The Receptionist, Guild

Not just a receptionist. The Receptionist.
Creating an industry. Raising standards. Join the Guild.

OUR MANIFESTO

We believe the person at the front desk is not an entry point. She is the first impression, the last line of defense, and the person everyone else’s day quietly depends on.

We believe that has never been treated as a profession, and we believe that is wrong.

There is no license for this work. No governing body. No standard anyone agreed to. Just millions of first impressions made every year by people no one bothered to train, certify, or protect.

We are changing that.

The Receptionist, Guild exists to do what no one has done for this profession: set a standard, defend it, and hold employers to it. Not because we were asked to. Because someone has to be first.

We believe in certification that means something. Not a participation badge. A standard you had to meet.

We believe standards should be voluntary, not mandated, and that the employers who choose them anyway are the ones worth working for. We do not force compliance. We make excellence visible, and we let the market reward it.

We believe in fair pay for skilled work. A receptionist is not “just answering phones.” She is managing security, triage, first impressions, and crisis, often simultaneously, often invisibly. We believe compensation should reflect that.

We believe in community over isolation. This work has been done alone, at a desk, for too long. The Guild is where the profession finally talks to itself.

We believe accountability runs both ways. Members hold employers to their commitments. The Guild holds members to the standard they were certified against. No one gets a pass.

We are not building a company. We are building a profession where one didn’t exist.

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FOR EMPLOYERS

Why Pay a Placement Fee?

You could post the job yourself. Here’s what that actually costs: industry data puts the average cost-per-hire at $4,700-$4,800 even when handled entirely in-house, job ad spend, staff time, and weeks of screening a stack of mostly unqualified resumes. Average time to fill a role runs 42-44 days.

And that’s if it goes right. A bad hire costs employers 30-50% of the position’s first-year salary on average, often $10,000-$17,000 or more for a single wrong hire, once lost productivity, retraining, and disruption are counted. Skip the background check to save time, and you’re also carrying real legal exposure: negligent hiring settlements now average over $1.2 million.

A Guild placement comes pre-vetted, trained, and background-checked, with the documentation to prove it. You’re not paying for a fee on top of free sourcing, you’re paying less than in-house hiring typically costs, for a candidate who’s already cleared the bar and comes with a paper trail if anything ever goes wrong.

We Do the Screening For You

Tell us what you need, and we match you with a Guild-certified, background-checked professional, already trained, already vetted. No sourcing, no resume screening, no interviewing a stack of unqualified applicants.

Guild-Approved and Guild-Committed employers receive priority matching, a reduced 12% recruitment and/or placement fee, and background check refreshes absorbed by the Guild. Employers who aren’t Guild members can still work with The Receptionist, Agency at the standard 15-20% recruitment and/or placement fee, provided they meet our Standard Employer Requirements, a real bar set above the market average, not just a legal minimum:

1. Compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local employment law
2. A written job description and a documented, good-faith compensation offer, benchmarked against our published National Salary Data
3. A workplace free from harassment and discrimination
4. Timely payment of agreed wages
5. A 90-day placement follow-up review with the Agency
6. Responsibility for placement-related costs Guild members have built in, including a background check refresh if one is needed at placement

Guild-Approved and Guild-Committed employers receive first priority whenever a candidate becomes available. Any employer can meet our Standard Requirements. Guild-Approved employers get the full experience.

The Employer Pledge

By becoming a Guild-Approved or Guild-Committed Employer, we pledge to:

1. Compensate Guild-certified receptionists at or above the applicable state Guild minimum standard
2. Treat the front office role as a skilled, professional position, not an entry-level afterthought
3. Provide clear expectations, reasonable workload, and a path for growth
4. Submit to annual review by Guild-placed employees as a condition of continued standing
5. Represent our Guild status honestly, and understand that status can be revoked for failure to uphold this pledge

We are not asking for charity. We are asking employers to formalize what the best of them already do.

Membership Tiers

Guild-Committed Employer
$285 initiation, $170/year renewal
For organizations building toward full Guild standards. Commit to the practices within reach today, with a clear path to Guild-Approved status.

Guild-Approved Employer
$195 initiation, $120/year renewal
Full standard met. First consideration for Employer Spotlight features, top priority for candidate access, and the only tier eligible for the Guild Shield.

Additional office locations under the same company: $110 initiation, $110/year renewal, per office.

What’s Included

• We screen and send you candidates – tell us what you need, and we match you with a Guild-certified, background-checked professional. No sourcing or interviewing unqualified applicants required.
• Reduced recruitment and/or placement fees – 12% vs. the industry-standard 15-20% when hiring through the Agency
• Named-candidate verification lookup – confirm a specific candidate’s certification status, free, anytime
• As They Enter, included automatically – your print subscription arrives at your office every quarter, no extra charge, no opt-in required. Display it in your lobby, a quiet, ongoing signal that you take this profession seriously. Digital edition included too, plus discounted Guild Corner ad placement and consideration for an Employer Spotlight feature.
• Annual peer review by placed Guild professionals – the quality mechanism that makes this credential mean something, to candidates and to you
• One employee’s Academy training, free – get one team member trained at no cost when you join the Guild
  • 15% off additional Academy training – for any further staff you want to train
    • [Click here to learn more about The Receptionist, Academy →]
• 15% off Kelliproperties, Consulting services – culture assessments, front-of-house training, annual customer service training refreshers, M&A readiness assessments, and more, at a member discount.
  • [Click here to learn more about Kelliproperties, Consulting →]

The Guild Shield

An optional add-on, exclusive to Guild-Approved employers, a wall-mounted plaque marking your standing, with a new plate added every year you renew.

• Shield: $75, one-time
• Renewal with Shield: $130/year (replaces the standard $120 Guild-Approved renewal once purchased)

Guild-Committed employers become eligible once they reach Guild-Approved status.

[View Membership Options — Apply, Renew, or Add an Office →]

FOR RECEPTIONISTS

Individual Guild membership opens alongside The Receptionist, Academy certification programs. Certified members receive a digital Guild Certified credential, access to a private professional community, salary and advocacy resources, and eligibility for placement through The Receptionist, Agency. Members also receive As They Enter digital edition free, with print available at a member discount.

AS THEY ENTER

Exploring the Art of Welcome

A quarterly publication exploring the arrival experience across industries, hotels, hospitals, universities, airports, museums, and corporate workplaces, published January, April, July, and October. Receptionists and front office professionals remain central to every issue, one of many roles that create a great first impression, alongside the broader story of how people are welcomed. Employer subscription details are covered above; individuals can also subscribe directly.

[See a sample issue →]

VERIFY A GUILD MEMBER

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Confirm certification status and employer standing, free, anytime.