Customer service is a competitive job. There are a lot of candidates with your experience, so you know you have to stand out. However, some job seekers take this concept too literally and send resumes so far outside of the box they don’t seem to fit anywhere. There are some rules for writing your resume that should be followed, even if you want to demonstrate that you are different. Here are some of the most common rules that are broken for no reason. Keep these and be creative in other areas of your resume.
- Keep it simple.
There has been a trend recently toward creative resumes. These are ones that use color, creative design, and quirky language to try to set the job seeker apart from their competition. While this can be good in some arenas, customer service isn’t necessarily one of them. A recruiter or hiring manager for these types of jobs want you to keep the resume simple and get down to brass tacks. Start the resume with a bang by providing the most important information about your qualifications and experience. - Use plain language.
Jargon is the enemy of the customer service representative. Why? Because the person that hires for the role may not be versed in the language of the industry. Instead, use plain language that anyone can understand even if they’ve never worked a single day in customer service. This will help everyone who reads your resume determine if you’re a really good fit for the position rather than someone who likes to drop in important words. - Tailor every resume.
A huge mistake that many job seekers make is keeping a single-use resume. Especially in customer service, this is a big problem. Why? Because an insurance call center has very different requirements than a customer service representative at a manufacturing company. You want each individual company or hiring manager to understand that you are a fit for their specific position, not just any position. - Use action words.
Lastly, use active language. Rather than saying, “15 years customer service experience,” say, “provided exceptional customer service in the telephone industry for 15 years.” You want your phrases to be engaging with words that showcase what you’ve accomplished. Provided, enhanced, discovered, created, organized, and improved are all examples of active words that can be used to describe your day-to-day duties. Don’t forget to mention your specific accomplishments.
Are you in the market for a new customer service position? Harvard Resource Solutions is now hiring for customer service jobs in Troy MI, so call us today!
