Writing a customer service resume objective takes finesse and creativity. The smartest thing you can do is ditch your resume objective all together and use a “professional profile” or “summary” at the top of your resume. While many other job candidates will rely on their customer service resume objective, you can make your resume stand out by pointing out to employers why you are unique and the best person for the job.
What to Say in Place of Your Customer Service Resume Objective
If you have worked in customer service for any amount of time, you have gained skills that are relevant to employers. After you’ve deleted the customer service resume objective section on your resume, create a list of your career highlights for your potential new employer. You can call this section your “professional profile,” “summary,” or even “career highlights.”
This section can be either a paragraph or a bulleted list, but in most cases, the bulleted list works best because it helps employers scan your resume for keywords quickly. Start by listing your years of experience. Then, use customer service keywords to highlight your accomplishments. You can get a list of customer service keywords form Job Scan, or better yet, you can use the duties listed in the job advertisement you’re answering with your resume to find keywords.
Example Professional Profile to Replace Customer Service Resume Objective
To make your resume writing easier, here is a list of example bullet points you might include in a customer service resume:
- 30 years’ experience delivering exemplary customer service in the retail industry.
- Advanced conflict resolution skills to ensure repeat guest business.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented customer service manager.
- Enhanced communication strategies for keeping customers happy.
- Solutions-driven team member who delivers consistent customer satisfaction.
- Received the highest customer satisfaction ratings in 2017 for Amazon’s South East region.
- Dedicated customer satisfaction expert with advanced problem-solving skills.
What Employers Want to See in Your Customer Service Resume
Employers are scanning your resume to see that you are a problem solver and that you care about making customers happy. Disgruntled customer service representatives don’t attract repeat customers, so employers want to see that you have the willingness to go the extra mile to make a customer happy.
How to List Job Duties for Your Former Jobs
When you list your job duties for each job on your customer service resume, be careful not to just list the mundane duties like “checked out customers” or “kept customer records;” instead, focus what you say on how you benefited your past employers and helped their customers. Show that you’re more than an employee—you’re the answer to your new employer’s customer service prayers.
Instead of:
Checked out/rang up customer orders.
Try:
Assisted customers with purchases and ensured their needs were met during their shopping experience.
Instead of:
Maintained customer records.
Try:
Kept up-to-date customer records with notes regarding how we met customer needs and can exceed their expectations in the future.
Instead of:
Answered the phone.
Try:
Answered customer telephone calls with a cheerful greeting, actively listened to customer concerns, and then either solved their concerns or directed their calls to the person most suited to meet their needs.
Skills for a Customer Service Resume
In the “skills” section of your resume, you should briefly list the skills that make you an exemplary customer service professional. Avoid telling your employer that you can make Access databases, handle cash, or run a cash register. Instead, use keywords related to your industry. Here are a few examples of skills customer service professionals might have:
- Conflict Resolution
- Active Listening
- Customer Relationship Building
- Solution-Oriented Problem Solving
- Point-of-Sale Terminals
- Microsoft Office Software
- Anything specific to your industry (product knowledge, specific software, customer management software, etc)
We’ve made it easy for you to improve your customer service resume with a handy Customer Service Resume Cheat Sheet that shows examples for skills, professional profiles, and job duty descriptions. Sign up below for your free Customer Service Resume Cheat Sheet.
1 thought on “Replace Your Customer Service Resume Objective Now”