How to Write a Stand-Out Call Center Resume

According to Microsoft’s 2017 State of Global Customer Service Report, 74% of customers contact customer service via the phone, making call centers the most used customer service channel. If companies want to leave customers with an exceptional customer service experience, they need to have talented agents staffing those call centers.

But great agents are hard to find. Working in a call center takes a special candidate with a unique background. The best agents are able to memorize helpful product information, have excellent verbal communication skills, a passion for customer service, and much more. With such a clear idea of what a skilled call center agent looks like, hiring managers are extremely critical of the call center resumes that cross their desk.

Having served some of the nation’s leading companies as a call center recruiting agency, we know what your resume needs to have in order to catch the eye of a hiring manager. To really show employers that you’re a talented candidate they’d be crazy to turn away, use our tips below to write a stand-out call center resume.

Write an objective that highlights your customer service talents.

With the job of communicating with prospects or customers on a daily basis, how you treat the person on the other end of the phone line matters a great deal. At the end of the day, customer service and satisfaction needs to be a top priority for any inbound or outbound call center agent. In fact, it’s often the first thing employers look for on a call center resume.

For this reason alone, you should showcase your customer service skills or experience in your resume objective. Placed at the top of your resume, your objective is something employers can’t miss. And by including customer service in your objective, as well as other sections like skills and experience, it shows potential employers that you place an emphasis on customer service—something you and call center hiring managers have in common. For example, you might write:

• Helpful call center agent with several years of experience in assisting customers. Looking to use excellent verbal communication and problem solving skills to provide superior service to XYZ Company’s customers.

Include a summary that showcases your personality.

Because call center agents communicate with customers and prospects frequently throughout the day, personality is a big part of the job. Through a winning personality, you can create a friendly and welcoming dialogue with customers that feels human and relatable. Companies want call center agents who make customers feel like they’re talking to a real person, not an automated recording that they might find at a competitor’s call center.

In your personal summary, don’t be afraid to show off your personality traits. From inviting to high-energy, it’s important to show that your personality is friendly, joyful, and easy to get along with. Be careful, however, not to include traits that could be misinterpreted as friction-causing like somber, resolved, or opinionated. To give you an idea of where to start, check out our example below:

• Friendly, energetic inbound call center agent with a passion for customer service and problem solving.

List your relevant call center work experience.

No matter the job you are applying for, it’s important to include relevant work experience to the roll. For inbound call centers, you should highlight any past positions you’ve held that required frequent customer interaction or service. For example, retail, hospitality, or food and beverage positions are a must-include. As a hopeful outbound call center agent, you’ll want to detail any past roles where you’ve gained valuable sales experience.

Call out key call center agent skills.

To be a successful call center agent, there are a number of abilities that you need to have. If you want to discover some of the most sought-after skills that employers want, check out our detailed list of must-have call center agent skills. Some of those skills include attention to detail, excellent communication, adaptability, empathy, and a positive attitude. If you have any of those listed skills that could make you a leading candidate, call them out in the skills section of your resume.

Tailor your resume for each call center position.

Not all call center positions are created equal. For starters, there’s several types of call centers as well as multiple roles you could have within them. To make sure that your resume depicts you as a top candidate, no matter the role you are applying for, you need to take the time to customize your resume for each position you apply for. For example, make sure that your objective and summary call out the position and company you are applying for by name. You should also make sure that your skills and work experience sections align with the job description requirements and desired qualifications. By paying special attention to these items, you can make sure that you check all of the boxes for employers.

Be Head and Shoulders Above the Rest

A great call center resume that rises above the competition has more than just your work history and top skills. They are customized for each position and emphasize customer service above all else. Want some more advice to help you score an interview? Check out these professional resume writing tips.

Still looking for your idea call center position? Search our open positions to find a job that’s perfect for you.