Customer Service Resume Tips

When it comes to creating a resume that gets results, these tips can help you be your own best customer service provider.

By Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

Whether you're a seasoned pro or entry-level, the US Department of Labor reports excellent job growth potential in customer service. To ensure you're considered for the best opportunities, pay your resume the same attention you do your customers. These tips can help, and be sure to check out our sample resume for a customer service rep.

Target Your Resume

Although it's tempting to spam job applications with the same resume, resumes that are targeted to 1. your career goals and 2. the specific role you're applying for are much more effective than more generic resumes. Make sure a hiring manager can glance at your resume and immediately know you're applying for a customer service job.

How do you target your resume to a customer service job? Include a career summary to target your resume and also highlight credentials hiring managers find desirable.

Here's an example of a customer service resume summary:

"Dedicated customer service representative with five years of front-office experience within the banking industry. Known for ability to resolve a wide range of customer issues and elevate customer satisfaction levels. Reliable and trustworthy with an uncompromising commitment to providing optimal customer service."

Emphasize Results

You can take your resume to the next level by highlighting the outcomes of your work. If you work in customer service, you can highlight accomplishments such as contributing to response rates or improving customer satisfaction ratings.

Hard numbers help to create energy and entice a recruiter or hiring manager to contact you for an interview. For example, rather than saying you "handled incoming calls," you might say you,"'handled over 200 calls a day for a Fortune 500 insurance claims center." Highlight those contributions where you went above and beyond expectations.

Here's a before-and-after comparison that shows the impact of providing measurable outcomes:

  • Before: Achieved a high customer satisfaction rating.
  • After: Achieved customer satisfaction rating of 98% within three months, exceeding company's stretch target of 90%.

If you're having trouble identifying accomplishments, give these questions some analytical attention:

  • Did sales increase as a result of your customer service expertise?
  • Did you receive unsolicited feedback from happy customers?
  • Did you earn the trust of repeat customers or generate referrals due to your focus on customer service?
  • Did repeat customers specifically request you?
  • Did you help improve customer satisfaction rankings?
  • Did you recommend or implement improvements to customer service programs?
  • Did you serve a high number of customers while offering impeccable service?
  • Did your employer receive positive reviews or industry accolades for service quality?
  • Did you train other workers to provide exemplary customer service?
  • Did you resolve a challenging service issue, such as turning around a dissatisfied or irate customer?
  • Did you or your team get any recognition or awards for customer satisfaction and/or sales achievements?
  • Did you complete any customer service training programs?

Show Employment Stability

One trait hiring managers look for in customer service is dependability, so a resume that demonstrates employment stability can help you stand out. A chronological or combination resume format allows you to highlight steady employment.

What if your work history is a little sketchy? A functional resume allows you to emphasize your customer service skills while downplaying work history.

Add Resume Keywords

Most resumes are never seen by an actual human. Instead, they're screened by applicant tracking software (ATS) and placed in the "do not call" pile. Resume keywords help your resume get past ATS and get sent to a hiring manager's email.

You can optimize your resume for keyword search by reading through the job ad and picking out the skills, education, or experience you have. Customer service keywords could include job titles, such as customer service representative and important skills, such as customer relationship management and helpdesk support.

Even when a recruiter will look at your resume before the ATS, you want your resume to be easily found once it's in the database. That way, companies that don't have an immediate need can find you in their candidate database once positions open up.

Be Honest

Above all, it's important to be honest. Don't falsely state dates of employment, job titles, or education. Employers might verify this information before making you a job offer.

Get a Free Resume Review

Before you use your resume to apply to jobs, you should be sure it can stand up to the scrutiny of hiring managers. Need some help with that? Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts at Monster's Resume Writing Service. You'll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review of your resume's appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter's first impression. Let the experts at Monster show you the kind of attention that you show to customers.