Customer Service CV Example & Writing Guide

A customer service CV is used for roles such as customer service representative, call centre agent, help desk support, retail associate, or live chat agent. As such, it must highlight your ability to effectively communicate with clients, resolve their issues, and respond to their enquiries.

In this article, we’ve prepared a customer service CV sample, along with a comprehensive guide on how to write different sections of this document and avoid common mistakes.

Effective Customer Service CV Example

Here is an example of an effective customer service CV to help you write your own:

Customer Service CV Example

Use this example

What Format to Use for a Customer Service CV

The best format to use for a customer service CV is the reverse chronological one, as it’s the preferred format for most applications in the UK. It prioritises professional background and lays out your work experiences chronologically, starting from the most recent one.

The underlying logic is that your most recent experience is also the most relevant and the one that qualifies you for the position you’re applying for. Furthermore, this CV format allows recruiters to easily track your career path and grasp how you have developed as a professional in your field.

However, you can also opt for the functional format, which emphasises your skills, or the combined one, placing equal focus on skills and experience. The former is ideal for recent graduates or those seeking to change their career path, while the latter can benefit senior-level candidates with a rich professional history.

Customer Service CV Layout

Another aspect to consider when writing your customer service CV is its layout, including length, font, letter size, and similar formatting elements.

In terms of length, a customer service CV should be the same as other CVs: approximately 1–2 pages. Documents longer than that are unlikely to receive a positive reaction, since they usually contain many details that add little to the application.

So, even if you have many work experiences and an extensive educational background, trim everything down to keep only the most relevant information. Also, organise the content into paragraphs and use white space wisely; this will make your document easier to read and more visually appealing.

Using the correct font is another way to improve your CV’s design and readability. It’s best to stick to the classics, such as Arial, Calibri, and Times New Roman, although you may try Helvetica or Constantia for a touch of creativity. Whichever font you choose, adjust the size to 10–12pt for text and 12–16pt for headings.

Customer Service CV: Mandatory and Optional Sections

The mandatory and optional sections of a customer service CV match those of application documents for other professions.

For example, mandatory sections include:

Other than that, you may include the following sections if you think they will boost your application:

To easily write and organise these sections, use our time-saving CV builder, which gives you a template to fill out. As a result, you can complete the entire document in less than 15 minutes, which is significantly faster than if you write everything from scratch.

Customer Service CV Template

If you need extra help writing a CV for a call centre or related customer service position, here is a template where you can simply enter your information to make it your own:

Customer Service CV Contact Information

The contact information section in a customer service CV should contain all the basic details your employer needs to reach you.

Essentially, you should include your name, job title, address, email address, and phone number. LinkedIn profiles and websites are optional, though they can contribute to your application if they showcase traits and skills relevant to your profession.

Although this section is pretty straightforward, there are still ways to get it wrong. For instance, using an email address you made when you were 13 likely won’t leave the best impression, nor will adding links to Instagram, TikTok, or other irrelevant social media.

Here’s an example of a good contact information section:

Customer Service CV Objective and Summary

Both the objective and the summary can be placed at the top of a customer service CV, but you can’t include them both. Choose which to add based on your professional experience and your industry’s practices.

For most cases, we recommend opting for a CV summary, which is a concise overview of your capabilities and accomplishments that highlights how you will benefit the company.

However, a summary may not be the best choice for candidates who lack experience and skills. They might benefit more from a CV objective, which briefly lists your professional aims to demonstrate to the employer that they align with the company’s goals.

The problem with this approach is that the emphasis is placed on how you expect the company to serve your goals, rather than showcasing what you have to offer. Still, it’s better than leaving out the section because you don’t have anything to write.

Customer Service CV Objective

Here is a good example of a CV objective for customer service jobs:

This example works because it’s clear and specific and introduces the candidate’s skills and accomplishments, even if the focus is on their goals.

The same couldn’t be said for the following bad example of a CV objective:

Customer Service CV Summary

Now, let’s take a look at a good example of a CV summary for customer service jobs:

This personal statement for a customer service CV focuses on quantifiable achievements and specific skills, so it’s an excellent example of what you should strive for.

Conversely, you should avoid writing vague summaries like these:

How to Add Professional Customer Service Experience to Your CV

Work experience is the most important section of your customer service CV, so you need to pay particular attention when organising the information in it.

To help you get it right, we will give you some general tips, as well as two examples of this section for different career levels.

General Tips

The first thing to keep in mind when writing about your work experience is that you don’t have to include every position you’ve ever held. It’s best to highlight the most relevant ones that directly relate to the job you’re applying for. That way, you will avoid cluttering your CV with fluff that doesn’t contribute in any way.

Once you pick the experiences you want to showcase, recall some of your most impressive achievements for each. These should be listed in short bullet points under each entry to give recruiters more context about your past responsibilities.

These bullet points are crucial, so here are a few things to keep in mind:

Customer Service With No/Little Experience

Now that we’ve reviewed some general tips, let’s take a look at how to apply them in actual examples, starting with the more difficult one—customer service CV for candidates with little experience.

Here’s what this section could look like in this case:

As you can see, the focus here is on part-time jobs and volunteer experiences that helped the candidate develop strong interpersonal skills. You can also include university projects or student events you’ve helped organise.

Experienced Customer Service

If you are experienced in the customer service field, you’ll have an easier time figuring out what to include in your CV. Still, here’s a helpful example:

Customer Service CV Education Section

The education section of a customer service CV should contain your degrees, the institutions that issued them, and the periods of study. You can also add relevant courses or your grade average, but this isn’t necessary and should be done only if it helps you stand out.

Similarly, including your high school degree isn’t a must, especially if you have a master’s or PhD. You should only add it if you don’t have other qualifications or if you’re still in the process of obtaining your bachelor’s.

Here’s an example of what the education section should look like:

Customer Service CV Skills

The skills section comes after the education section, but this shouldn’t be the only place to showcase your customer service skills. As we have seen, some of them should appear in the CV summary/objective, and others should be demonstrated in the bullet points describing your work experiences.

However, if we focus specifically on the skills section, here’s what it could look like:

Alternatively, you could group them into hard and soft skills for even more clarity, like so:

Hard Skills

Here is a comprehensive list of key hard skills to include in a CV

Soft Skills

On the other hand, here are some customer service qualities to include on a CV and boost your chances of securing an interview:

What Other Sections Can You Add to Your Customer Service CV?

Other sections you can add to your customer service CV include certifications, languages, hobbies, and interests. These can enhance your application and make it look bulkier, but are ultimately entirely optional.

Let’s take a look at each in more detail.

Certifications

If you’ve obtained certificates related to the customer service industry, you can add them to your CV and briefly mention the awarding institution and the date of reception.

Here’s what this section can look like:

Languages

Multilingualism is highly valued when applying for an international company, so it’s a good idea to include the languages you speak, along with your proficiency level.

This is how you can do that effectively:

Hobbies & Interests

Finally, the hobbies and interests section can be a nice finishing touch that humanises your application and makes you appear more approachable. Still, you should take care to pick activities that contribute to the overall impression you want to leave.

So, a customer service CV could include the following hobbies and interests:

Do I Need a Cover Letter for a Customer Service Position?

You need a cover letter for a customer service position, as it can help your potential employer get to know you better and learn more about the details provided in your CV. For these reasons, cover letters are accompanying documents to CVs that can significantly boost your standing in the hiring process.

Writing a cover letter can be a hassle, though, so we suggest you try our cover letter builder instead. In just a few minutes, it can create a professional letter to go along with your CV, like in this example:

3 Final Tips for Creating a Customer Service CV

Though you should have a pretty good grasp on how to write a customer service CV now, here are some final tips to take your application to the next level:

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand how to write a customer service CV that represents you in the best possible light. Ultimately, your goal is to focus on the skills and achievements recruiters in this industry seek, such as conflict resolution, communication, and a positive attitude.

If you need extra help, check out some of our CV templates for different customer service professions. Also, you can always use our CV maker to create an outstanding application within minutes!