How to Prepare a Customer Service Resume
The preparation of a customer service resume that gets results presents a unique challenge. Service, by definition, is an experience. It’s the interaction between two human beings. While the delivery of service is a set of actions and behaviors, the quality of service can only be defined by the person receiving it and quality is what counts.
Day in and day out we are inundated with promises of superior service, but rarely do we actually receive it. It’s nearly impossible to prove to someone outside a service encounter that you provide service that excels the service provided by others. Additionally, since the experience of service is qualitative what is great service to one customer may not be to another.
A customer service professional shines only in his or her interaction with other people. A resume attempts to communicate that interaction, but is a one-sided communication. A traditional resume that discusses experience, knowledge and achievement fails to express the true qualities of a customer service professional. A different approach needs to be taken on a customer service resume that will get an interview, because the interview is where a customer service job-seeker can do what he or she does best – connect with another person.
There is an old adage that no one cares how much you know until he knows how much you care. That is the guiding principal of service delivery and should be kept in mind while preparing a resume for a customer service position. To create a resume that will get you an interview, use the following suggested format:
Personal Information
List your name, address, phone numbers and e-mail each on a separate line starting at the top of the page. Use a simple and professional email address. Fun email addresses are fine for personal communications, but stick with your name or something else innocuous for professional purposes. Create a new email account to use for job search purposes if needed. If you think a cute email address will get you noticed, you might be right – but not in a good way.
Mission Statement
Directly under your heading, write your mission statement. This will differ from the cliché “Objective” in that it is not position - or company-centric, although it should be related to the position you’re applying for. Make this statement about who you are and your goals for yourself, such as “To grow and retain profitable customer relationships by delivering world-class service”.
Professional Summary/Summary of Qualifications
If you are an experienced professional, this is your chance to communicate that. Use the heading “Professional Summary”. Use bullet points to give the highlights of your experience, including the length of time you’ve been in this type of work, the environments you’ve worked in (call center, online support, branch office, etc.). Also use a short expression of what has been key to your success – “a people-first operating philosophy” or “finding a way to say yes”.
If you are at the entry-level, use the heading “Summary of Qualifications” and give a few bullet points that demonstrate your ability to connect and communicate with other people. Consider your volunteer experience, educational or extracurricular activities, or anything else that shows what makes you a person a customer would want to deal with. Describe yourself in terms of your ability to do the job, such as “Extroverted people-person with a drive to exceed expectations”.
Professional experience
Provide the basics of your professional or work history. List the company, your position and the dates (month and year) you worked there. If you are still employed say “present” not the current date so anyone reviewing your resume will know you are still employed. Be specific but don’t drown your reader in details.
If you are an experienced professional who has worked in multiple customer service jobs, feel free to summarize all of them together below your list to avoid repetition. For example, “Provided face-to-face, telephone and web-chat support to customers in high-volume call centers and busy branch offices in the hospitality, telecommunications and financial services industries.” However, if you have quantifiable data from one specific position list it with a bullet point under that position. An example would be “exceeded customer satisfaction goal of 90% in 10 of 10 rating periods” or “exceeded call metrics by 10%”. It is not necessary to list your full work history, just the positions that are relevant to the position you are seeking. However, you should state at the bottom of your resume that a full work history can be provided on request.
If you are seeking a customer service position for the first time or your work history in this arena is limited use the heading “Relevant Experience” rather than “Professional Experience”. Give two or three bullet-points for each position that will demonstrate how your experience in each prepared you to take on a customer service job. If your previous jobs gave you contact with other people within your company, but not with the public or customers, remember that they were internal customers. Volunteer or extracurricular experience can also be listed in this section if you don’t have the work experience, but be sure to state that it was a volunteer or extracurricular.
The experience section of your resume, while vital, should not take up a great deal of your page.
Essential Skills
List any specialized skills you have that set you apart, such as computer skills, problem solving or complaint resolution. If relevant, also list any other languages that you speak. Written and verbal communications would also come in here. However, don’t claim skills you don’t have or exaggerate the ones you do have. Bullet point each skill so it stands out.
Awards and Accolades
List any work-related awards you’ve received, such as “employee of the month” or “service star” as well as the dates or “Five-time employee of the month, 2009 and 2010”. If you have them, quote service-related accolades from your performance reviews or letters from customers. Give attribution such as “1st Quarter 2011 Performance Appraisal, XYZ Company” or “Customer letter received 6/1/2010”. Don’t use in-attributable quotes, such as things that customers or supervisors have said to you.
Community Activities
This section is optional, but if you have non-work experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for list it here. List the organization, what you did and the date range when you participated in the activity.
Education
This section should be short. Include the school, program of study, degree and date you received the degree (or “anticipated” and the date you expect to graduate if you haven’t finished yet). If you achieved academic honors, list them under the school where they were earned.
Above all, remember that the recruiter or manager who receives your resume will also be receiving many other resumes. Keep the following in mind when writing and formatting your resume:
Your resume may be scanned electronically to see if you meet the qualifications for the job even before any human eyes see it. Your resume is the one and only opportunity you will get to let the recruiter know that you understand the job and have the skills to do it. Don’t let your message get lost in too much information. It is your one shot at a first impression.
A resume that looks wordy or cumbersome may not even be read. Resumes are often reviewed for a minute or less on the first pass. Your message must be concise and clear. Make your resume as easy to read as possible by using headings and bullet points, but remember that your resume may be converted to unformatted text before it’s read – especially if it’s submitted online.
Every word you say on your resume will make an impression and a single typo can be enough to get it discarded. Proof-read, spell check and when possible have another person read it.
