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Reception and guidance clerical workers

How to become a Receptionist

Also called: Company reception attendant, Front desk receptionist

Greets and looks after visitors at the reception desk of a company or organisation, finds out why they have come, contacts the right person and shows them where to go.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualification is required to start. Many receptionists register with a staffing agency and are placed at the reception desks of client companies. Some are hired as regular staff by fairly large companies, factories, organisations or government offices and assigned to reception work. After starting, you build experience by actually looking after visitors at the reception desk while being guided by senior staff. You are the first person visitors meet, so you need a kind, polite manner and efficient service so as not to harm the company's image. Good judgement and a neat appearance are also needed. To respond quickly and accurately, it is important to learn in advance the layout of the building, how the company is organised and what each department does, and to remember the faces, names and organisations of important and frequent visitors.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Receptionist?

No particular education or qualification is required to start. Many receptionists register with a staffing agency and are placed at the reception desks of client companies. Some are hired as regular staff by fairly large companies, factories, organisations or government offices and assigned to reception work. After starting, you build experience by actually looking after visitors at the reception desk while being guided by senior staff. You are the first person visitors meet, so you need a kind, polite manner and efficient service so as not to harm the company's image. Good judgement and a neat appearance are also needed. To respond quickly and accurately, it is important to learn in advance the layout of the building, how the company is organised and what each department does, and to remember the faces, names and organisations of important and frequent visitors.

How much does a Receptionist earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,534,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).

Do you need a degree to become a Receptionist?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 23% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Vocational college (専門学校) course: Business.

Will AI change the work of a Receptionist?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026