In today’s competitive job market, countless candidates vie for coveted positions. This makes your resume your most powerful tool. It’s not just a document; it’s your ticket to making a memorable first impression on potential employers.
An impactful resume can mean the difference between blending into the crowd and standing out as the ideal candidate. In this digital age, where recruiters and hiring managers receive hundreds of applications, a well-crafted resume is your opportunity to shine and secure the job you desire. Let’s explore the art of resume building and how it can elevate your prospects in the job hunt.
Set an Excellent First Impression: 8 Tips on Creating Your Resume
According to McKinsey’s Employee Engagement Contact Center Survey, only 38 percent of the total agent population are satisfied with their job.¹ If you want to land a fulfilling job, then you have to start attracting employers and hiring managers with a well-written resume. Here are some tips you can apply.
Related Reading: Why Call Center Jobs Provide Great Opportunities for Recent Graduates
1. Find a resume format you can easily follow.
The first step to writing a resume is choosing a format. A proper resume structure allows recruitment professionals to quickly view your most important qualifications without going through your entire file. Common resume formats include:
- Chronological resume – the most common choice. It presents your work history in reverse chronological order, with the latest role at the top.
- Functional resume – emphasizes your relevant skills.
- Combination resume – puts together the chronological and functional resume types.
Alternatively, you can download a resume template. These are readily available online so you can just fill out your details to make things easier.
2. Communicate your story clearly and efficiently.
Hiring managers sift through numerous resumes, often scanning rather than reading them in detail. They’ll also look for key characteristics they’re most interested in. Make sure your message gets across by keeping things short and precise. Avoid rambling and unnecessary wordiness. It’s also best to use relevant keywords to the job posting if they match your skills.
Additionally, many recruiters use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). In fact, a study found that 88 percent of employers identified that qualified, highly skilled applicants were rejected by an ATS because they did not exactly match the criteria on the job description. That number even increased to 94 percent for middle-skilled candidates.²
If you want to stand out and pass ATS, keep your resume simple and easy to understand.
3. Showcase your relevant skills by referencing the job post.
McKinsey found that 41% of customer care leaders surveyed believe new hires need substantial training. This took anywhere from three to over six months to reach peak performance. Meanwhile another 20 percent said it could take more than six months.³
Signal to hiring managers your readiness and capability addressing essential qualifications and concepts from the job posting in your resume. It also demonstrates your alignment with the job description not only showcases your skills but also indicates your attentiveness to the employer’s needs.
Related Reading: 6 Qualities That Make a Great Call Center Agent
4. Highlight the awards you’ve received.
Including any awards, you received is an excellent way to subtly show how motivated and passionate you are. It proves your colleagues and superiors valued your contributions. This is also a great way to stand out from other applicants.
Remember to include the important details related to your achievements such as its official title and the date you received the recognition. You can also include relevant quantifiers like the number of contenders for the award.
5. Demonstrate your productivity.
Showing how productive you are and backing it up communicates to hiring managers that you are hardworking and passionate.
You can do this by strategically using action words and quantifiers in your resume. For example, instead of just saying you had 50 calls per day, you can say you made 50 outbound calls per day or assisted 50 inbound call customers per day. If you excelled in sales, mention the number of monthly sales you closed. Quantifying your achievements showcases your competence and competitiveness.
6. List down references on a separate page.
While references are valuable, they’re no longer a must-have due to modern hiring tech like ATS. However, if you choose to include them, list them down on a separate page and include a minimum of three. Opt for previous supervisors, managers, coworkers, professors, or those who closely observed your work.
These references provide hiring managers with deeper insights into your work history, habits, and overall character.
7. Include only what’s relevant.
It’s important to tailor your resume to the position. Focus solely on what’s important for the call center job you’re pursuing. Leave out unrelated skills or experiences.
For example, if you’re an incredible artist and enjoy painting in your free time, you don’t need to include this skill in your resume as it doesn’t support your credibility as a call center professional. Only include details that can be advantageous to you in getting that specific position you’re applying for.
8. Keep your resume short.
Since most hiring managers may not flip past the first page of a resume when they initially sort through their stacks of applications, it’s best to keep your resume short.
A one-page resume will suffice for entry-level or early-career applicants. On the other hand, experienced call center representatives and agents can extend this to two pages, if necessary, given their extensive background. What’s important is to make sure you include valuable and relevant details, aligning with the format of your chosen resume template.
Let your resume tell hiring managers you’re a must-hire.
An excellently effective resume can move you to the next stage of the hiring process, which is the initial interview. Be certain that the details you put in it will make you hard to ignore.
If you know someone who works for the call center you’re applying to, reach out to them. They may bring your name to the hiring manager, which can help make your resume stand out.
Related Reading: 6 Career Paths for a Call Center Professional! Which One Is Best for You?
SALEM SOLUTIONS CAN MAKE FINDING YOUR NEXT CALL CENTER JOB EASIER
As the nation’s leading call center staffing agency, Salem Solutions has a wealth of experience helping job seekers find their dream job. Our staffing specialists will even help you fine-tune your resume before applying for positions.
Contact us today to get started on the next chapter of your life!
References
1 “Boosting Contact-center Performance through Employee Engagement.” McKinsey & Company, www.mckinsey.com/pe/~/media/McKinsey/BusinessFunctions/Operations/OurInsights/Boostingcontactcenterperformancethroughemployeeengagement/Boosting-contact-center-performance-through-employee-engagement.ashx. Accessed 22 Aug. 2023.
2 Fuller, Joseph B., et al. “HIDDEN WORKERS: UNTAPPED TALENT.” Harvard Business School, www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf. Accessed 22 Aug. 2023.
3 “The State of Customer Care in 2022.” McKinsey & Company, 8 Jul. 2022, www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/the-state-of-customer-care-in-2022.
