Paragraph by paragraph
I would be grateful if you would consider me for the Front of House Team Leader role at Addleshaw Goddard's Manchester office. I am the Senior Receptionist at Deloitte in Manchester, where our desk looks after an office of around 800 people, more than 200 visitors a day and about 150 calls.
The size of her desk
She names the role and the office, then her current job with three numbers that describe it. By the end of the second sentence the reader knows she already works at the scale they need.
On a normal day several small problems arrive at once. A client turns up early for a room that is still in use, a courier needs a signature, and someone rings for a person who has just left the building. I enjoy keeping all of that calm and out of sight of the people waiting in reception, and in our quarterly visitor surveys 98% of the feedback is positive.
A busy desk, described from the inside
Instead of saying she can multitask, she describes three things that really happen at a front desk. Then the survey result shows that visitors don't notice any of it, which is the point of good reception work.
I also manage the bookings for more than 40 meeting rooms across three floors in Condeco, and I train and supervise two junior receptionists. As well as the systems, I teach them how to put a nervous visitor at ease and when to call a manager over before a complaint grows.
Systems and people
Naming Condeco tells a facilities manager she can use their tools from day one. The training sentence matters most for a team leader role, and it's written in everyday words rather than management language.
Before Deloitte I worked across three Regus coworking centres with more than 500 members, handling post, couriers and meeting room technology, and I resolved 95% of enquiries without passing them on. I know a law firm will be strict about confidentiality and visitors, and I am used to working that way.
Earlier experience, linked to this employer
The Regus job adds variety and a first contact resolution figure. The last sentence connects her experience to what is different about a law firm, without pretending she has already worked in one.
I have a BTEC Level 3 in Business and conversational French, which comes up more often than you might think with visitors from our Paris office. I can come in to meet the team at any time that suits you.
A light, human close
Her qualification and her French, with a real reason the language helps. Offering to come in is the natural close for a role that is all about meeting people.
Your letter is a sample of your front desk manner
A front of house manager reads your letter and imagines how you would sound on the phone or greeting a client. That makes the tone of the letter almost as important as what it says.
- Warm but brief. Short sentences and plain words, the way you would speak to a visitor.
- Specific, not bubbly. Describe real moments from your desk rather than calling yourself friendly or a people person.
- Calm. Avoid exclamation marks and words like "thrilled". Reception is about keeping things steady.
- Accurate. Get the firm's name, the manager's name and the role exactly right. A manager will wonder whether the same mistakes would end up in the visitor book.
For a one click application with a message box
Reception jobs are often advertised on job boards with a one click apply and an optional message. This version fits that box and still gives a manager a reason to call.
Visitors, security and emergencies
Reception is also the first line of an office's security, and managers want to know you take that side seriously. If you have done any of these, a sentence about them is worth including:
| Duty | How to mention it |
|---|---|
| Visitor sign in and passes | Say how many visitors you log a day and that no one goes past the desk without a pass. |
| Confidential visitors | Mention keeping meetings and visitor names discreet, without giving examples. |
| Fire evacuation | Reception often holds the visitor list for the roll call. Say if that has been your job, or if you are a trained fire warden. |
| First aid | Give the course and the year if you are a trained first aider. |
| Deliveries and post | Mention checking and signing for deliveries, especially confidential or high value items. |
Visitor logs contain personal information, so treat them as confidential in the letter too: talk about how you handle them, never about who was on them.
Other front desks, other first lines
GP surgery, dental or medical receptionist
Patients ring when they are worried or unwell, so show patience and discretion. Mention appointment systems you have used and any experience directing patients to the right service.
For three years I have run the front desk of a busy dental practice, booking around 60 patients a day and taking payments at the end of each visit.
School reception
Schools care about safeguarding from the first contact. Mention signing visitors in and out, and any safeguarding training you have done.
I am applying for the school receptionist role with two years of front desk experience and the safeguarding training I completed this summer.
Hotel front desk
Hotels look for check ins, payments and problem solving at all hours. Give your shift pattern and the property management system you know. Our hotel receptionist example covers this in detail.
I have worked evening and weekend shifts on the front desk of a 120 room hotel for two years, and I would like to join your team at the Manchester property.
Your first reception job
Use any role where you greeted people or answered phones: retail, hospitality, events or volunteering. Describe how many people you dealt with and how you kept them happy.
I have spent the last year on the tills and the customer service desk at a busy supermarket, where most of the job is staying patient with people in a hurry.
Bilingual front desk
Say which languages you speak, how well, and how often you use them with visitors or callers.
I speak English and Polish fluently, and at my current hotel I look after Polish speaking guests most days.
Naming the systems you use
Reception software varies from building to building, so a list of names means little to a reader who uses different tools. What helps is saying what you do with each system:
- Room booking: "I manage bookings for more than 40 rooms in Condeco" rather than "Condeco".
- Visitor management: "I register and badge around 200 visitors a day" rather than the name of the sign in app.
- Phones: "I run a multi line switchboard of about 150 calls a day" rather than "telephone skills".
- Office tools: mention Outlook or Teams only with a task, such as managing shared calendars.
If the advert names a system you haven't used, say what similar one you know and that you pick up new tools quickly, with an example.
Five mistakes in receptionist cover letters
Calling yourself bubbly
"Bubbly", "friendly" and "a people person" appear in so many reception letters that they don’t help you stand out.
Describe a moment where your manner made a difference, like calming someone who was nervous.
Forgetting the phones
Many letters talk about greeting visitors and say nothing about calls, which are often half the job.
Give the number of calls you handle and how you deal with the difficult ones.
No numbers at all
Without volume, the reader can’t tell a quiet desk from one that sees hundreds of people a day.
Give visitors, calls and rooms per day, and any feedback score.
Running onto a second page
If the letter rambles, the reader may wonder whether your phone calls do too.
Cut it to one page, about 250 words.
Ignoring confidentiality
Receptionists see who visits whom and overhear a lot. Employers like law firms want to know you can keep that to yourself.
Add one line about discretion, without examples.
Tone, names and who to write to
- Length: one page, in short paragraphs a manager can read between visitors.
- Who to write to: the office or front of house manager. At a law firm it may be the facilities manager, so check the advert.
- Tone: warm, plain and calm, with no exclamation marks.
- Names: check the firm's name and the manager's name twice. Getting names right is part of the job you are applying for.
The main points from this page
- 1Give your desk’s volume: visitors, calls and rooms a day.
- 2Show your manner through a real front desk moment.
- 3Mention security and confidentiality in a line.
- 4Say what you do with each system, not just its name.
- 5Keep it short and calm; the letter is a sample of how you greet people.
Frequently asked questions
What should a receptionist cover letter include?
The role, your current desk in numbers, a real example of how you handle visitors or callers, the systems you use and what you do with them, and any security or first aid duties.
How do I write a receptionist cover letter with no experience?
Use any job where you dealt with the public, such as retail or hospitality, and describe it the same way: how many people a day, and how you handled the tricky ones.
How long should a receptionist cover letter be?
About 250 words, on one page. Front of house managers value people who can say a lot in a few words.
Should I mention languages?
Yes, with your level and how often you use them. In international offices and hotels a second language can decide the shortlist.
What is different about a GP receptionist cover letter?
Patients contact the surgery when they are unwell or worried, so stress patience, discretion and experience with appointment systems. Confidentiality matters even more than in an office.