Table 1Transition record

secretarytoreceptionist

A secretary already meets 44% of what the receptionist role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From secretary

44%

Overlap1

To receptionist

15 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

55.9 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

44%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

55.9/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the receptionist role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the secretary profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A receptionist role treats 6 of its required skills as things a secretary already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

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

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.

Skill the target role also needs Area

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

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 assisting and caring 2 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held adhere to organisational guidelines required
required, not held 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

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held communicate verbal instructions required
required, not held 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

03 information skills 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held 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

04 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held customer service required

optional, not held office administration optional

05 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held maintain reception area required

optional, not held process payments optional

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 15 skills that carry over

Skill Type

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

Skill to acquire Tier

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

Skill Type

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.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held customer service required
optional, not held office administration optional

Index

Other moves recorded from secretary

Full index of moves from secretary

Note

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.