How to Show Your Customer Service Skills on a Resume

You can make customer service a substantial part of your resume by spelling out the various ways you have helped clients. The following guide will show you how to flesh out your resume for an application to a client-facing job.

Brainstorm First

Before you start working on your resume directly, take ten minutes or so to jot down whatever comes to mind first about your background in customer service. Is there a particular job in your work history that stands out about your level of service? Or a recent training program that gave you a new edge in managing client calls efficiently? Or, more generally, do you subscribe to a particular service approach or philosophy that you feel helps you succeed?

Your first thoughts and answers to these questions often indicate how you can best develop customer service as a key theme on your resume.

Now that you’ve brainstormed some initial ideas refer to the following lists and tips for elaborating on your service skills in each resume section.

Profile or Summary Section

Use one or more of these adjectives to describe yourself and the services you provide customers:

• Adaptable
• Attentive
• Calm
• Client-Focused
• Courteous
• Customer-Focused
• Diligent
• Efficient
• High-Quality
• Knowledgeable
• Organized
• Proactive
• Prompt
• Service-Oriented
• Solution-Oriented
• Thorough
• Top-Caliber

Sidenote: Avoid using redundant adjectives with any part of your profile’s professional title. For instance, if your title is Customer Service Representative, you don’t need to describe yourself as “customer-focused” or “service-oriented.” Your profile will have more variety and color if you instead opt for one of the other options above.

Key Skills Section

Include one or more of these terms as they apply to your background and goals:

• Active Listening Methods
• Brand Loyalty
• Client Communications
• Client Satisfaction & Retention
• Complex Problem-Solving
• Conflict & Complaint Resolution
• Consultative Sales Strategies
• Customer Experience
• Customer Needs Assessment
• Customer Service & Relations
• Internal & External Customer Support
• Stakeholder Relations Management

Professional Experience Section

This part of your resume provides you the most opportunity to get specific about your customer service skills and experience. Start by reviewing the following list of service-related actions. Note whichever activities overlap best with your background and/or the details you brainstormed earlier.

• Addressed and answered customer concerns
• Built lucrative, long-term client relationships
• Communicated with customers about new product options
• Consulted and advised clients on service solutions
• Cultivated positive customer relationships
• Deepened relationships with key clients
• Delivered high-quality services to customers
• Directed customers to their desired products
• Engaged with clients to determine their service needs
• Explained new product features to customers
• Facilitated rollout of new service solutions
• Interacted with customers daily
• Listened to clients’ concerns and recommended solutions
• Promoted appropriate products based on close review of each client’s needs
• Provided detailed answers to customer inquiries
• Relayed frequent client requests to sales, marketing, and product development teams
• Resolved recurring issues with service delivery
• Responded to client emails and voicemails
• Supported customers with special product requests
• Worked with clients to find win-win service agreements

Now that you’ve noted your past client activities, take up this essential question: What was the result of these activities? In other words, how did your client-facing work positively impact your team, company, or customers?

Your answers will lead you to more specific, powerful bullet points that help establish customer service as a common thread on your resume.

Always seek to quantify your bullet points in terms of a specific number, percentage, or dollar amount. The only exception is if the quantified figure is somehow not inclusive to the customer service role you’re now pursuing. For instance, say you’ve worked for large corporations and are now applying to a small company or startup. In this case, omitting large revenue sums or other data that may pigeonhole you makes sense. Instead, focus on the transferable customer-facing skills you gained.

Keep in mind that you can show service skills even for a role that wasn’t directly client-facing. For example, if you’ve worked in HR or IT, you can emphasize that you supported your colleagues (or “internal customers”) with various employment or technical concerns.

The Bottom Line

Whenever you apply to a client-facing job, get specific on your resume about how you’ve supported past customers. Give detailed examples of times you generated high value through your advanced service skills. In doing so, you’ll make sure your resume positions you effectively for the next chapter in your career.

Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.