The call centre job search can be a hard process, in particular when it comes to writing a CV that stands out from the rest. You might even ask yourself how you can make your experience and interests relevant if you’ve never worked in a call centre, but don’t let that put you off – and don’t let imposter syndrome get in the way! Although prior experience is a plus, the candidate with the most experience isn’t always the candidate who’s offered the job! Recruiters look at how your experience is presented when shortlisting candidates, as well as the other information you include, so it’s important to use your CV to showcase who you are and what sets you apart from the other candidates.
You can write a great CV for a call centre in just five steps:
- Tailor your CV to the job description.
- Demonstrate a hunger for growth.
- Leverage your transferable skills.
- Emphasise your communication skills.
- Make sense of your qualifications.
1. Tailor Your CV To The Job Description
Read The Job Description
I know it might sound obvious, but make sure you thoroughly read the call centre job description before tackling your CV. More often than not, candidates will scan over the job description without understanding what the role entails.
You want to understand the role as best you can so you can match your relevant skills and previous employment on your CV to the candidate requirements on the application.
Match Skills From The Job Description
The aim of tailoring your CV to the job description is to show the recruiter that you haven’t sent them a generic CV, and that you possess the relevant skills and experience to carry out the job well.
To do this, look through the job description and highlight all of the relevant qualifications and skills the employer is looking for, such as experience with a certain software, or verbal communication and good time management skills. If you hold these soft skills, include them in your personal statement or in your very own ‘skills’ section.
2. Demonstrate a Hunger for Growth
Call centres are keen on learning & development opportunities and rapid career progression. Show on your CV that you have a real hunger to learn and grow in your prospective role. This ambition demonstrates that you’re in it for the long haul, and helps you to stand out from the rest. Top tip: If you’re applying to be a contact centre agent, being a great contact centre team leader could be a possible next step – include this goal in your CV if it’s relevant to you!
Promotions and job growth form a huge part of call centre working life, its about always aiming higher.
Your future employers will see you as an investment: you might be a contact centre agent now, but you could be an even more valuable senior technician or trainer in the future. The possibilities are endless, and the best part? Your growth is entirely up to you and what you are interested in.
3. Be Honest About Your Transferable Skills
Transferable skills are talents and abilities that can be used across multiple jobs. The top candidates will recognise their transferable skills and highlight them in their CV.
Thinking back to your time in education or previous employment is a great way to identify your transferable skills. Some examples can include leadership (training new colleagues) public speaking (from presentations), punctuality (from getting to places on time) and teamwork (working on a group project). The list goes on!
We would recommend making a list of your top five skills, and find examples of when you demonstrated these to weave into your personal statement, CV and interview. Find out more about what transferable skills you can include here.
4. Emphasise Communication & Customer Service Skills
Although communication and customer service skills can come under your transferable skills, you should emphasise them for a call centre job where most of the job will require you to deliver excellent customer service with a professional phone manner.
No matter where you are in your call centre career, this should never be played down – own your ability to talk to anyone and get the job done!
5. Make Sense Of Your Qualifications
Qualifications are one of the most important elements of your CV.
The qualifications section of a CV is important as it will allow the recruiter to assess whether or not you have the relevant qualifications for the job.
You are likely to have some qualifications under your belt from your time in education or courses – whether these are online and self-taught or part of your employment.
Take these past qualifications and explain to the recruiter the skills you have gained in the process that are linked to the job description. For example, your dissertation or a work project might have taught you how to research and write to a high standard against a tight deadline.
Remember that this is dependent on the call centre position you’re going for though – pick the qualification and skills that most align with the role in question.
Where To Position Your Education
If you’re just leaving education, your academic record will hold more weight than your professional experience, in which case you should position these qualifications above everything else. If you’ve got relevant employment as your most recent experience, prioritise that.
“What If I’m Still Studying?”
Even if you’re still working towards a qualification, make sure you add it to your resume and explain the skills you have gained so far. Just ensure that you highlight that it’s not finished yet. For example, ‘2021 – present’.
Learn more about how to structure your qualifications here.
In Conclusion
It’s possible to create a great CV for a call centre that stands out. Follow these 5 simple steps above and we guarantee you will do great. Good luck!
For more career advice, including how to prepare for and nail that contact centre interview, check out our previous blog posts.
If you need further assistance with your job search or would simply like to register your CV with us, please get in touch.
Written by Sarah Hopkins for Jomo People.
