Customer service resumes are among the hardest resumes to draft, but when they are done right (which they rarely are), they can be among the most effective. Whether you work as a Sales Associate, a Barista, a Cashier, or as any other type of Customer Service Representative also known to some as “CSR’s”, following these two customer service resume tips can help you land your next job in Customer Service or any other industry.

1) Keys to a Customer Service Resume: Show, Don’t Tell

The first rule of writing a quality customer service resume is simple: show, don’t tell. One of many positives of a customer service resume, as opposed to positions in other industries is their ability to convey hard, quantifiable figures and facts. For instance, most customer service employees don’t often realize they can have contributed to a number of notable accomplishments, such as improving customer satisfaction ratings or contributing to response rates. It doesn’t stop there. It could be increased sales or call volume decreases (or increases). It may even be a higher “UPT” or unit per transactions. The list could go on and on and you probably get our point. When listing these types of facts and figures never shy away form specificity. If you improved customer satisfaction, find out and list the specific percentage you rose it by. This shows employers that you have real, tangible skills as opposed to simply telling them.

2) Know Your Target

In order to draft an effective customer service resume, it helps to know what type of customer service job you’ll be applying to. Your customer service resume should be as targeted as possible to the job you are applying for, meaning that your ultimate goal in drafting your customer service resume should be to convey as much specific information as possible within the least amount of space. For example, labeling yourself as a “Sales Associate” is rather ambiguous and doesn’t tell the employer much about the type of work you did. That means your resume might get skipped over while being reviewed by an employer looking for a specific type of Sales Associate, such as a “Retail Sales Associate” or a “Software Sales Associate”.

So remember, regardless of being a seasoned customer service  rep or one just starting out never be afraid of being too specific. HR screeners who hire specifically for CSR’s see  many customer service resumes across their desk every day. Sticking out give you a great opportunity to show off your accomplishments to employers with hard, quantifiable figures. Which means that while other applicants are busy telling potential employers what a “positive attitude” they have, you’ll have shown them every specific detail they have been waiting to read.