14101 Receptionists

What this occupation covers

Receptionists greet people arriving at offices, hospitals and other establishments, direct visitors to appropriate person or service, answer and forward telephone calls, take messages, schedule appointments and perform other clerical duties. They are employed by hospitals, medical and dental offices and other offices throughout the public and private sectors. Telephone operators are included in this group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 8 main duties for this code.

• Greet people coming into offices and other establishments, direct them to the appropriate contacts or services, provide general information in person and by phone, and may perform clerical duties and maintain front desk security and security access lists
• Schedule appointments, using manual or computerized systems
• Record bookings, handle credit card checks, receive payment, issue receipts.
• Interview patients to obtain and process information required to provide hospital and medical services
• Greet patients, schedule appointments, using manual or computerized systems, receive and record payment for services, and direct patients to appropriate areas.
• Operate a telephone system or switchboard to answer, screen and forward telephone calls, take messages and provide information as required, and may perform clerical duties
• Answer telephones and record and relay messages.
• Operate telephone systems to advance and complete customers' telephone calls such as long distance, pay telephone, mobile radio/telephone and person to person calls, arrange teleconferences, provide relay phone service to persons with disabilities, and may calculate and record billing information.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 8 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 14404 Dispatchers
• 64314 Hotel front desk clerks
• 64409 Other customer and information services representatives
• 12010 Supervisors, general office and administrative support workers

Excluded from this code

• 911 dispatcher (See 14404 Dispatchers)
• Hotel front desk clerks (See 64314 Hotel front desk clerks)
• Other customer and information services representatives (See 64409 Other customer and information services representatives)
• Supervisors, general office and administrative support workers (See 12010 Supervisors, general office and administrative support workers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

admitting clerk · answering service operator · appointment clerk · beauty salon receptionist · booking clerk - hospital · booking clerk - medical office · business receptionist · charge operator - telephone system · chief telephone operator · clerk switchboard operator · collect call operator - telephone system · dental hygiene coordinator · dental office receptionist · dental receptionist · dental treatment coordinator · doctor's office receptionist · emergency admitting clerk · front desk clerk (except hotel) · guest service representative - spa · hospital admissions clerk · hospital admitting clerk · hospital receptionist · information desk clerk · information officer - Elections Canada

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• On-the-job training may be provided.