Front desk receptionists are the face of their company. Most visitors will spend quite a while waiting in reception for their meetings, so your demeanor and actions will leave a lasting impression on people who may be central to the success of your employer.
The hard skills for a front desk receptionist are easy to list on your resume, but for an employer who realizes the importance of softer behavioral traits, a front desk receptionist cover letter is the place to share your people skills. Our front desk receptionist cover letter example and guide will show you just how to share what impact you have on others including:
- What you might want to include in the front desk receptionist cover letter
- How each section of the cover letter can carry a different message.
- Writing a front desk receptionist cover letter with no experience.
Resume.io offers expert resources for job seekers in all industries. Our 125+ cover letter examples will help you to make the most out of your application. Check out our front desk cover letter sample for more ideas on combining great writing and perfect formatting.
Best format for a front desk receptionist cover letter
Every front desk receptionist understands the importance of being structured and organized in everything they do. The format of your cover letter will allow you to take your future boss through the key aspects of your story, telling your story of efficient yet personable impact. Your cover letters should include:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting / salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
The comprehensive cover letter guide is a more detailed resource (far bigger than this piece) that can offer more detail in certain aspects of cover letter writing. It’s worth a read.
This front desk receptionist cover letter example may give you some ideas.
Dear Mrs. Harkwell,
Having previously worked for two employers in the marketing industry, I am aware of the particular responsibilities for a front desk receptionist in a PR firm. Polished people skills and flawless organization are essential as the first point of contact.
At my previous employer, we received 150 visitors per day. I managed the meeting rooms, catering and stationary requirements, meeting facilitation and diary management of the client accounts, sales and marketing teams. I am an advanced user of Microsoft Powerpoint, often helping colleagues with preparing presentations. My accountancy course at college gave me advanced Excel skills and I have often assisted my finance colleagues when it comes around for payroll, audits of budgets. When I am not greeting visitors or dealing with calls, I try to fill my time as productively as possible.
As well as my receptionist duties, I was a key member of the event planning team, managing suppliers, chasing invoices and coordinating critical paths. I enjoy bringing people together with a common goal and am pleased that there will be a similar expectation with your firm. Receptionists have the capacity to do so much more than answer phones and smile sweetly.
I have met several of your team at industry events and was referred for the role by Sarah Jayner. I hope to learn more about the position and discuss how I may be of assistance during an interview.
Sincerely,
Lynette Hayward
You can find more writing and formatting tips in our other administrative cover letter examples listed here below:
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Cover letter header
Every front desk receptionist should understand that everything has its place. Not including the required contact details in the cover letter header is the equivalent of forgetting to turn on the answering machine when you go for a break. If a hiring manager is tempted to invite you to an interview as they are ready, your details need to be right there. Your header should also add a touch of color or another attractive detail, depending on the employer.
The aim of the cover letter header: Include all your contact details in an attractive design
Cover letter greeting
As a front desk receptionist, you will be expected to have an exceptional memory for names. There might be 500 people working in your office and each one would hope that you will be greeting them by name with a cheery smile. People like it when others remember their name – it is one of the first things that you will need to do. So, make sure that you get the name of the hiring manager right on the cover letter. If you’re not sure who will be reading your cover letter, “Dear (Company Name) Hiring Team” is a fine option.
The aim of the cover letter greeting: Getting names correct is what you do – it will look pretty bad if you cannot spell the name correctly on your cover letter.
Dear Mrs. Harkwell,
Cover letter introduction
The receptionist role and responsibilities will differ from one employer to another, so make sure that you focus your introduction on where your experience meets their demands. Make sure that your achievement is customer-focused and shows you to be personable, flexible and organized. Much of your job is about doing quality work at scale, so there is maybe a statistic that you might want to share. Most importantly of all, use the introduction to start to build a relationship. If you get along well with the hiring manager at an interview, your chances of being hired will skyrocket. The front desk receptionist introduction is the start of that connection.
The aim of the cover letter introduction: Start to build a relationship that you will build on during your interview – give a sense of what it is like to walk into your reception.
Having previously worked for two employers in the marketing industry, I am aware of the particular responsibilities for a front desk receptionist in a PR firm. Polished people skills and flawless organization are essential as the first point of contact.
Cover letter middle part (body)
A front desk receptionist has many duties, but while these responsibilities are listed in the job description, it is important that the middle part, or body, of the cover letter focuses on the impact of your work on those around you. Anyone can answer phones, organize meetings and greet guests, but only a great receptionist does it in such a way that they add value to the visitor and employee experience. Share a couple of the more difficult situations that you have encountered (that may be relevant for a new role) and give them some context with the STAR method – Situation, Task, Action and Result. This neat technique allows you to paint a concise picture that you can then expand upon at an interview.
Goal of the cover letter body: Work out what difference you need to make to your future employer and offer a few examples from your past that you have what it takes.
At my previous employer, we received 150 visitors per day. I managed the meeting rooms, catering and stationary requirements, meeting facilitation and diary management of the client accounts, sales and marketing teams. I am an advanced user of Microsoft Powerpoint, often helping colleagues with preparing presentations. My accountancy course at college gave me advanced Excel skills and I have often assisted my finance colleagues when it comes around for payroll, audits of budgets. When I am not greeting visitors or dealing with calls, I try to fill my time as productively as possible.
As well as my receptionist duties, I was a key member of the event planning team, managing suppliers, chasing invoices and coordinating critical paths. I enjoy bringing people together with a common goal and am pleased that there will be a similar expectation with your firm. Receptionists have the capacity to do so much more than answer phones and smile sweetly.
How to close a front desk receptionist cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
Your enthusiasm for the role should flow right until the very last line of your cover letter conclusion, so it is only natural to end on a hopeful note. Saying that you are looking forward to a potential interview is a great way of planting an idea in the hiring manager’s head. A candidate such as yourself is likely to get snapped up pretty quickly, so why not send that interview invite over right now? Knowing your worth is not arrogant, so be quietly confident.
Goal of the conclusion: Conclude with one last reason to hire you and say that you can’t wait to meet and find out more about how you can add your receptionist sparkle.
I have met several of your team at industry events and was referred for the role by Sarah Jayner. I hope to learn more about the position and discuss how I may be of assistance during an interview.
Sincerely,
Lynette Hayward
Front desk receptionist cover letter with no experience
There are many ways to become a front desk receptionist and many of them will involve a love of helping others, a professional demeanor and an ability to juggle plates. If you have these three key attributes, you have every chance of success, so don’t worry if you do not have specific experience. New receptionists start off in the industry all the time, so employers will be looking for evidence of these basic skills – and a lot of personality. Here are three things to bear in mind if your reception experience is limited:
- Share your communications skills: Your ability to communicate professionally and concisely (in both oral and written form) can be demonstrated in many ways. From your education to any previous work experiences – show you have what it takes.
- Show that you are hyper-organized: If you can share examples of when you had 10 competing priorities (for example) and managed to get them all done, any future employer will be impressed. Being flexible enough to juggle things as different demands come along is key for any front desk receptionist.
- Demonstrate that you fit with the culture: It is possible that you may have worked with a similar employer in a different capacity, so show that you would fit in.
Poor formatting can send a message that you’re disorganized and unprofessional – disqualifying factors for any front desk receptionist position. Consider using an expertly-designed cover letter template to avoid costly errors.
Key takeaways
- Let your receptionist personality and interpersonal skills shine in your cover letter
- Talk about specific accomplishments rather than simply listing responsibilities.
- Check out our front desk receptionist cover letter example for more ideas on creating a great page layout.
