We live in an increasingly “connected” world.
The use of the internet and phones for everyday tasks far and away exceeds face to face interactions.
Most companies rely on having staff members who are available to assist customers over the phone or through instant messaging.
When working in a call center, it is crucial to have excellent customer service skills as well as an ability to juggle a high volume of customer concerns and complaints.
When customers call in, they want to talk to someone friendly, competent, and well versed in the products or services of their company.
All in all, the people running the phone lines of call centers need to be ready for anything – and that is no small task.
So, how do you show a company that you’re ready to tackle the challenges associated with working in a call center?
Writing a call center representative resume is generally the first step that can either get the ball rolling or stop the process before it starts.
If you’re ready to get going, we are prepared to give you a push in the right direction.
Let’s get started!
Summary
- Resume Template
- Formatting
- Writing Your Resume Summary
- Areas of Expertise
- Writing Your Work Experience
- Writing Your Education Section
- Additional Sections
- Resume Points to Remember
- Resume “Don’ts” to Remember
- Some Helpful Tools
Let’s begin with a sample call center representative resume to demonstrate how all the resume pieces fit together. Then we will break each section down to really drill into how to write the best call center representative resume you possibly can.
Call Center Representative Resume (Text Version)
Contact Info:
Lindsay Thompson
[email protected]
(301) 572-0138
Bowie, MD 20715
linkedin.com/lthompson
Summary Statement:
Call Center Representative: Call Center Representative dedicated to delivering a high level of customer satisfaction while managing multiple responsibilities in fast-paced environments. Demonstrable 6 year history in the industry, working to trouble-shoot complex issues, actively listen to customer concerns, and resolve conflicts with strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.
Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise
- Effective Communication
- Conflict Resolution
- Technical Support
- Data Entry
- Relationship Building
- MS Office
- QuickBooks
- 76 WPM Typist
- Fluent Spanish Speaker
- Punctual
Professional Experience:
Lawson’s Call Center | Call Center Representative
Bowie, MD | August 2017-Present
- Managed over 50 calls per day, directed calls to appropriate dept
- Supplied timely solutions to complex issues with exceptional service
- Used company software and Microsoft office to maintain records
York Call Center | Call Center Associate
Bowie, MD | June 2015 -July 2017
- Maintain exceptional customer service with ratings above 96%
- Competently handle over 90 customer calls daily
- Identify customer needs and provide innovative and timely solutions
Wells Fargo | Customer Service Associate
Bowie, MD | May 2014 -May 2015
- Responded to questions related to services & routed calls to various depts
- Provided outstanding customer service while assisting callers
- Assist team members in daily tasks by providing ongoing training & support
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
May 2014
Formatting
When working in a call center, appearances might not matter much to your customers, but when it comes to resume writing, appearances make all the difference.
The resume format you select will determine how your resume will appear to your readers.
While there are many different resume formats to choose from, there are still aspects of formatting that should always be followed, regardless of which one you select.
Six seconds – that is the amount of time hiring managers typically spend looking at each new resume they review.
The primary purpose of your call center representative resume format should be to create a piece of writing that is straightforward, easy to follow, and allows for the most important details to shine.
It is necessary to utilize bullet points and even spacing to create a resume that is both professional and easy to read.
These two aspects of resume formatting allow for words to “breathe” and create uniform lines to guide your readers’ eyes down the page.
When listing important details regarding accomplishments and achievements, try arranging things in reverse chronological order.
Allow for your most recent and relevant information to come first, and never save the best for last.
It is reasonable to assume that a hiring manager will not read your resume entirely, so make sure the most significant details either come first or stand out visually by using bullet points, bolding, or italicizing.
Follow these basic formatting concepts, and your resume will stand out visually above the rest.
Start With Your Resume Summary
Once you have decided what you want the overall appearance of your resume to be, you can begin actually writing your call center representative resume.
The standard first section of a resume is the summary.
A resume summary is a short paragraph (about two to three sentences) that should describe yourself as a call center representative.
Because this is the first section of your resume, it is important to include impressive and impactful information, along with some specific details, while remaining to the point.
Effective details to include can range from person to person based on experience, education, and natural ability.
Before you begin writing this section, start by asking yourself, “what qualifications and abilities does this job/company require of someone in this position?”
Asking this question is a great way to get an idea of what the overall picture looks like before you decide the best way to describe yourself.
It is important to know what “questions” you are responding to before you come up with a good answer.
Yes!
Call Center Representative dedicated to delivering a high level of customer satisfaction while managing multiple responsibilities in fast-paced environments. Demonstrable 6-year history in the industry, working to troubleshoot complex issues, actively listen to customer concerns, and resolve conflicts with strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.
No!
Call Center Representative creating happy customers while juggling tasks in busy fields. Strong history in the industry of fixing conflicts with strong communication skills.
The “Yes!” example describes the candidate’s experience level and strengths while providing specific and accurate information to explain how they function in the work-place.
The “No!” example describes the candidate with minimal detail and weak wording that is repetitive and not impactful.
PRO TIP: While the first section of your resume is your summary, you don’t have to write it first. If you are struggling with what to include in this section or how to narrow things down, try skipping it and coming back to it later. Write your work experience and skills sections first to get into a better groove and feel out what information is more pertinent to the first section.
Key Accomplishments/ Skills & Qualifications
The resume summary serves its purpose as a necessary introduction to your call center representative resume, but hiring managers generally want to get down to more of the specific facts.
Including a section in your resume that lists the skills and qualifications you have clearly and directly is essential when it comes to catching the eye of any hiring manager.
This list should be kept simple, specific, and to the point while hitting all the right notes.
When working as a call center representative, it is necessary to be technical enough to troubleshoot issues, while also being personable and easy to talk to.
Hard skills and soft skills are the two main types of skills involved in doing this job well.
Hard skills, or technical skills, are the kinds of skills that need to be taught and practiced to master.
Most technical skills are more job-specific and can range anywhere from knowing how to record information in Microsoft Office all the way to gaining more in-depth knowledge about the products or services your company sells.
Soft skills, or people skills, are the kinds of skills that can’t necessarily be taught and come more naturally to some.
Being able to communicate well with others and stay calm under pressure are tough skills to gauge, but vital to customer service nonetheless.
When you write a list of skills on your resume, make sure that it includes a variety of both skill types, such as in this example:
Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise
- Effective Communication
- Customer Service
- Conflict Resolution
- Technical Support
- Detail Orientation
- Data Entry
- Organization
- Relationship Building
- MS Office
- QuickBooks
- 76 WPM Typist
- Fluent Spanish Speaker
- Punctual
- Patience
- Adaptability
PRO TIP: When you are responding to a job posting, make sure that you take the time to look it over as you are writing your call center representative resume. If the job posting includes details regarding the skills and qualifications they are looking for in a candidate, try to tailor your resume around those details. If you have the skills they are looking for, you should always include them in this section.
Writing Your Work Experience
Now that you have described yourself more specifically, you should give some background explaining why you have the skills and qualifications that you do.
Including a job history in your resume is an opportunity to show that you have tested your skills and abilities.
While every candidate will have different experience levels and qualifications, the “rules” for how to write this section remain relatively consistent.
If you have a lot of previous work experience to speak of, try to narrow things down to only the most relevant and impressive jobs.
Listing work history in reverse chronological order allows for your most recent jobs to come first, which is what most hiring managers want to see.
Always use your best judgment – if you are deciding between including a more recent job as a Lyft driver or a previous job as a call center representative, it is best to stick with the latter of the two options.
Describe each job you decide to include in about three to five bullet points, with each bullet point presenting new and impactful information to avoid getting repetitive.
Your job descriptions should reinforce that you have the skills and abilities necessary to excel at the position you are currently applying to acquire.
Even if you are describing a previous job where you weren’t a call center representative, you can still discuss job tasks that are relevant to the position you want.
Yes!
Lawson’s Call Center | Call Center Representative | Bowie, MD | August 2017-Present
- Managed over 50 calls per day, directed calls to appropriate dept
- Supplied timely solutions to complex issues with exceptional service
- Used company software and Microsoft office to maintain records
No!
Lawson’s Call Center | Call Center Representative | Bowie, MD | August 2017-Present
- Answer and assist with a high volume of calls
- Provided resolutions to different issues
- Input data and maintain documentation
The “Yes!” example lists job tasks and achievements that reinforce the candidate’s strengths and abilities related to customer service.
The “No!” example lists job tasks with minimal detail and lacks the specifics necessary to create a memorable candidate resume.
PRO TIP: When writing your job descriptions, always quantify and qualify any job duties and achievements you discuss. If you want to mention that you received positive customer reviews, include a percentage. If you want to say that you “input information” describe what software you used and what kind of information you were recording. These added details are essential to creating an impactful and impressive call center representative resume.
What are bots?
Now that you understand the basics of writing the most prominent sections of your resume, it is important to consider who your audience will be.
While hiring managers still review resumes, many companies have added an extra step to the hiring process by implementing the use of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), or bots.
Bots review resumes for hiring managers to decide which ones will go on for further review, and which ones will not be considered for hire.
When a bot assesses a resume, it searches for specific keywords (distinct adjectives) and power words (action verbs) that are associated with skilled candidates who have relevant talents.
In order to impress a bot, some resume experts believe it is beneficial to write your job descriptions in paragraph format instead of with bullet points as a way of including more keywords and power words.
While paragraphs might encourage some candidates to utilize more keywords, it is possible to include just as many when using bullet points.
Here at Big Interview, we recommend sticking with bullet points, because once your call center representative resume makes it through the examination of a bot, a hiring manager will review it as well.
A well-laid out, informative resume is going to impress a human reviewer, and they are who you want to impress.
Standard Bullet Point Format:
York Call Center | Call Center Associate | Bowie, MD | June 2015 -July 2017
- Maintain exceptional customer service with ratings above 96%
- Competently handle over 90 customer calls daily
- Identify customer needs and provide innovative and timely solutions
Paragraph Format:
York Call Center | Call Center Associate | Bowie, MD | June 2015 -July 2017
Maintained high customer service ratings above 96% due to prompt and exceptional customer service skills. Answered and provided competent assistance for over 90 customer calls daily in a fast-paced work environment. Resolved customer concerns by successfully identifying their needs and providing innovative and timely solutions through detailed and accurate company knowledge.
Paragraph w/ Bullet Points Format:
York Call Center | Call Center Associate | Bowie, MD | June 2015 -July 2017
Maintained high customer service ratings due to prompt and exceptional customer service skills. Answered and provided competent assistance for all customer calls daily in a fast-paced work environment. Resolved customer concerns by successfully identifying their needs and providing innovative and timely solutions through detailed and accurate company knowledge.
- 96% positive customer reviews
- 90+ customer calls per day
Writing Your Education Section
Regardless of what industry you work in and whether or not your education is relevant to your position, most companies expect to see an education section on your resume.
When writing your education section, start with your most recent and impressive degree first, then work your way down (e.g., Master’s, bachelor’s, associates).
If you have a college degree, it isn’t typically necessary that you include your high school diploma or GED.
Always include the full title of your degree, along with the school you attended and the year you graduated.
If you have any certifications or licenses relevant to the job you are applying to, you can either include them in your education section or list them directly above or below.
Example:
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
May 2014
Certifications:
Certified Customer Service Professional – NCSA
Possible Sections to Include
In some cases, you might have additional achievements or qualifications to include in your call center representative resume that haven’t fit well in the previous sections we’ve discussed.
It is appropriate to include extra sections in your resume when you feel necessary.
Some of the sections you could include are:
- Awards and honors
- Publications
- Noteworthy Projects
- Social Media Influence
- Speaking Engagements
- Hobbies/Interests
- Volunteer Work
What if You Have No Experience?
If you are just graduating or you have recently switched career paths, you might be wondering how to adjust your resume to meet your needs.
When it comes to recent graduates who lack any work experience whatsoever, it is necessary to make some formatting adjustments to accommodate your needs.
Moving your education section just below your resume summary will allow it to command more attention.
Once you have moved your education section to a more notable location, you can expand upon any details that are worth mentioning.
High GPAs, honors, awards, extracurriculars, and specialized coursework are all impressive details that can spice up any education section.
If you also have any volunteer work or internship experience, those details can be essential to show a hiring manager that you have work experience, even if it was unpaid.
For those of you who have work experience, but it doesn’t apply to being a call center representative, the adjustments are more minor.
Focus on your job descriptions and adjusting them to cover details that are either specific to showing off your work ethic or presenting skills that can also be applied to
Resume Points to Remember
Keep things moving
Make sure that you aren’t repeating the same information more than once, and that you are using strong new keywords and power words to begin each bullet point. Resumes should be kept short and to the point, so there shouldn’t be space to get repetitive.
Visual appeal
Make sure that you are allowing for enough space in between sections and bullet points and that you are using a legible font. The structure of your call center representative resume should always be easy to follow and understand.
Do your research
Pay attention to the job posting you are responding to and brush up on the company you are applying to. Job postings are full of valuable information explaining what a company is looking for in a candidate. Creating your resume around a job posting is the best way to show a company that you fit their requirements.
Try to Avoid
Lingering
Write your resume so that it will comfortably fit on one page and not go onto the next. Hiring managers are busy people who see countless new resumes every week. Don’t waste their time; make sure that you narrow things down.
Forgetting the basics
Always include your name and contact information at the top of your resume, and make sure you are continuously checking any areas that are “copy and paste” sections to make sure they are up to date and relevant.
Crazy formats
While it is important to create a resume that stands out above the rest, make sure that you are letting your words speak for themselves. Your call center representative resume format should never distract from what you are trying to say.
Helpful Tools:
Power Words
- Administered
- Founded
- Adept
- Formulated
- Built
- Implemented
- Created
- Improved
- Consolidated
- Initiated
- Coordinated
- Launched
- Developed
- Pioneered
- Designed
- Organized
Skills List
| Hard Skills | Soft Skills |
| Fluent Spanish | Organization |
| MS Office | Customer Service |
| QuickBooks | Punctual |
| Technical Support | Adaptability |
| Learning Product Knowledge | Detail Oriented |
