Having a great front office person is so critical to a small business. They are the “face” of the business so often and we all know that first impressions last a life time.
So, how do you find a great “face”?
Clearly looks aren’t really that important. What you want is the right attitude.
I always advise the people I help recruit for to be very specific in what they want. The interview is important but the specifications are more so. If you are general in your requirements you’ll get anyone and everyone applying. And once you have reviewed 20+ CVs you’ll be reaching for the scotch!
So, list out what you want in a receptionist as specifically as you can. If there’s a choice to be made, make it. If you need to discriminate (legally) then discriminate!
You can have a formal job description or just a page of bullet points but be specific.
Great Receptionist Requirements
- Great with customers
- Good knowledge of office software
- Good knowledge of accounting software
- Shows initiative
- Patient with clients
- Can work under pressure
- Can work without supervision
- Great time management
- Gatekeeper for the professional team
I love this description by Seth Godin. Not the whole article but concepts like “You’re basically a low-tech security guard in nice clothes” and “a great receptionist starts by acting like Vice President, Reception”. You may not like the idea of being low-tech security but if you can get the concept, you’ll be adding a lot of value to the business and allow the professional team to focus on their area of specialty.
How to advertise
If you are a small business on a small budget there are 2 key ways to get applicants.
- Use a job board like SEEK.com.au: this will cost you around $200 and you can basically list the key details that you want in your key front office person. For a role like administration you’ll likely get quite a few applications. SEEK have an option called screening that allows you up to 5 questions that will help sort the wheat from the chaff. Ask questions like: “have you worked in a medical centre before?”; and “how proficient are you with computers and Office software?” The screening questions cost a little extra but can save you a LOT of time. It even allows you the option of blocking those that don’t meet your key criteria.
- Personal References: If you know people who may have experience don’t be afraid to ask them. This can be personal acquaintances or through friends who may know people. Friends generally won’t recommend people who may reflect poor;y on them. But you still need to do your checks. Let anyone who puts a friend forward that they’ll still be going through a selection process.
You’ll also need great questions to ask those who you want to interview. There’s a knack to this and I’ll offer some questions and what they are meant to achieve for you in the next post.
One last tip:
Hire slowly. If they turn out to be a “dud” you have to find a way to exit them discreetly. Most people tend to avoid this until the problem becomes unbearable. No-one wins in this situation yet it still happens. So, make sure you get the right person.
