physiotherapists and kept the clinic running on time
  • Checked ACC claim details at booking so treatment could be billed correctly, reducing rejected invoices
  • Ordered clinic supplies and kept the reception and waiting room tidy and welcoming

Education

New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 3), Open Polytechnic

2019

NCEA Level 2, Nayland College

2016

Other details

Languages
English and Tagalog
Driver's licence
Full

Referees

Available on request

Angela wrote a cover letter to go with it. Read the receptionist cover letter

Skills and keywords

What receptionist job ads look for.

Use the ad's own words where they're true of you. An ATS, and a recruiter skimming, both look for them.

  • Front of houseMany ads use this phrase. It signals you're the welcome, not just the phone.
  • Practice management softwareName the booking or practice system you've used. It shortens training, and managers notice.
  • Multi-line phonesGive a sense of volume: calls a day or how many practitioners you book for.
  • ConfidentialityHealth, legal and accounting reception all deal with private information. Show you handle it carefully.
  • ACCPhysio, GP and dental practices deal with ACC claims every day. Say if you've done the paperwork.
  • Invoicing and paymentsTaking payments and following up accounts is part of most reception roles. Say so.
  • Microsoft 365Outlook, Word and Excel are the basics. Mention them briefly.

Bullet points

9 strong lines to borrow from.

Each says what was done, how, and what came of it. Swap in your own facts: a line is only strong if it's true.

  1. 1Welcomed up to 60 patients a day and answered around 80 calls across six practitioners
  2. 2Filled late cancellations from a waitlist, cutting empty chair time by about a third
  3. 3Sent recall reminders that lifted the number of patients booking their six-monthly check
  4. 4Set up payment plans and followed up overdue accounts politely and on time
  5. 5Kept patient records accurate and private, and handled records requests through the practice's process
  6. 6Checked ACC claim details at booking, reducing rejected invoices
  7. 7Calmed upset patients and resolved most complaints at the desk before they needed a manager
  8. 8Ordered supplies and kept reception and the waiting room tidy and welcoming
  9. 9Trained two new receptionists on the booking system and phone scripts

Common mistakes

What costs receptionist CVs interviews.

  • "Excellent communication skills" with no example.

    Show it: how many people you greet and call, and how you handled a difficult one.

  • Leaving out the software you use.

    Name your booking, practice management and accounting systems. Employers hire faster when training is shorter.

  • Describing reception as only answering phones.

    Include the admin behind it: bookings, payments, records, supplies. That's what makes you hard to replace.

New Zealand and Australia

What changes across the Tasman.

New Zealand

Receptionists handle personal information every day, and in New Zealand the Privacy Act 2020 sets rules for how it's collected, stored and shared, so show you handle records carefully.

New Zealand CV format

Australia

In Australia, medical and allied health receptionists usually work with Medicare and private health insurance claims, so mention any similar claims work, like ACC. Australian employers usually say resume rather than CV, and expect about two pages.

Australian CV format

Sources: Office of the Privacy Commissioner: privacy principles.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Something else on your mind? Email support@smartcvs.ai and a person will reply.

Should a receptionist CV be one page or two?

One page works if your experience is short. With several years, two pages lets you show the admin and systems behind the desk.

Is medical reception experience useful for other offices?

Yes. Busy phones, bookings, payments and confidentiality carry over to legal, accounting and corporate reception.

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