Customer Service Resume Examples and Tips to Get You Ahead
Here are some key skills to highlight on your resume that will help you get a job in customer service and advance your career.
Here are some key skills to highlight on your resume that will help you get a job in customer service and advance your career.
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Check out this customer service resume example to help you create your own impressive resume. If you need some help, our ResumeHelp resume builder guides you step-by-step. After you look at this example, get started on building your customer service resume.
To start or enhance your career in customer service, you need to develop an impressive customer service resume that will help you stand out from the competition. Before you begin writing your customer service resume, read the expert guidance on this page including:
Employers are looking to see that you are the right fit for the job role that you are applying to. Consider these elements to include in your resume:
Based on your customer service experience level will help determine which resume format to use. Here is an overview of the most popular resume formats:
Also known as the reverse-chronological resume, this is the most popular format. If you have ample customer service experience, this chronological resume format works well because it focuses on your job history. List your most recent job first and work backward. Including your skills shows the employer that you have the qualifications to perform this specific job. Customer service managers would most likely have enough customer service industry experience to use this resume format.
If you have less customer service work experience, a recent graduate or you are rejoining the workforce after an absence, a functional resume is the right format for you. The functional resume allows you to emphasize your skill set, education and past training rather than job history. Besides listing skills that showcased your talent, you can also include volunteer work that required your customer service related skills like communication, problem solving and compassion.
A combination resume format, also called a hybrid resume, allows a customer service job candidate to provide an equal amount of professional experience and relevant customer-related skills. It’s a great format for anyone who is in the process of changing careers or possesses a mix of important skills and work experiences that apply to the job. Job candidates looking for a customer service representative position may want to use this resume format.
Regardless of the resume format you select, you want to be sure that your margins look even on all four sides, set to one inch. Opt for a professional and legible font such as Arial or Verdana so your resume reads well in the ATS. All resume sections should have consistent line spacing to ensure an aesthetically pleasing appearance. You should also consider the overall amount of white space on the page. You want to find a happy medium so it does not look sparse, yet you are not simply cramming your information on the page.
The ResumeHelp Resume Builder can help you quickly create an attractive and functional resume. Just pick a free customer service resume template, one of the resume formats and the builder will guide you through the resume creation process with job-specific advice for each resume section.
Before you start writing your professional resume, read the job description and see what the employer is looking for in a candidate. Then, think about your work experience and skills, and consider what information you want to include in the resume sections below.
Your customer service resume begins with the header at the top of the page.
Include the following:
Confirm that your contact information is current so the hiring manager can easily contact you for a job interview if selected.
The next section is your resume summary or resume objective. If you have ample customer service work experience, you will write a resume summary; a 2-3 sentence paragraph that provides a brief overview of your best skills and work history. In customer service, you would typically feature how you’ve performed your responsibilities, the number of customers you dealt with daily and your proven customer satisfaction in the industry.
If you have less work experience, are an entry-level job seeker or are changing careers, a resume objective is better suited for your resume. An objective is similar to a summary but also includes a statement on your career goals. In customer service, mention your most relevant skills used on a daily basis in handling customers (communication, empathy and dependability) and include future career goals, such as gaining a leadership position in managing customer issues quickly and patiently.
When hiring managers or recruiters look at your customer service resume, they’ll be looking for a few key resume skills that a customer service professional should have.
Here are some top soft skills you may want to include:
Remember to include your most relevant skills that are directly tailored to the job you are applying for. The employer will be looking for the most qualified customer service job candidate so include the right skills on your resume.
This resume section is where you can show off your customer service experience. Start with your most recent position and work backwards to your previous jobs. Include your position title, years of experience and a brief description of your job duties performed in that role. Whether you list experience as a customer service rep, customer service manager, customer service assistant or customer service specialist, use powerful action verbs, quantify your achievements and highlight your accomplishments rather than simply list daily job tasks. You want the employer to see that you can handle the specific responsibilities that match the new job that you are applying for.
Here are a few examples of work experience section bullet points to consider for your customer service resume:
Your education section on a customer service resume will depend on the level of the position that you are applying for. Entry level positions may not require a college degree. Customer service managers may require a bachelor degree in business administration, communications or another major. Either way, list your top academic achievement whether it is a college degree or high school diploma. Include the name of the school you attended, graduation year, academic honors, awards and licenses. Unless requested, don’t include your GPA.
Here is an example of a college graduate’s resume education section:
Rollins College
BBA – Bachelor of Business Administrations, May 2019
Magna cum laude
Dean’s list
Marketing Student of the Year, May 2018
2nd place, Business Plan Contest, December 2019
Here is an example of a high school graduate’s resume education section:
Winter Park High School
High School Diploma, June 2019
Honor roll
Manager, Young Business Leaders Club
Business Achievement Award presented at graduation, June 2019
If you have additional accomplishments that will make your customer service resume more impressive, you can add additional resume sections. This may include volunteer activities, additional relevant training, awards or certifications. Include the organization name, location and time of involvement. The fact that you performed these extra efforts will show that you have many skills required in the customer service field in addition to an exemplary work ethic.
Here are some examples of volunteer activities, training certificates and awards:
Volunteer work
Information Booth, St. Patrick’s Church Spring Fair, 2018 to present – 500+ attendees.
Raffle ticket fundraising, Wilton Animal Shelter, August 2019 – Raised $750
Orlando library, Children’s section, June 2019 – Shelf organization of 200+ books
Online Customer service training certificates
LinkedIn: Build Your Skills In Customer Service, August 2019
LinkedIn: Customer Service Foundations, September 2019
Dale Carnegie: Attitudes for Service
Awards
Orlando True Value Hardware, Employee of the Month – Customer Satisfaction “A” rating, December 2021
Volunteer of the Year, St. Killian’s Church, Farmingdale, NY, December 2018
Grandville Community Service Award, Grandville, Ohio, June 2019
Make sure to keep your customer service resume sections concise and relevant to the job you are applying for. If you’re not sure where to start with formatting your resume, then it may be helpful to look at customer service resume examples or start with a resume template.
ResumeHelp is filled with expert job search resources and guides for writing a professional customer service resume to accompany your references.
Customer service skill tips – Learn everything you need to know about listing your customer service skills in your resume.
Tips for a customer service job description – Gain lots of helpful tips on how you can best feature your customer service job.
More resume examples for hundreds of jobs – Looking at industry specific resume examples is the perfect way to start writing your professional customer service resume.
Resume format guide – Learn which resume format is the best choice for your customer service resume.
How to write a resume – Follow expert writing tips to make your customer service resume stand out among the competition.
A good customer service cover letter is an important step toward being offered a job interview. That’s because a cover letter addresses the hiring manager or recruiter directly by providing a highlighted summary of your job experience and skills. You are not only saying how you meet the job requirements but also mentioning your passion for the industry and the company you are wanting to work for.
ResumeHelp offers you lots of cover letter writing tips and customer service cover letter examples to follow when writing a cover letter to accompany your resume. Our cover letter builder will guide you through every step of the cover letter writing process.
If you’re looking to get started working in customer service or you want to enhance your customer service career, you want to show that you enjoy solving problems through effective communication and presentation skills. On your resume, include all relevant experience that shows your ability to work directly with customers. Highlight specific customer-related accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to work in a fast-paced work environment where negotiation and conflict resolution is expected. Many successful job candidates followed an example of customer service resume to build their own.
On your customer service resume, you can describe your skills in your resume summary or objective, your work history section and in the skills section. Use a combination of soft skills (personality traits and attributes) and hard skills (learned on the job or through training) that convince the potential employer that you have what it takes to handle customer issues, describe products, take orders, provide navigation to customers around a store, diffuse complaints and other customer service tasks. See customer service skills resume example for expert guidance.
With so much competition among job seekers, to make your customer service resume stand out, be sure to feature attention-getting customer support work experiences. Impress the hiring manager by saying how you have gone out of your way to assist customers and also include customer satisfaction ratings, if possible. Include metrics like how many customers you help daily or the number of incoming phone calls you handle. Find sections in your resume to demonstrate how you performed excellent communication, multitasking and time management. Our Resume Builder can help you build a resume in minutes.
Your qualifications will depend on the actual customer service rep role that you are applying to. Refer to the job description for specific role requirements and compare them to your own work history resume section. To be qualified as a customer service representative, you will have to effectively communicate with customers, evaluate the issues and quickly come up with solutions. Most importantly, a customer service rep must possess patience and interpersonal skills, especially to handle complaints and escalated situations. A customer service representative resume example is a great way to start writing your own resume.
To improve your customer service skills, it’s important to stay positive and refrain from saying things like “no”, “I can’t”, “I don’t know” or other similar statements. While working to improve customer satisfaction, practice active listening while trying to empathize with the customer. Additionally, it’s crucial to know the product you’re representing like the back of your hand. After all, if you’re not up to date on the product you’re working with, customers can become frustrated and misunderstandings may arise quickly.
To improve your customer service skills, it’s important to stay positive and refrain from saying things like “no”, “I can’t”, “I don’t know” or other similar statements. While working to improve customer satisfaction, practice active listening while trying to empathize with the customer. Additionally, it’s crucial to know the product you’re representing like the back of your hand. After all, if you’re not up to date on the product you’re working with, customers can become frustrated and misunderstandings may arise quickly.
Customer service is so important because many customers become easily frustrated with a company if they aren’t helpful. Your job as a customer service representative is to handle customer needs, improve customer satisfaction and retain customers. Staying positive, providing solutions and extending a genuine helping hand to customers can ensure customer loyalty, increased retention and high customer satisfaction ratings.
While most skills are important, not all skills are worth including on your resume. Avoid listing basic or irrelevant skills that most people perform on a daily basis. Don’t include skills that you are not proficient in performing. Only include relevant skills that can set you apart from other applicants. If you never worked in customer service, feature transferable skills from previous jobs that can be utilized at the new customer service job. Perhaps you were a library assistant who arranged books on the shelf but simultaneously helped library patrons select a good book. You technically were performing customer service skills.
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