Pros
-The hours are incredibly flexible, which is a MUST with college students and those with other jobs. -Responsibilities are lax. As a Receptionist, you quickly fall into a routine of make coffee, print and hang communications report, and then manage Appointment Manager. Clean the reception area and entertain clients that are waiting. -The tax pros can be awesome to work with. When they're relaxed or need some comic relief, they do not hesitate to joke around, which is great! -My manager has made me cry of happiness on so many occasions. They care about you so much and give you so much recognition it's unbelievable. If this wasn't a seasonal job I'd work here until I retire. -The location is a short 5 minute drive from my house, so that's awesome. -If you need more hours, just ask the manager and they will give you more hours. -Sometimes a tax pro or the manager brings in snacks and leaves them in the back room, so that's a little treat.
Kontras
-In the beginning, mistakes are frowned upon ONLY by the tax pros. If you accidentally move a tax pro's client to another tax pro, they will get angry at you. No matter if you forgot or did it by mistake, they will get mad at you. If you don't tell a tax pro their client arrived because they're busy, you get yelled at for not telling them even though you didn't want to interrupt them. -When tax pros are frustrated for whatever reason, they have the tendency to project themselves onto you. Some apologize, some don't. The manager really looks out for you, though, so it's easy to overlook. -The absolute WORST part about the job is Connect Calling, which is when you need to call previous clients and try to get them to come back. Most of the time you get answering machines. The minority are mad because of the price or whatever. Some think you're a telemarketer when you call and yell at you. It's not your fault, it's just a bit annoying. -If you are at a small office and there are 2 Receptionists and one of them quits, things can get pretty tough. The upside is you get more hours. The downside is now you're working twice as hard. For me, I like to work so this wasn't a problem. For others, it might not be ideal. -As a Receptionist you need to sit a lot during your shift. Some people like this, some people don't. This really has nothing to do with the job per se, it's just a reality of life.