Does the thought of having to write or update your customer service representative resume make you want to pull your hair out?
Before you do that, I’m here to help! Writing an effective resume isn’t as challenging as it sounds. In my own experience, using a resume template helped me craft a winning resume. Now, when I want to apply for a new position, I just update my resume template and send it to the hiring manager.
Easy as pie.
Let’s go over what should be included in a customer service representative resume, plus learn a few tips and tricks to ensure your resume stands out from the rest.
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Table of Contents
- What should be included in a customer service rep resume?
- Customer Service Representative Resume Examples
- Customer Service Rep Resume Templates
- 5 Tips for Writing a Customer Service Rep Resume
- Use a Template to Craft Your Resume with Ease
What should be included in a customer service rep resume?
In the past, customer service was my jam. I loved working the service desk because each day brought new challenges, allowing me to flex and develop my customer service skills. If you’re a customer service representative, you know how technical and specialized your job can be.
And, you need a resume that speaks directly to your skills and training. Not any resume will do, though. A generic resume leaves out critical information that signals to the hiring manager that you are the right fit for the role and what unique value you can bring to the role.
Let’s look at the elements of a customer service representative resume, so you can understand how to best highlight your skills for your own resume.
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1. Professional Summary
There’s debate on if a summary is a necessary element of your resume. In my opinion, if you’re applying for a role within customer service, you need a quick summary. Customer service duties vary from one position to the next, so summarizing your skills and work experience can be a great way to showcase your expertise.
2. Contact Information
Theoretically, when a hiring manager reviews your application, they most likely have all your materials in hand, including your application, resume, and cover letter. But this doesn’t mean you should skip adding your contact information to your resume.
Think of your resume as your calling card. Adding your contact information to your resume makes it easier for the hiring manager and eliminates potential frustration from the need to search for your info.
I cannot stress this enough: make sure your contact information is easy to find.
3. Professional Experience
The professional experience section of your resume is your place to explain your past work history. Be careful not to over explain your work history, though, as space is limited on your resume.
4. Education and Training
Depending on the role within customer service, the position might require an advanced degree or technical training. Be sure to include this information on your resume. You can also mention any relevant achievements in this section, like awards or certifications you may have received.
5. Key Skills
Recruiters only spend about six to eight seconds looking at your resume. That’s not a lot of time, so it’s safe to say most recruiters skim resumes without initially looking at them too closely.
One section of your customer service representative resume should highlight your skills that are relevant to the job description. Matching your skills to the job description helps recruiters quickly understand your qualifications. Plus, with the increasing use of AI for applicant screening, matching your skills to the job description is a must.
Let’s take a look at some customer service resume examples to get a better idea of how to format your resume.
Customer Service Representative Resume Examples
Reddit is the place to go when you need a real-life example of, well, anything, including customer service representative resume examples. Reviewing examples can help you understand what to include in your resume and what not to include.
Let’s take a peek at three customer service representative resume examples that I found on Reddit.
Customer Service Representative Resume: the Recent Grad
If you’re a recent graduate, it might feel as if your resume is lacking. This customer service representative resume example is from a recently graduated student, which makes it the perfect example for those looking for a fresh start after graduation.
Although this student does not have substantial relevant work experience, they do have relevant experience thanks to personal projects. It is okay to list personal projects on your resume, especially if you’ve gained skills from those projects that will serve you in your new role.
What I like: I like that this person used their experience teaching a painting class to portray their customer service skills. Often, a customer service role involves teaching users how to best use a product or service. If you have relevant experience helping others accomplish something, add it to your resume.
What I would change: If you’re a recent graduate or transitioning to a new field, it is okay if your resume feels a little sparse. The trick to an effective resume is to format it in a way that’s easy to read and highlights your skills. For this example, I would change the flow of the resume. Instead of listing relevant skills first, I would start with my work experience.
And, speaking of the skills section, making a bulleted list of skills is easier to read. The more concise and clear your resume can be, the better.
Customer Service Representative Resume: Five Years of Experience
According to this resume’s summary (listed as “Qualifications”), this person has over five years of experience in customer service. Their resume template is visually appealing, and there’s an easy-to-follow flow of information. A close look at their work history confirms they do, indeed, have over five years of experience in customer service.
What I like: I like that this person used colors to help break up their resume while still keeping the design simple. Their contact information is clearly visible. And listing the skills in a dedicated section quickly tells a recruiter if they possess the qualifications for the job.
What I would change: While this is an overall good example of a customer service representative resume, there are a few things I would change about it. First, the organization of the resume could be better. For example, I would start by listing my contact information, and then my experience, education, and skills.
I would also rearrange the work history section. Instead of listing my experiences chronologically, I would reverse them and start with my previous experiences first.
Let’s look at another example.
Customer Service Representative Resume: Staying Functional
This customer service representative resume is straightforward and to the point. Looking at this resume, you get a pretty good idea of their background and experience. The necessary information is easy to find, and it is not too long.
What I like: I like that this person keeps their previous work experience to a minimum and only lists the job functions that are relevant to a customer service role. I also appreciate the use of bolding important information. This helps keep my eyes moving down and across the resume.
What I would change: Overall, this is a great resume. However, just by looking at it, you would never know that the person intends to use this resume to land a customer-facing role. Adding a summary or objective can help better explain your career goals and connect your experience to the role you are applying to.
Customer Service Rep Resume Templates
If you’re ready to start writing your resume, take my advice: use a resume template. A good resume template can save you a lot of time and frustration. (I can’t be the only one who lacks formatting skills, right?)
Here are three of my favorite resume templates that you can download for free to use for your customer service representative resume. Just fill in your information, and you’re good to go.
I am a fan of colors. I like that this resume template incorporates colors to help draw the eye to important information. I also like that the “Professional Profile” section includes space for your website. Adding a link to your portfolio, website, or social media account invites the recruiter to learn more about you and your work.
Depending upon your location, a professional photo on your resume might be a nice touch. Or, it could be an unwelcome section. I like that this template includes a photo, because, as I said, I sometimes struggle with formatting. To use this template, all I need to do is insert my own photo right into the photo’s spot.
I also appreciate that this template features an “area of expertise” section and an “awards” section. Both of these sections can help better explain your qualifications.
Pro tip: Never use a selfie or an AI-generated photo for your professional photo. Professional headshots are best.
It can be tricky to know exactly what to put in each section of your resume. I appreciate that these templates guide you through each section.
It can be tough to know how to list your work experience so that it best demonstrates your skills and abilities. On my own resume, I have always treated my internships as a job under “work experience.” But, I like that this resume template counts it as “freelance work.” With this template, I can focus more on my paid work experience, but also highlight the internships that have helped qualify me for the role.
5 Tips for Writing a Customer Service Rep Resume
Writing a winning resume on your own can be tough, but it’s definitely doable. To help me (and you!) get a better idea of how to write a customer service rep resume, I turned to the experts.
Here are the five tips HR professionals and hiring managers gave me for writing an effective customer service representative resume.
12 Free Customizable Resume Templates
Fill out this form to access your free professionally-designed templates, available on:
- Microsoft Word
- Google Docs
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Google Slides
Download Free
All fields are required.
1. Keep it simple, but specific.
There’s a fine line between a great resume and a terrible one. Your resume shouldn’t be overly wordy. If it is, you risk hiding critical information in the midst of unnecessary clutter.
Vit Koval, a global hiring and remote work advocate at Globy, says, “Cluttering your resume with irrelevant work history is depriving the more important details in your resume. Rather, emphasize roles and experiences that would put to light different skills and competencies with regard to the customer service field. Even if your previous jobs are not exactly linked, focus on things like your communication skills, problem-solving, and teamwork.”
Take a look at your resume and focus on the most relevant skills and experiences. Then, cut the rest.
2. Customize your summary.
You may have heard the advice to “tailor your resume to each job description.” This is actionable advice that can help you get noticed by recruiters. There is one section of your resume that can easily be tailored to match a job description — the summary.
Heather O’Neill, CPRW, says, “Consider this section your elevator pitch. In 3-5 sentences, highlight your most relevant skills, experience, and professional achievements. Since it sits at the top of your resume, writing a strong summary customized to the job ad can entice a recruiter to continue reading your resume.”
Don’t skimp on your summary!
3. Use stats to highlight your experience.
Stats are a fantastic way to show off your relevant skills and accomplishments. Including stats in your resume also gives recruiters a better understanding of your performance.
Matthew Warzel, CPRW and president of MJW Careers, says, “Stats and figures are resume gold for both accomplished professionals and new grads. They add credibility and instantly grab a recruiter‘s attention. New grads can leverage this power by quantifying their academic achievements, course projects, and even volunteer or internship experiences. Highlight a GPA or Dean’s List placement.”
Remember, a single impactful stat is more memorable than overloading your resume with numbers. So, even a small achievement quantified can make a big difference for a new grad.”
4. Keep your resume brief.
The gold standard for resume length is typically one to two pages. If you have a ton of relevant work experience, it can be tempting to list every job you’ve held in the past. And, if you do this, your resume may end up being entirely too long.
Daniel Space, senior human resources business partner director (FAANG/F100) and content creator at DanFromHR, says the ideal length of your resume depends on your work experience.
Space says, “There‘s no set length, but one to two pages is usually going to be your ideal and should match how long you’ve been working. For example, someone with four years of experience at one job should be on one page. And, someone working for 18 years at six jobs [might] need two.”
5. Your photo can make or break your chances.
In certain global job markets, a profile photo is a necessary addition to your resume. However, in the United States, our experts are conflicted about the addition of photos.
When I asked Space if he recommends including a photo on a resume, he flatly answered, “Never.” And Warzel agrees with him.
Warzel says, “This can harm your chances of passing the applicant tracking system (ATS), because the computer most often cannot parse data from photos, and thus, sometimes will kick you out of competition just because it couldn't retrieve your data. Less is more!”
But, Cache Merril, founder of Zibtek, says, “I also really like the picture. Employers are going to look people up on social media anyway, so bring a picture to the table.”
So, if you’re worried a picture will decrease your chances of getting an interview, leave it off your resume. It might also be helpful to think about your desired sector, too. Some sectors, like marketing or design, are more laid-back than others.
Use a Template to Craft Your Resume with Ease
An effective customer service representative resume speaks to your customer service skills and abilities. Even if you’re a recent graduate or you lack relevant job experience, highlighting your skills, like communication and task management skills, on your resume can help improve your chances of getting an interview.
If you’re ready to start writing your own resume, check out these free templates. With a good template, you can craft a compelling resume that’s sure to attract recruiters and keep your phone buzzing with interview requests.
