Secretary to receptionist
A secretary already meets 44% of what the receptionist role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.9/ 100
1 How much of what a receptionist is expected to do is already part of a secretary’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the receptionist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A receptionist role treats 6 of its required skills as things a secretary already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- administer appointments
- communicate by telephone
- company policies
- disseminate internal communications
- disseminate messages to people
- use microsoft office
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A receptionist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a secretary background worth leading with.
- already held organise facilities for office personnel management skills
- already held file documents information skills
- already held disseminate internal communications communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held disseminate messages to people management skills
- already held deliver correspondence management skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 6 the receptionist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn adhere to organisational guidelines required
- still to learn greet guests required
- optional, not held assist at check-in optional
- optional, not held check tickets at venue entry optional
- optional, not held screen clients optional
- still to learn communicate verbal instructions required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- optional, not held handle customer complaints optional
- optional, not held respond to customers' inquiries optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn maintain logbooks required
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held maintain correspondence records optional
- optional, not held process booking optional
- optional, not held process data optional
- optional, not held register visitors optional
- still to learn customer service required
- optional, not held office administration optional
- still to learn maintain reception area required
- optional, not held process payments optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a receptionist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain reception area practise this
- 02 customer service study this
- 03 maintain logbooks practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held administer appointments skill
- already held communicate by telephone skill
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held disseminate internal communications skill
- already held disseminate messages to people skill
- already held use microsoft office skill
- already held accounting techniques knowledge
- already held deliver correspondence skill
- already held develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements skill
- already held file documents skill
- already held handle mail skill
- already held handle petty cash skill
- already held issue sales invoices skill
- already held organise facilities for office personnel skill
- already held use office systems skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assist at check-in optional
- optional, not held check tickets at venue entry optional
- optional, not held office administration optional
- optional, not held handle customer complaints optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held maintain correspondence records optional
- optional, not held process booking optional
- optional, not held process data optional
- optional, not held process payments optional
- optional, not held register visitors optional
- optional, not held respond to customers' inquiries optional
- optional, not held screen clients optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
28 held skills the receptionist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role communicate schedules to the people concerned skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate professional attitude to clients skill
- not needed by the target role draft corporate emails skill
- not needed by the target role education administration knowledge
- not needed by the target role education law knowledge
- not needed by the target role fill out forms skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role labour law knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with typists skill
- not needed by the target role maintain internal communication systems skill
- not needed by the target role manage accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
- not needed by the target role manage needs for stationery items skill
- not needed by the target role manage online content skill
- not needed by the target role manage personnel agenda skill
- not needed by the target role monitor staff absences skill
- not needed by the target role organise business documents skill
- not needed by the target role organise travel arrangements for staff skill
- not needed by the target role perform office routine activities skill
- not needed by the target role place orders for printed paper goods skill
- not needed by the target role prepare presentation material skill
- not needed by the target role process commissioned instructions skill
- not needed by the target role use personal organization software skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
- not needed by the target role write meeting reports skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn customer service required
- optional, not held office administration optional
Common questions about this move
Can a secretary become a receptionist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A secretary already covers 44% of what a receptionist is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 6 of which the receptionist role treats as required.
What skills does a secretary need to become a receptionist?
7 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is maintain reception area.
How hard is the move from secretary to receptionist?
Its learning distance is 55.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.