Elizabeth Openshaw 
Learn how to showcase your customer service skills and craft a polished CV that works
You hold the customer at the heart of everything you do. It's how you function. You want the best for the customer, and strive to achieve this every time. So how do you craft a well-written and formatted CV that reflects that? Read on to find out how to write a customer service CV, what to include, with a template and example CV for a Customer Service Assistant.
What is a customer service CV?
A customer service CV is a document providing an overview, across two pages, of your customer service skills, work experience, education, and qualifications. It's used when applying for a job in customer services, to help you land an interview by drawing attention to your unique abilities.
How to write a Customer Assistant CV
If you're applying for a Customer Assistant position, it's likely that you have an appreciation of putting your best foot forward and doing the right thing. As a result, you'll know that first impressions are everything. And your CV is no exception. You've got to make this document count straight away, as recruiting managers spend less than 10 seconds skimming over a CV before deciding whether it goes on the “yes” pile or the “no” pile.
So, here's what needs to go into your customer service CV if applying for a role in this area:
1. Name and contact details
Always start your CV with the name you're known by, and your contact details. After all, you want to tell the prospective employer who you are and how to get in touch with you if they want to offer you an interview.
Include your first name and surname only. There's no need for middle names. Underneath, add your current job title or a title related to the role you're applying for. For example, you may choose:
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Customer Assistant
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Customer Service Assistant
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Retail Assistant
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Sales Assistant
In terms of contact details, include a mobile number that prospective employers can reach during the day. Additionally, include your email address and a link to your LinkedIn page if you have one. It's also worth including your location, but there's no need to include your full address; the town / city and county will suffice.
Top tip: Don't include sensitive information such as your age, date of birth, marital status, or nationality, as this can lead to discrimination, and isn't required on a CV anymore.
2. Personal statement
Below your contact details comes your customer service CV personal statement, also known as a personal profile or professional summary. It's the part of your CV which provides potential employers with an overview of you as a customer service professional. It should be between three and six sentences long, stating who you are, what you can offer a business, your unique skills, and your goals.
It's like an elevator pitch, and should not be confused with personal statements that are part of a university application – they are completely different.
Since you should tailor your personal statement towards a Customer Assistant position, write about qualities and ambitions that align with this field. The job advert will be a great source of inspiration when deciding which keywords and phrases to use. After all, you want to show that you have the essential qualifications and relevant skills from the off.
3. Key skills
What are the key words for a customer service CV? And how to write about customer service skills in a CV? This is when the next section comes into its own, as it's dedicated to core competencies and key skills. Use bullet points to list between nine and 12 customer service skills in your repertoire and show prospective employers what you have to offer.
To really pack a punch, go through the job description and identify the key requirements that your skill set aligns with, then reference them in this section. This will show the hiring manager that you're the right match for the position.
Essential customer service skills for your CV could include:
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Customer engagement
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Building customer loyalty
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Using chatbots
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Complaint resolution
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Critical thinking
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Cross- and up-selling
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Decision-making
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Patience
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Attention to detail
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Relationship building
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Problem resolution
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Time management
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Effective communication
4. Employment history
Following key skills is the work experience section, which is typically the longest section of your customer service CV. List your work experience in reverse-chronological order. This means that you start with your latest position and work backwards through your career.
For each role, detail your job title, the name of the company, the dates of employment, a short overview of the role, and three to five bullet points on key achievements. It's not a good idea to exhaustively list your day-to-day responsibilities and duties. While this will give potential employers a decent overview of your experience, it won't set you apart from the competition.
Again, look through the job description to identify the most sought-after requirements, and see which points you align with. Then refer to them in your employment history by referencing your accomplishments.
Top tip: To really grab the attention, support any accomplishments with numbers and statistics. For example, did you meet your call response target and, if you exceeded it, by how much?
5. Education and qualifications
The next section on your customer service CV details your education and qualifications. Like your employment history, list your education history in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent accolade.
For each qualification, list the institution or awarding body, the qualification title, and the completion date.
Top tip: If you've achieved higher qualifications than GCSEs or A Levels, there is no need to list these.
6. Extra sections
While all the above are essential requirements of a customer service CV, you might have more to offer, so you can add on extra sections such as:
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Awards and accolades. Won any awards in the customer service sector? Then highlight those in their own dedicated section for more plus points.
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Languages. If you're bilingual or advanced in any language, listing this competency on your CV is a massive advantage in a customer service role as it shows you can interact with people from different countries and cultures.
- IT proficiency. Showcasing your aptitude for using different IT systems and in-house databases will only boost your CV's worth even more.
Customer Assistant CV template
Below is a CV template that customer service sector job seekers can use for reference, aimed at securing Customer Assistant roles:
Customer Assistant CV example
Here's a CV sample that customer service job applicants like you can use for inspiration:
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Update your CV now
Customer service is a competitive industry, but using these customer service CV tips and tricks should help you on your way to crafting a winning job search document.
If you want to make sure that your CV showcases your relevant customer service skills and achievements, submit your CV for a free review today for objective feedback.
This article was originally written by Laura Slingo and has been updated by Elizabeth Openshaw.