Temporary Receptionist Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Can an exempt employee be ordered to fill in for a non-exempt employee on a temporary basis? Is it acceptable to assign a professional-level position to a temporary receptionist position to cover during a leave of absence? Will the exempt person lose exempt status if he does this? I used to be a receptionist, went to college, got 2 degrees, and now I'm trying to establish myself as professional-level. Supposedly, all the exempts in our office will be asked to fill in on a temp basis from to time, but I don't know if I should agree to it since I am trying to grow in a more professional direction.

Answer: As long as they don't affect your pay and benefits in an adverse way, ya, they can tell you to sweep up the offices if they want. They are your employer and can do what they feel is in the best interest of the company. Personally though, if my company didn't see more benefit from keeping me in my position and hiring a temp for the vacationing receptionist, I'd feel my job was on shaky ground anyhow and get my Resume in order and on the street.

Question: How do I list a temporary assignment on my resume? I filled in as a receptionist for a woman who went on vacation. The assignment only lasted a few weeks, but as I don't have extensive work experience I do want to put it on my resume. Where should I say it was a temp. assignment? I could just list the dates, but I'm worried they might assume I was fired or something!

Answer: List the dates, and beside the dates list in brackets, (temporary assigment) or (replacement for vacation leave) Or, even better, get a letter of reference from the employer and attach it to your CV.

Question: I want to know if some people can tell me some good temporary agencies in the MD DC and VA area? I want to know about some good temp agencies in the MD DC and VA area besides Robert Half, ManPower, Hutch Staffing, Friends & Co., Aerotek, Midtown Personnel, Appleone, Spherion. I want some good agencies that will definitely hire for Admin, Receptionist and Customer Service.

Answer: The only other ones I can think of in NoVA are Randstad and Volt Services. I got hired for a temp/perm Admin job through Randstad. You might check out the website for more info: http://www.us.randstad.com/ or, for Volt: http://jobs.volt.com/Locations/locations…

Question: What would be a good temporary job to have in Edinburgh for 2 to 3 months? Am not looking to climb corporate ladder or anything, just something to pay the rent and stuff while travelling.......full time too.... I work as a hotel receptionist at the moment.

Answer: try to get a job at camp atterbury, I am stationed here lol.

Question: I am begging for jobs I had 5 years ago? With all my experience/qualifications why would someone doubt my qualifications for a temporary receptionist position?

Answer: "Oh, you're over-qualified" "You'd be bored" Write a great cover letter explaining why you are applying for these positions- you are really interested in the company and want to work for them in any way possible. You know you need to start at the bottom again because of a career change. Due to the economy, you are willing and able to work at any and all jobs. Anything that will catch someones attention and make you stand out from the masses. "Even though I worked for XYZ for $22 an hour, I would like the opportunity to work for you as the Admin assistant to show you how valuable I could be to your organization in the future. This way, if something does come up that would be more suited to my job skills, you will automatically think of me when you need to fill that position." Sometimes being brutally honest will get you in the door, where you can really explain yourself to the person who is doing the hiring.

Question: I am not hearing a reply from over twenty resumes and applications mailed. What am I doing wrong? I worked for a temporary agency that sent me to Home Depot. I asked the manager if I could bring a resume also. He got SASSY with me. HE SAID, "WE THROW RESUMES IN THE TRASH" We got into a big heated discussion right in front of th entrance. I am just trying to get a job. Also, many employers will not accept phone calls and even post signs about hiring or not hiring. I applied at another large company. I put my resume and application through the tiny window to the receptionist. She grabbed it and wrinkled it all up. Then, she slid the window shut very loudly. Why are companies being so rude to me. I NEED A JOB. I NEED TO WORK.

Answer: You didn't say how long it took you to put of 20 aps and resumes. You should apply for at least 20 jobs per week. Some employers might not look at the aps for weeks and sometimes they are placed on file until a jobs comes available. What do you wear when you are searching for a job? You should dress professionally... suit and tie, skirt suit and stockings, modest heels or shined shoes. NO perfume or cologne....a lot of people have allergies. Modest jewelery and a BIG smile. The employer or others will observe you from the time you get out of your car until you come into the building. So be organized, neat, mannerable, never complain, etc. ATTITUDE ATTITUDE And always let people know (family, friends, church, etc.) you are looking for a job. What kind of job if you don't mind my asking?

Question: Any advice for a career change? I've got a diploma in general nursing and used to work as that for some 7 yearsIn 2003 I moved to London from Italy where I live to learn English.I stayed there for 1 year and ever after I just found temporary positions as a receptionist.I don't want to go back into nursing because I didn't like it and I guess I wasn't cut for it. What could I do now? Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Answer: With a nursing background you can do so many things. Did you ever think about teaching nursing?

Question: Best place to search for jobs in Los Angeles for Customer Service.? Where is the best place to search for jobs in Los Angeles. Customer Service, Call Center, Receptionist. Including online search , temporary agencies, or companies hiring now.

Answer: Try Hiremax.com and CareerBuilder.com. Be careful on careerbuilder in that they give you a lot of spam and some offers from dishonest posters. I suggest you use one of those throw-away email addresses so you can keep the junk off your regular email account.

Question: Data Entry or Trainee Receptionist? I don't know which job, i want to apply for a data entry job it pays £11 a hr all i know abt it is that it is contract for 13 weeks( 3 months) i dont know the hours or days. im guessin full time. trainee receptionist job is permanent £12000 a yr. i accepted that job 2day bt now im having second thoughts bcoz i dnt want to b stuck in that job not liking it and also the data entry wage is more tempting. i have been advised to only do temporary work so permanent is more daunting (this is my 1st proper job)im undecided abt goin uni in september.i hav been told it wdnt b good to just leave after they xpect me to b a permanent employee. I got the job through spring personnel(employment agency) i am due to start monday but im really prefering the data entry even though this one is guaranteed mine and the data entry isnt coz (im applyin tomorrow) i think im not wanting to do the receptionist one, which one shd i do? and how wd i "reject" this job after accepting?

Answer: Data entry is boring and offers no career prospects. However, the same could be said about reception work, depending on what sort of an environment you're working in. But as you've pointed out, data entry pays better. If you're definitely going to uni in September, I'd take the data entry job since on £11 per hour, you could afford to live quite well between now and then and maybe even save some money. I know it's only a three-month contract but once you have experience in this field, you'll easily find something else when the contract ends. If there's a chance that you won't be going to uni, I wouldn't seriously consider either of these jobs - I'd look for something more interesting and with better prospects (but maybe you could temp either on reception or doing data entry between now and then). In terms of leaving a permanent job, you're talking about almost a whole year away so I wouldn't worry about it - it's not like you're mucking them around by leaving after only a couple of weeks. Many receptionists would move on after a year anyway, as they use the position as an entrance to a corporate environment and then once they have some experience can move onto a secretarial or PA job. So whilst I'm thinking that you should go with the data entry, don't be put off the reception position simply because it's permanent. If you want to now reject the reception job, simply call the agency and tell them. Be advised that this may jeopardise your future relationship with them, but at the end of the day you need to do what's best for you, and anyway there are hundreds more agencies out there. Besides, it's better from their perspective that you're quitting before you even get there rather than after you've started. Call them ASAP to give them a chance to find someone else for the job. You don't have to go into detail, but the points I would make are: - You don't feel comfortable taking on a permanent position, and instead would prefer to temp - You have "other prospects" which would be paying much higher The reason you should tell them this is because they might then be able to find you a job which is more suited to your requirements.

Question: How are you meant to get experience as a hotel receptionist when all places require experience? I'm in the final stages of a humanities degree and even though my degree isn't particularly related to it I'd like to work in the hotel or tourism industry. I know I'm going to have to work my way up and would love to be a hotel receptionist after my degree as I think I have the personal qualities for that kind of work. I've been browsing all the jobs websites and don't mind moving anywhere in the UK, but pretty much all non-temporary positions you need experience for! So I thought I could be a general receptionist in any kinda of business (I'm not fussy) for a year or two to get some experience as a few of those jobs don't say experience is a requirement, but do you think general reception experience would be good enough for hotel work? Also do I have a better chance of getting a reception job at a small company like a B&B and where do those places advertise?

Answer: Yes = you could get a general receptionist job at any large Company or (better) get an Agency Job and work as a Temp Receptionist for a while (tell the Agency you want to work in Hotels) Both above will gain you the necessary experience The smaller the Hotel, lower the wages = and most B&B's are run by family = they don't tent to advertise outside the local area (no-one can afford to commute on Hotel wages) so the harder it is to find the job .. you could ask around in the area you want to work .. often one Hotel / B&B will know if there is a vacancy at another ...