As a receptionist for a real estate company, Andrea Preston-Adams renamed her job “director of first impressions” as a joke, but there's a lot of truth behind it.

“I sit and welcome people into the office all day. You need to put on your friendly face. A receptionist is always welcoming people, helping people and making them feel comfortable in the office, so you just really need to be a nice, helpful person.”

To a certain extent, Andrea says that every receptionist job is similar. “You need to start with the basics, which is a good personality, good phone manner and good work ethic, and then everything else is tailored to the job, because reception can really mean something completely different in a different place. It takes its colour from the surroundings.”

Andrea believes that working as a receptionist teaches you a lot about an industry. “It might suit young people who don’t know exactly what they want to do, because you learn a lot in a reception job. And if you want to be a real estate agent, or a lawyer or a doctor or anything, it’s a great place to start and get a general knowledge of what goes on.”

Andrea says she loves the variety of the real estate industry. “Real estate has so much going on other than just the buying and selling. There are heaps of marketing and community projects and I get the opportunity to get involved with all of those things, so there’s a bit of a cross-section.”

As well as doing this kind of work, Andrea has to deal with all the day-to-day jobs that crop up, which takes problem-solving skills and initiative. “You’re the person who does the odd jobs or the job that isn’t really covered by anyone else. You have to see what needs doing and just do it.”

With so many things on her plate, it’s no surprise things can get a little tricky. “You get halfway through something and someone will interrupt you. Trying to keep your head clear about what job you’re doing is a big challenge.”

That said, Andrea wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s different all the time. You get to do many different tasks, and you don’t have a set day.”

"I get a real sense of achievement working as a receptionist. Everyone relies on you to present a good first impression of the company and to ensure that the tasks you are given are completed quickly and efficiently," says Joyce Lisale. "Staff and clients compliment me on my friendliness and reliability, but that just comes naturally to me."

Joyce had been a receptionist in the United States before moving to New Zealand where she found work in Wellington easily. "Upon arrival, I had an interview and showed I was experienced in administration and immediately got a job."

Joyce really enjoys being a receptionist. "I'm a very outgoing person and love talking to people. And people are friendlier here than in the United States so I really enjoy working in New Zealand."

She has discovered though that the job entails far more than just answering the telephone and greeting visitors. "I type, proofread, photocopy and file documents, organise mail-outs, arrange teleconferences and meetings and use spreadsheets. Everybody relies on me to keep the office running smoothly." The need to continually keep up to date with changes in office technology means being a receptionist can be a constant challenge.

After 10 years in the role, Joyce believes that the secret of a successful receptionist is people-handling skills. "You need to be polite and helpful when dealing with clients to ensure they have a positive first impression of your company. I've received compliments from clients on how I have made them feel welcome and it always feels good to get feedback like that.

"It's also important to show an interest and gain some background knowledge of your company. If you sound enthusiastic and knowledgeable about what your company does when talking to clients then that enthusiasm can be infectious."