Tips to Making a Great Call Center Resume

In every call center job hunting venture, the best offensive and defensive weapon you have with you is your call center resume. So if you want to get your dream call center job position, you’ve got to tailor fit your resume to the requisites of such position. Having a generic template of resume is good but if you are applying for the same position in seven different contact center companies, you might have to put a bit more effort if you want your application to get noticed. After all, these companies have a lot of choices. And you want to be that choice.

While others think that a resume can get them a job, it is more accurate to perceive resumes as a prerequisite for earning a title or position rather than treat it as the be-all and end-all. A resume is just a document showing your personal profile and qualifications. What it does in actuality is to help you get an interview. And that interview is what will determine whether you can join them on board or not.

Working as a recruiter sure showed me a lot of applicants vying for a call center agent position. Some of them were fully geared up, some were over the top, some average, and others plain clueless. Just by looking at their resumes, I can already tell which applicants to contact for an interview schedule and those which I should just ignore. So for those of you who want to make sure their call center resumes will land them the job, there are basic tips you should keep in mind when composing your resume.

Choose a decent resume photo.

Some say that putting a photo on the resume is not necessary since what matters more in a resume is the content—background, employment history, qualifications of the applicant—and not the physical appearances of the person.

However, some employers or recruiters prefer a resume with photo as a means of gauging the individual. Unfortunately, some people are just plain lazy or have poor taste so it reflects on their resume. I have encountered resumes with badly chosen photos of them at random: cropped, low resolution, taken ages ago, you name it. Even if they came from good schools, the picture have already spoken for you and it’s not flattering for someone who is vying for a position in a hotshot company. So take my word for it: choose the best, most decent, and recent photo you have in there.

Put emphasis on your communication skills.

After all, you are applying for a job that entails phone interaction with customers 6 to 8 hours a day, plus you have co-workers, trainers, and bosses to work with. But remember that a resume is like an ad. You can impress the HR personnel with your excellent written and verbal communication skills entry on the Qualifications section however, make sure that you have the guts and ability to back it up when interview time comes.

If you have a marketing background, it is an advantage. Call center agents who are adept at marketing have a better chance of levelling up in the corporate ladder faster because this type of industry always has a marketing side to it. Outbound sales agents, for example, upsell other products or services a certain account has to customer-callers. Moreover, salary and commissions are more lucrative in the marketing side of call centers than in regular agent positions.

Finally, watch your grammar please. Construct your call center resume as if you are writing for a high profile person. If you are not confident about your writing skills, have someone proofread you resume. Do anything you can to make sure you send the right message to the HR personnel. In the end, all hard work is repaid with nothing but a sweet spot in the office you desire to work in.