what is a good personal statement for customer service job

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How to Write a Customer Service Personal Statement

• CV Templates & Advice
• Customer Service

Have you found the perfect customer service job ? Stand out from other applicants by writing a winning personal statement for your CV.

Follow our expert advice and guidance to create a customer service personal statement that successfully presents your knowledge, skills and experience to create a fantastic first impression.

We recommend using this 100-150 words to provide examples of how you match the job specification and why you are the perfect candidate for this role. If you’re looking for further advice, check out our  how to write a personal statement guide .

What to include in your customer service personal statement

Why you’re applying for the specific role:.

• Mention why are you applying for this specific job role.
• List what appealed to you about the job description.
• Highlight any previous experience you have had in customer service.
• List the skills you already possess that relate to this specific role
• List any relevant subjects you have studied.
• List your School/College/University
• List your relevant qualifications.

Your customer service experience:

• Mention previous experience and role if applicable.
• Give examples of personality traits that make you a great candidate.
• Mention any key skills that relate to the industry.

Short Example:

A confident, reliable and enthusiastic individual, with previous customer service experience. I enjoy helping clients, customers and individuals, and solving any problems that they may have. I am a great communicator, over the phone, face to face and via email. I strive to work well under pressure and love to keep myself, and my workflow organised. As an experienced customer service advisor I take an enthusiastic approach, combined with a friendly, genuine dedication to customer satisfaction.

If you’re applying for customer service jobs, we recommend that you also check out our customer service cover letter template .

Related links

• How to Write a CV
• 4 Hobbies & Interests Employers Like to See on a CV
• How to Write a Personal Statement

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Home » CV Personal Profile Examples » Customer Service CV Personal Statement Examples

Customer Service CV Personal Statement Examples

Last updated : 31 January 2019

By Guest Author

If you are in a Customer Service role or seeking a new customer service role then your personal profile needs to be all about your experience in this area. There are many environments where people work in customer services and you need to make sure that you set yourself apart from the others and have slightly different skills.

To see an example personal profile, please see the below example you can use as a guide:

Related :  CV Personal Profile Example for Student

CV Personal Profile Example for Customer Service

I have X years experience of working in a Customer Service/Relations environment and I feel that throughout the years I have perfected my communication skills and ways of dealing with customers. I enjoy the variety of working with customers and I thrive on the challenges that this also brings when dealing with difficult customers or difficult situations such as complaints, returns when not warranted etc.

I like to work in a methodical and organised manner through using lists and keeping accurate records and logs so that I know where I am up to with my calls and customers and who I need to get back to and by what date etc. I think giving good customer service is very important and I like to ensure that I listen to my customer’s needs and requirements as well as being able to fulfil my duties as a Customer Service Assistant.

I am professional in my work, I pay great attention to detail and I remain calm and structured in my approach to my customers. I have gained enough experience to be able to deal with complaints and problem cases and I remain enthusiastic at all times.

I am now seeking more responsibility and feel that I am at a point where I can manage more customer accounts or manage a team of assistants and I am eager to continue progressing my career within customer services which I enjoy. I have achieved (any customer service awards internally or courses or anything that you are proud of).

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Top 20 Customer Service Resume Summary Examples You Can Use

If you are writing a resume or CV for a customer service job, the quality of its summary statement can boost its ability to win you an interview.

The career summary statement, being the first thing the recruiter will read in your resume, is an important part of the document that you can apply in making a great impression of your suitability for the customer service job.

This post will help you learn how to make really effective resume summary statements that increase your chances of being invited to an interview for the customer service position that you are seeking.

How to Write a Great Resume Summary for a Customer Service Position

To make a great summary statement for a customer service resume, you need to find out what the employer requires and what the job entails.

When you get these facts, you will know if you meet the employer’s requirements or not, like having the skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience to succeed on the job.

And if you do, then you can go ahead to create a resume summary statement that shows the recruiter that you possess what they require for the successful applicants to excel on the customer service role in their organization.

To quickly learn and master the act of writing very good customer service summaries for your resume, studying some examples will be helpful.

Best 20 Customer Service Resume Summary Samples You Can Apply

1. People oriented individual with attention to detail and a positive attitude. Seeking the position of Customer Service Associate at ABC; coming with strong knowledge of CRM systems and practices, and 3+ years’ proven customer support experience.

2. Customer service professional with strong ability to multi-task, prioritize, and manage time effectively. Interested in the position of Customer Service Representative at CBC, offering ability to handle high volume calls, active listening skills, and proven ability to resolve customer complaints in a professional manner.

3. Experienced service oriented individual with strong phone handling skills and ability to adapt to different personalities. Seeking a Customer Service Officer position at ABC Inc., coming with strong market knowledge and critical reasoning abilities to identify and assess customers need to achieve satisfaction.

4. Team player with people skills and a friendly positive attitude. Desire the Customer Service Advisor position at MVN Resources; to apply exceptional product knowledge in automotive parts, ability to adapt to different personalities, and 2 years retail sales experience.

5. Experienced customer-oriented individual with strong work ethic, ability to escalate issues appropriately and BS degree. Interested in the Technical Customer Service position at XYZ Inc. where high technical aptitude for assimilating new technology and technical concepts, plus advance computer skills will be utilized.

6. To obtain the job of a Customer Service Agent at XYZ Inc. to utilize strong phone handling and conflict resolution skills, as well as demonstrated customer support ability. Also coming with 2 years customer service experience and GED.

7. Experienced customer–oriented professional with strong multi-tasking skills and ability to efficiently prioritize task. Looking to obtain the position of a Customer Service Ambassador at CBC; coming with active listening skills and sound knowledge of CRM systems and practices.

8. Strong communicator with follow-through skills and CRM certification. Desire the position of Customer Service Support at Rainbow Inc.; bringing IT systems expertise, documentation skills, and proven ability to handle high volume and multiple calls in a positive and calm manner.

9. Individual with strong client relationship and interpersonal skills and an apt for learning. Seeking the position of Chat Customer Representative at CYX Inc.; coming with sound product knowledge, multi-tasking and prioritizing abilities, as well as ability to follow-through in a timely manner.

10. Excellent communicator with multi-tasking abilities and phone handling skills. Looking to obtain the position of IT Customer Service at XYZ Inc. where sound technology background and IT system expertise will be utilized.

11. Talented individual with excellent communication skills, a positive attitude and Bachelor’s degree. Hopeful for a Call Center Customer Service position at XYZ Inc.; bringing exceptional ability to handle high volume calls, negotiation and conflict resolution skills to handle complaints in a courteous and professional manner.

12. Looking to apply proven customer support ability, negotiation skills, and strong market knowledge in the position of a Customer Service Insurance Representative. Coming with honed skills in Marketing Management and 3 years insurance sales and customer support experience.

13. Hopeful for a Field Customer Service position at CBC to apply honed skills in sales and hands-on expertise in phone based prospecting. Coming with track record of success in a sales position and superior customer service skills.

14. Excellent communicator with superb presentation skills and Bachelor’s degree in Business. To obtain employment as a Healthcare Customer Service Rep at Inc. to apply sound knowledge of medical terminology, expert IT system skills, and hands-on experience handling high volume calls on multiple lines in a calm and professional manner.

15. Looking to obtain the Customer Service/Direct Sales Officers position at ABC Inc. to utilize well honed skills in sales management, excellent presentation and active listening skills to handle face-to-face customer interactions with high level of professionalism.

16. Problem solver with detail orientation and active listening skills. Interested in the Customer Service Specialist position at MVC Inc.; coming with high level of professionalism, strong keyboarding skills, 2 years contact center experience plus 1 year customer service experience.

17. Self-motivated personable and result-driven individual. Interested in the Customer Service Sales position at XYZ Inc.; coming with strong phone handling and computer skills, and 3 years retail sales experience in addition to 1 year proven customer support experience.

18. Meticulously detailed individual with active listening skills and Bachelor’s degree. Hopeful for the Associate Customer Service Representative position, to utilize proven customer service skills including: relationship building, issue resolution, follow-through, and timely courteous service.

19. Detail oriented individual with strong work ethic and mechanical aptitude. Desire to work at ABC Inc. as a Customer Service Estimator, to apply strong influencing and phone handling skills in achieving sales goals. Also coming with 4 years bulk material handling experience and advance Excel skills

20. Logical problem-solver with ability to multi-task seeks the position of Customer Service Case Processing at ABC Company, to apply active listening skills, empathy, and strong product knowledge in offering superior customer service.

No doubt, starting off your customer service resume or CV with a highly compelling summary will give a boost to your resume and increase your chances of being invited to an interview where you will have the opportunity to prove to the employer why you should be hired for the customer service role.

You can use the ideas and examples of customer service resume summaries provided in this post in creating a great one for your resume.

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How to Write a Customer Service Resume Objective with Examples

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Why is a strong customer service resume objective important?

How to write a customer service resume objective, examples of well-written resume objectives for customer service, examples of customer service resume objectives that are not well-written.

Customer service jobs can be competitive, and dozens of people may send in applications for the same position. A strong resume objective that shows an employer how useful you can be to the company can help you distinguish yourself from applicants who are responding to the same customer service position.

Generally, you should include your relevant qualifications, skills, experience and most notable past successes in your resume objective. Be sure to condense all the relevant information into an attention-grabbing statement. A good customer service objective should be no more than two or three sentences. This way, the employer can quickly and easily see how you’re qualified for the job.

You can create your resume objective for a customer service position by following these steps:

1. First, consider your qualifications 

Take inventory of your prior experience, skills, qualifications and expertise, and include the most impressive accomplishments in your objective.

2. Second, use numbers to showcase your past achievements  

Include quantifiable data and metrics that demonstrate the impact you had in past positions, such as the number of new accounts you opened, the volume of business you generated or the customer retention rate you helped your previous company achieve.

3. Next, highlight relevant skills 

Indicate desirable skills or qualifications that show your usefulness to the company. Choose relevant skills such as communication, teamwork and time management.

4. Lastly, explain your experience  

It can help to state how many years of work experience you have in customer service, especially if you’re looking for a leadership position.

Here are some examples of effective resume summaries that you can use as a guideline when writing your own:

‘Secure a job as a customer service representative with Seven Seas Company, which will enable me to use my communication skills and interpersonal skills to serve customers. Good problem solver, able to multitask and consistently finishes projects before their deadlines.’

‘Obtain a job as a customer representative where I can use my exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to resolve customer issues and foster a positive relationship between the customers and the company.’

‘Diligent and personable customer service representative seeking a position in which my communication skills combined with my problem-solving skills can be useful in serving customers. Capable of handling multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment. Able to keep customers happy and smiling while resolving their issues in the shortest time possible.’

‘Experienced customer care professional with three years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Now seeking a challenging but rewarding role in a position where I can use my interpersonal skills to provide the highest level of support to customers of DataSecure, LLC.’

‘Seeking a customer service position with NextGen Corporation to use my excellent customer service experience and people-oriented skills to enhance customer loyalty and deepen client relationships.’

Example 6 

‘Customer service representative with five years’ experience providing excellent services to customers in a dynamic work environment. Solid communication skills, good interpersonal skills and fast in resolving customer complaints with excellent problem-solving skills.’

‘Confident and energetic customer service representative passionate about serving customers. Thrives in a challenging and fast-paced environment. Able to interact freely with customers and resolve issues quickly. Now looking for a rewarding position where I can serve customers and increase customer retention.’

‘Self-driven customer service professional with over 10 years of experience working in a dynamic call center. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Passionate about building lasting relationships with customers.’

‘Experienced customer service coordinator with strong leadership skills. Able to design, implement and maintain cost-effective shift schedules for Telkom’s call center of more than 200 customer representatives. Efficient in managing and tracking client’s attendance records. Results-oriented professional who’s able to ensure customer representatives deliver an outstanding experience.’

‘Detail-oriented professional with over four years of experience in a busy customer-service environment. Proven ability to handle customer issues quickly and discreetly while nurturing positive relationships and increasing customer retention rates by 54%. Seeking to leverage these skills as a reliable customer service representative.’

Example 11 

‘Customer service representative with three years of experience in a busy IT help desk. Holds a bachelor’s degree in IT. Seeking to use my diagnostic skills and troubleshooting skills to help customers resolve a range of computer and networking problems.’

‘Seeking a customer service representative position where I can use my experience and communication skills to handle customer complaints and queries and deepen the relationship with customers.’

Example 13 

‘Qualified customer service professional with over 14 years of experience in customer care roles, including sales, tech support and customer care. Good listener, astute problem solver and confident on the phone. Proficient with various CRM tools. Seeking to use my customer service skills to provide a positive experience to the customers in your firm.’

‘Personable and articulate customer care professional with a history of providing outstanding support to customers. Able to maintain a positive attitude when serving customers in the banking hall. Possesses good judgment and the ability to handle confidential information discreetly. Seeking a customer service role within a financial institution that offers rewarding opportunities for dedicated people.’

‘Customer-centric professional with three years of experience serving customers in different roles. Proven ability in engaging customers, resolving complaints and strengthening customer-client relationships. Seeking a rewarding position with a company that values its customers.’

 Here are some examples of poor resume objectives:

‘Seeking a position as a customer service representative in a fast-growing company.’

The above resume objective doesn’t indicate the applicant’s qualifications or skills, which gives the employer no way to know what value they would bring to the company.

‘To obtain a customer service position with a company, which will require me to use my skills for the company’s success.’

Not only is this objective vague and generic, but it also doesn’t highlight the applicant’s experience and skills. It also doesn’t state what value they bring to the company.

‘Secure any position that requires me to use my interpersonal skills and analytical mind to resolve customer issues and complaints.’

While this objective states how the applicant’s skills are of value, it doesn’t clearly state the position they’re applying for.

In general, a poorly-written resume objective leaves out relevant details, doesn’t state the position being applied for, or otherwise fails to show how the applicant’s skills will benefit the employer.

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28 Customer Service Resume Examples for 2024

Customer Service Resume

• Customer Service Resumes by Experience
• Customer Service Resumes by Role
• Writing Your Customer Service Resume

As the face of the organization, the customer service team is instrumental in building and maintaining a business’s reputation.

To be a successful customer service professional, you must have a wide-ranging skillset—patience, empathy, critical thinking, and detailed knowledge of your company’s products or services.

With such a tall order, you shouldn’t also have to be an expert at  building a resume . Our easy  resume tips  are available at your fingertips!

We’ve analyzed countless resumes and  chosen the 28 best customer service resume samples to help you land your next job in 2024 .

Furthermore, we’ll share our recommendations and advice so you can put your best foot forward on your resume; before you know it, you’ll also be ready to tackle your  customer service cover letter !

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• The best way to do this is by making your points concise and highly relevant to the job to which you’re applying. If you include a  resume summary , tailor it to the business to which you apply. As a rule of thumb, the more you customize and  fine-tune your resume  for each job application, the more likely you are to get an interview. 

Entry-Level Customer Service Resume

• Choose two tastefully contrasting fonts: one for your section headers, and one for your body text. 
• Leverage white space throughout your resume to give it a clean, easy-on-the-eye, professional feel.
• We suggest bold (but not garish) colors in the header and titles to draw attention.
• Say goodbye to excess white space by adding some relevant projects you’ve worked on.
• Just make sure they relate to the  customer service job description  and emphasize your most relevant skills.

Customer Service Associate Resume

• Something very impressive on a  customer service associate resume  is when you’ve gone the extra mile to be certified. Definitely include any licenses or certifications you have in a dedicated “Certifications” section.
• Our  user-friendly resume templates  and  Google Docs resume templates  allow you to quickly add a section just for certificates and licenses.
• For example, “Handled an average of 40+ customer complaints per day with a 93% customer satisfaction rate.”

Customer Service Manager Resume

• Don’t worry though! You can easily tailor it by mentioning the specific job title you’re seeking, the company’s name, and any position-specific skills you’ve learned. If these kinds of details paralyze you, take a breath; now, make a resume with one of our  free resume templates  or  Google Docs interactive resumes  that already have sections laid out for your objective.
• Though including a  resume objective  is optional, we recommend one if you’ve had a career change, are entry-level, or simply need to effectively fill a little space on your resume.
• If you choose to add it, make sure it’s unique and personalized for every application you submit. That’s right. Every single one.

Customer Service Lead Resume

• Also, a technical support specialist position might have refined your problem-solving skills and technical knowledge, essential for resolving issues beyond the first line of support. A moment or two when your leadership stance shone brightly is a welcome addition to your customer service lead resume.

Senior Customer Success Manager Resume

• Here’s the inside scoop: dig into the job ad to get a grasp of what hiring managers are after, whether killer communications skills , a track record of success in customer handling, or knowing your way around the latest industry software (think Salesforce, Slack, and Zendesk). Then, spotlight these proficiencies in your showpiece. See? A piece of cake!

Customer Care Resume

• Think along the lines of “Spearheaded the integration of Freshdesk to streamline client communications, reducing response time by 37%” and “Negotiated service agreements with high-value clients, bringing in $576,987 in new business”. These should be your highlights—front and center of your resume’s work experience section. After all, wouldn’t you notice a candidate with figures to prove they’re a mover and shaker?

Airline Customer Service Resume

• In the same line, use larger fonts to draw the hiring manager’s attention to different essential parts of your resume. For example, role titles should be in a larger font and title case format, while terms accentuating your skills, hobbies, contact information, and education should be in uppercase.

Customer Service Call Center Resume

• It’s fine even if you mention them in other unrelated job roles. Just ensure that you clearly state how your assistance helped customers in a particular scenario.
• If you run out of room in your resume, remember that a cover letter generator can help you expound quickly on the details you care about sharing.

Customer Service Bank Resume

• Even if it’s only a short stint, mention how you went beyond resolving technical issues at a desk by adding your ability to make personalized follow-ups, maintain high-data accuracy rates, and implement any customer feedback provided.

Insurance Customer Service Resume

• Remember that expertise in communication efficiency, accurate responses align well with the requirements of the role since you will be handling customers.

Client Service Manager Resume

• And if you may, add your metrics on improving customer satisfaction to further prove your potential.

Customer Service Specialist Resume

• Luckily, customer service is typically a metric-heavy role. From sales to customer reviews to retention, there’s a lot of numbers you can draw upon, such as customer satisfaction scores, how many customers you helped, and sales targets you exceeded.
• Metrics draw the eye of the resume reader and increase the length of time they’ll review your  customer service specialist resume , which increases your likelihood of getting an interview. Since a hiring manager will, on average, spend six seconds reviewing your resume, hooking their attention quickly is key.

Retail Customer Service Clerk Resume

• The structure of your  retail customer service resume  can either help or hurt the flow of the employer’s reading experience and affect whether or not you get that interview.
• We suggest you experiment with an array of  resume templates  and go for the one that zooms in on your greatest selling points.
• Sprinkle in impressive numerical metrics such as team headcounts, sales targets met, and payment processing accuracy percentages whenever possible.

Customer Success Manager Resume

• Challenge yourself to prove your impact with metrics.
• For example, how much time did you save in labor hours? How much did you increase profits for the company? Provide any details that show how quickly you could boost numbers at the next business that’s smart enough to hire you. 
• Striking a good balance between hard and soft skills is tricky, but doable—the  skills section on your resume  can emphasize the soft skills that made those impressive numbers happen in the first place.

Bilingual Customer Support Resume

• For example, you can mention the number of reward program members you signed on, the number of customers you helped per shift, the number of performance-based awards you earned, and the percentage of bilingual clients who specifically returned to you for assistance.
• Pass the automated tracking system filter by peppering your skills section with relevant keywords you’ve taken the time to mine from the  job description .
• Just be sure the keywords you glean from the job description truly match the skills you possess! Better to be a master of a few talents than have a surface knowledge of many.

Customer Service Consultant Resume

• Having trouble breaking up with the roles you had in high school? You can save old positions in a separate document, just in case. Just reassure yourself that you can discuss this expertise during an interview.
• Rather than cramming your work experience down to microscopic font size, try honing in on your most relevant work history. 
• Since you probably have plenty of experience, you may want to consider including a  resume summary , which can give a valuable overview of your skills and how they’ve driven results over the course of your lengthy (10+ years for a summary) career. 

Customer Service Agent Resume

• As long as you’re not distracting from the content of your resume, go ahead and get a little creative. 
• Do this by  organizing your resume  into distinct sections (subheadings are your friend), and use an unexpected pop of color to draw on your personality. Who said your resume has to be boring? 
• Focus on adding hard skills, like Zendesk, Salesforce, and Microsoft Word.

Customer Service Success Specialist Resume

• Hiring managers in the customer service field often have less than a minute to review your resume, so it’s important that you place the most relevant information where they’ll see it! 
• Emphasize growth in your career by ordering your work experience in a  reverse-chronological resume format , meaning that your most recent experience will be listed at the top of the page. 
• Including numbers in your work experience bullet points shows the employer that you’re great at your job! Ultimately, they’re looking for specialists who can perform the job well, and numbers prove that you can. 

Customer Service Coordinator Resume

• That’s right. Your resume doesn’t need to look computer-generated to command respect. In fact, using a sprinkle of color can demonstrate your confidence and individuality, making you an even more appealing candidate. 
• A word of caution: While more companies are valuing the individuality and flair of applicants, there are times when toned-down colors (like deep navy, slate gray, or hunter green) may be more appropriate. This can be especially true if you’re applying to a larger corporate business. Determine what’s best by investigating the  customer service job description’s  work culture.

Customer Service Advisor Resume

• Now, that doesn’t mean you need to bring the entire color wheel to your resume. Instead, focus on grabbing recruiters’ attention by using one or two colors for your section titles. You can start from scratch to find a visually-appealing color, or use a  resume template  if you’re not artistically inclined. 
• Take your resume personalization to the next step by adding a  career summary  section if you’re a total pro in the field with more than a decade of experience. Use this section for some humble bragging and tell hiring managers about your biggest accomplishments over the course of your career. Because if there’s any good time to brag, it’s on your resume, right?

Customer Service Technician Resume

• It’s surprisingly easy! Using hard numbers throughout your resume makes hiring managers slow down and read more carefully, plus using metrics supercharges your resume clout and indicates that you know your value (literally). 
• Don’t be afraid to highlight your  hobbies and interests on your resume .
• But, please, please ensure you can relate them to the job. If you’re including a super interesting hobby, a hiring manager is almost certainly going to ask you all about it. You better 1.) actually do that hobby, and 2.) be able to relate that hobby to relevant customer service tech job skills. 

Customer Service Representative Resume

• So, instead of simply adding ‘Sales’ as a skill in your customer service representative resume , use an example of where and how you used said skillset. Try, “Boosted high-end electronic sales by 34% through deep product knowledge and personalized demonstrations.”

Call Center Customer Service Resume

• Format your resume so that your most recent experience and achievements are at the top of your call center customer service resume . By doing this, you’re presenting those highlights in a way that they’re the very first thing a recruiter will probably look at.

Professional Customer Service Resume

• Let’s say you have a Certified Customer Service Professional (CCSP) certification on your professional customer service resume—it immediately lets a potential employer know you’re well-equipped and ready to provide exceptional customer service.

Customer Service Supervisor Resume

• If you know your way around a specific CRM or management software, don’t miss the opportunity to add it to your customer service supervisor resume and show an employer you’re a well-rounded candidate.

Remote Customer Service Resume

• By using a remote customer service resume template that’s clutter-free and spotlights what’s really important, you can show a recruiter what they need to see to form a positive opinion of you.

Customer Service Sales Resume

• Let’s take the poetry writing, portrait sketching, and vector illustration mentioned in this customer service sales resume . They convey that you have a knack for being creative, understanding design, and paying attention to detail—all of which will come in handy in your professional role.

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4 Tips to Improve Your Customer Service Resume Today

Customer service resumes have gone beyond a simple list of experiences and education that prove your worth. Now, they’re as varied as the candidates themselves. Before writing a resignation letter and applying for your next job, check out BeamJobs’ list of recommendations to make your resume sound professional, look neat, and prove without a doubt that you’re the best candidate. We’ll cover:

• Customer service skills
• Formatting your customer service resume
• Quantifying your previous impact
• Customizing your resume for each job

Tip 1: Confidently choose your customer service skills

The  skills section of a resume  might be short, but it packs a punch. This is where you sell what you’re capable of and what you can do. This section is especially important for ATS to keep you in the running, so it’s crucial to pay attention to what skills you possess.

You should list both hard skills (like Microsoft Office Suite, HubSpot, or HelpDesk) and soft skills (like organization, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication). The best place to find applicable skills would be the job description itself—see what’s required for the tasks listed, and then use those tasks to steer you in the right direction.

Let’s say you run across a  customer service job description  requesting bilingual support like this:

• Answer telephone calls and emails promptly in Spanish and English
• Maintain and extend client base through positive customer interaction
• Excellent verbal and written skills in both Spanish and English
• Strong organizational and analytical skills 
• Flexible—must be able to work independently AND with a team daily

Based on the job description, it’s clear this company values a bilingual, organized individual who is an effective communicator. These skills (as long as they accurately define you) should serve as the foundation of your skills section. And a word to the wise—don’t apply for a job if you can’t honestly say you own the skill set required. 

Now, it’s time to tailor your skills section to the job description, which could look like this:

• Bilingual (Spanish and English)
• Organized 
• Strong verbal and written communication 
• Proven customer success 
• Empathetic 
• Methodical and thorough documentation 
• CRM (HubSpot)

Not every customer service job description will look like the one above, so your skills section should reflect the role for which you’re applying.

The following skills would be great additions to other customer service positions:

• Data analysis
• Metrics-driven
• Customer service reporting
• Self-motivated
• Social media
• Creative problem-solver
• Inquisitive

Tip 2: Format your resume for the ATS and recruiters 

When you open the pages of a book, what’s more inviting: dense blocks of text with little color or short paragraphs with headings, indents, and plenty of white space? The latter is easier to read and, thus, more inviting. Your customer service resume needs to follow the same principle since it’s your first impression. Make the recruiter’s job as easy as possible by being neat, easy to read, and understandable. 

There are multiple ways to achieve this, but one of the easiest is to put things in  reverse-chronological format . This helps recruiters know immediately where you’re coming from. (For example, if you recently worked as a customer service representative, you’ll have a shorter adjustment period. And even if you were a customer service rep a few years ago, the reverse-chronological order will help recruiters quickly assess your qualifications.)

Further suggestions for keeping your resume easy to read: 

• Bullet points rely on keywords, essential for making your resume ATS-friendly. The condensed structure and repetitive points also relieve eye strain when reading.
• Place the customer service title beneath your name to make it easier for the recruiter to keep that specific job in mind as they scan your resume. This is especially crucial when a company is hiring for multiple positions.
• The average time a recruiter spends looking at a resume is six to seven seconds, which means you should only include necessities. Anything else that’s relevant can be brought up in the job interview.
• Some companies see them as antiquated, but others like knowing exactly what you’re aiming for. Scan resumes in the job field to see if others include them, and consider reaching out to current employees on LinkedIn for advice.
• Primarily, fancy icons or images may confuse the ATS. Beyond that, leaving them off your resume looks more professional; plus, it leaves room for more important things, like skills or awards.

Objective or summary for your customer service resume?

Objectives and summaries  are a hot topic for resumes. It’s up to you to decide if an objective or summary is needed for your customer service resume. Typically, objectives/summaries are a good idea if you’re changing careers, you’re an entry-level applicant, or if you want to customize them for each application. Otherwise, it would be best to leave space for other things.

The difference between objectives and summaries rests in their purpose and your level of experience. Both are roughly two to three sentences, but  an objective describes your interest and qualifications for the job while a summary highlights your past work . If you have limited experience, you should choose an objective to sell why you’re the best candidate, but if you’re years into customer service, you could include a summary to describe your unique background.

No matter if it’s a summary or an objective, it should always be concise, informative, and personal ; this is your chance to show your personality and skills before the interview, so make it count.

When you write your objective, communicate your reason for applying and why you’d make a great candidate. Avoid making it generic, flat, or too casual: 

• College graduate looking for work in the customer service industry to start a life-long career. I’m hardworking, great with people, and skilled with computers.

Instead, your objective should be specific, detailed, and unique to both you and the job description. Try something that highlights your skills regardless of your experience level:

For those who have 10+ years of experience, a summary is the best way to go. Poor summaries have limited and vague information:

• I’m a manager who is seeking further professional growth. I’m good at resolving conflicts, handling money, and writing reports; looking for a job that will give me experience and career options.

Rather, a summary should be a highlight reel of your accomplishments and expertise. To further showcase your talent, add metrics here, too:

This summary is tailored to the position and outlines the candidate’s experience and skills while being personable and not too formal. By carefully crafting your objective or summary, you can rise above the competition in just two to three sentences.

Tip 3: Leverage metrics on your customer service resume 

Leveraging metrics is all about avoiding generality and demonstrating success. Most job description bullets don’t describe how successful, friendly, or efficient you were. However, saying, “Assisted 200+ customers weekly with technical questions with a 98% customer satisfaction rate,” tells the recruiter the specifics of your talents and abilities. 

Writing metrics for every single bullet point isn’t necessary, but including an estimate when you can is better than staying vague.

Some customer service metrics to add to your resume include:

• Customer satisfaction (CSAT) score: The core aspect of customer service is keeping customers happy, so providing high CSAT scores based on your interaction with customers is bound to get recruiters noticing.
• Net promoter score: Just like the CSAT, this gives an insight into how happy customers are with the company. 
• Employee retention rate: This statistic works well if you’re in a management position with a tight-knit group. That means your leadership has a direct effect on how many customer service reps leave or stay.
• Resolution rate: By showing a percentage of solved cases, you demonstrate your effective problem-solving skills and care for the customer.
• Customer effort score: This shows how much effort it took to get an issue resolved. Less effort means you’re easier to work with and more effective, which is why a low CES score is useful to add to your resume.
• Customer/employee numbers: Providing the number of teammates, employees, or customers you’ve helped or served is a great way to show your capability in helping large volumes of people.

Now that you know what kind of metrics to include, below are some examples of how you can use them in practice. If you have trouble calculating some of the aforementioned metrics,  HelpCrunch  or  Kustomer  have some helpful formulas. 

• Assisted over 250 patrons with technological questions monthly with a consistent 86 CSAT score based on interactions
• Extended the client base through positive, empathetic communication, resulting in a net promoter score of over 50
• Led a group of 20 employees through conflict resolution training, and updated onboarding processes that improved employee retention by 23%

Tip 4: Customize your customer service resume for the job 

Just as every company is different, no customer service position is identical. So, why would you submit the same resume for multiple customer service job applications? Tailoring your resume shows you have researched the job and helps corroborate your candidacy.

Check the following list for advice on how to customize sections of your resume:

• Mention the company by name and what you hope to accomplish. Check the “job details” section of the job description to see what the company hopes to achieve, whether it’s boosting customer loyalty or increasing customer satisfaction.
• Many customer service jobs require similar skills, but that doesn’t mean your skills should stay stale. Check the job description’s qualifications to scan for skill keywords to use. Keep it under 10 to avoid being excessive.
• Include the job description requirements in your resume as much as you can. If the job description says they’re looking for someone who will “standardize quality customer service through positive customer interactions,” mimic that wording on your resume to describe your past achievements. This helps make your resume ATS-friendly while highlighting your skills.
• No matter the customer service role you’re seeking, there are many ways to  write your resume  so that it’s relevant and unique to every application:

Customer service resume

• All of these are good ways to customize your job description points.
• Include a concise objective that mentions the company by name, and highlight why you’re qualified for the job.
• Have you assisted large volumes of customers or boosted overall customer numbers? Have you increased efficiency or used specific software discussed in the job description? 

Customer service rep resume

• Outcomes like increased sales or error reductions are great metrics to include.
• Highlight skills like empathy, friendliness, and negotiation in your skills section and job description bullets.
• Include your goals for your interactions with customers, like “established lasting relationships” to draw attention to your interpersonal skills.

Customer service manager resume 

• Use verbs like “directed,” “led,” or “modeled” to demonstrate productive leadership.
• Include a summary to showcase the success of your career so far and what you can bring to your new job.

Entry-level customer service resume

• For example, if you were a lab assistant, you had to be highly organized and a great problem-solver, which would work well in a customer service resume.
• Stress your ability to work well with people—include any courses,  extracurricular projects , or volunteer efforts where you interacted with people consistently. 

Retail customer service resume

• Include past experience where you solved problems, troubleshot issues, or resolved disagreements.
• Anything relating to product management would be an excellent addition—think of past jobs that dealt with marketing or sales, especially if you can provide metrics like increased revenue or reaching sales targets.

Customer success manager resume

• CSMs must be able to see trouble coming and steer clear, so include responsibilities where you proactively and positively improved the customer’s experience.
• Resilience and tenacity are two core elements of the customer success journey, so long-term projects and goals are solid additions to prove you’re willing to spend the time to get something done right. 

Bilingual customer support resume

• Include all languages in which you’re fluent in the skills section. Also, make sure to highlight your bilingual (or multilingual) abilities in your objective or summary.
• Mention how you improved your customer service strategies or practices as this will show you actively make customer experiences better for everyone.

Customer service consultant resume

• CSCs are also great advocates for both the customer and the company. They see things from both the customer’s perspective and the company’s, so keep your resume balanced between your advancements for the company and your success with customers.

The keys to your customer service resume

Resumes are your first impression, so it’s important you make a good one. By taking the extra time to customize and adjust your customer service resume, you’ll catch the eye of hiring managers. With your list of relevant skills, professional formatting, specific job metrics, and customized additions, your resume is sure to stand out from the competition.

Upload your resume to our  resume checker  to see if your resume meets our AI-powered recommendations. If you’re starting from scratch, use the  best free resume builder , which allows you to create resumes from the ground up with helpful hints and tools from BeamJobs. If you’ve made it this far, it’s safe to say you’re well on your way to crushing your customer service resume!

• Customer service CV examples

Landing a customer service job can be tough.

If you want to beat the competition, you need an impressive customer service CV to grab recruiters’ attention and stand out from the crowd.

This guide (Which includes 3 customer service CV examples ) will show you step-by-step how you can create a winning customer service CV and get the job you want.

Guide contents

• How to write your customer service CV
• What skills do customer service staff need?
• Checking your CV

CV templates 

Customer service CV example

Customer service manager CV example

Bank customer service CV example

The above example CV should give you a good idea of how a customer service CV should look , and the type of information it should contain.

Now, I will explain how you can create your own CV tailored to your unique situation.

Structuring your customer service CV

The structure of your CV is extremely important because it will determine how easy it is for recruiters and employers to read your CV, and find the information they need.

A simple and logical structure will always create a better reading experience than a complex structure.

The infographic below gives a basic outline of how you should structure your CV, along with a few pointers on formatting and style.

CV structure summary

Add your contact details to the very top of your CV to ensure that recruiters can’t miss them when they want to call you in for an interview .

Head your CV up with an eye-catching profile that gives readers a nice summary of your abilities and acts as an elevator pitch.

List your work experience (this could also be voluntary work, placements or school projects if you don’t have any experience yet) in reverse chronological order.

Finish your CV by detailing your education along with any technical skills and vocational qualifications .

Some formatting tips..

• Keep your CV looking professional and easy-to-read by using a clean simple font along with a plain colour scheme.
• Break text up as much as possible to create the best reading experience for recruiters.
• Keep your CV under two pages in length to provide enough detail to impress readers without boring them.

Writing each section of your CV

Now, I will walk you through each section of your CV, and explain what content needs to be entered when writing it .

Name and contact details

Sitting at the very top of your CV, your name and contact details should take up minimum space on the page.

You should include…

• Your mobile telephone number so that recruiters can contact you quickly.
• Your email address – tip: use a professional sounding email address, and not an embarrassing one from your school days – [email protected] is fine, [email protected] is not.
• Your location such as Liverpool/Leeds/London

But you don’t need to include…

• Your full address – it’s too much information at this stage
• Your date of birth – hiring decisions are not based on age
• A photograph – Employers do not need to know what you look like – only what skills you have

If you want to hold recruiters’ attention, and really wow them when they open your CV, you must write a punchy profile at the top.

A profile is an introductory paragraph which highlights all of your most important skills and knowledge for customer service roles.

Here is an example:

The type of things employers will want too see in your profile are:

• What kind of customer service skills do you have? Communication , product knowledge, interpersonal skills etc.
• What type of companies have you worked for? Retailers? Restaurants?
• What relevant qualifications do you have?

Use positive persuasive language throughout your profile and really sell yourself – don’t be afraid to brag a little.

Quick tip:  If you struggle with spelling and grammar, try our quick-and-easy CV Builder

Also, check out our customer service cover letter example.

Core skills section

A great way to ensure that recruiters don’t skip past your CV, is to add a core skills section.

A core skills section is simply a bullet pointed list split over two or three columns which reiterates your most valuable skills. It creates a snapshot of your abilities so that recruiters can get an instant idea of your offerings within seconds of opening your CV.

You can also swap these points around if you need to tailor your CV for a specific role.

For example a clothing store customer service role might require slightly different skills to an insurance call centre role, so you’d need to adapt your core skills accordingly.

Work experience

Detailing your work experience gives you a great opportunity to showcase your ability to apply your skills and knowledge in the workplace.

If you already have some customer service experience then great, you should try to highlight as much of it as possible in this section.

If you don’t have any direct work experience, that’s fine – you can also include unpaid experience such as volunteering , school work placements and even extracurricular activities here. Just include anything that will demonstrate that you have the necessary skills.

You should list your experience from latest role to oldest role, like this.

Structuring and writing your role descriptions

To prove your value as an employee, it’s vital that your roles are easy-to-read, well written, and demonstrate a broad range of customer service skills .

This example of a role description, gives you an overview of how your roles should be laid out.

Basic CV template

Now, let’s take a closer look at what should be included in each section.

Outline/Intro

The first line of your role descriptions should set the scene for readers and allow them to quickly understand who you work for (a small retailer? A big airline?), what environment you work in (shop floor? Call centre?) and what the overall aim of your job there is, in relation to serving customers.

“Customer facing role for global clothing retail chain working across 2 busy stores, ensuring all customer needs are met and driving sales of all products”

Responsibilities

List your responsibilities within your roles in short bullet points, so that busy recruiters can quickly skim through them. Detail all aspects of your role, and try to showcase as much of your customer interaction as possible. I will talk about the skills that customer service employers look for in a CV in the next section.

• “Serving customers at the till, processing transactions and dealing with enquires”
• “Handling complaints and resolving issues to ensure positive outcomes for the store and customers”
• Performing haircuts , shampoos and colours for female customers

Achievements

A really good customer service CV should contain plenty of impressive achievements that show you have gone the extra mile to help your customers and employers. Tag some achievements on to the end of your role descriptions to show recruiters the impact you make – and try to include numbers where possible

• “Resolved 95% of all allocated complaints within 4 day target timeline and won best barista of the month”
• “Sold over 300 units of luxury goods and awarded top regional sales award”

What do employers look for in a customer service CV?

Most businesses and public sector organisations require customer service staff, but there is an especially big demand within B2C organisations such as retailers, insurance firms, restaurants and leisure services etc.

Customer service requires a broad range of skills, here is a list of the most important ones that employers will expect to see in your CV.

• Meeting and greeting – The ability to make customers feel welcome and comfortable is essential in a customer facing role and extremely important to a company’s reputation.
• Transaction processing – Whether you take card details over the phone or handle cash over a till, dealing with customer transactions is a valuable skill.
• People skills – Customer service roles revolve around the customer, so it makes sense that your CV should showcase your ability to deal with people positively.
• Complaint handling – Unfortunately complaints will arise in any customer service role – but if you can demonstrate your ability to handle them well, and create effective resolutions for both the customer and employer, it will look great on your CV
• Sales – Customer service staff are on the front line of any company’s sales, so good sales skills are vital.
• Product knowledge – Customers will often have questions to ask before making a purchase, and a good customer service agent will have the ability to familiarise themselves with their employer’s products, and give out sound advice .
• Communication – written and verbal communication between customers colleagues and managers are required frequently in customer service work.
• Team work – Serving customers is a team effort, so give some examples of your ability to work within teams in your CV.

Education & qualifications

Add your education and qualifications to the bottom of your CV for completion. You should add your formal education such as:

As well as any specific customer service qualifications such as an NVQ in customer service.

Skills and experience tend to be more important in customer service environments, so there’s no need to go into much detail in your education section.

Interests and hobbies

Your hobbies and interests outside of work are an optional section and won’t always make a huge difference in a hiring decision.

However, there are two situations where they can influence a recruiter’s decision.

a) You have no experience

To compensate for a lack of work experience, you can use your interests as a means of showcasing your relevant skills. For example if you captain a sports team, that can demonstrate leadership, motivation and communication skills.

b) You have highly relevant interests

If you have interests outside of work that are directly related to customer service, then it’s definitely worth including them. For example, you might volunteer at a local event which requires you to deal with the public and utilise lots of customer service skills.

If you have popular interests such as eating out and going to the cinema, they are unlikely to have a big effect on a recruiters decision to call you – so keep them brief or omit them completely.

Finalising your customer service CV

Once you’ve used this guide to create your customer service CV, you should proofread it several times to ensure that there are no typos or grammatical errors. Nothing will scare off an employer more than a CV full of sloppy mistakes – it’s your professional marketing document, so it needs to be flawless.

With a punchy profile that really sells your most valuable talents, and well written role descriptions that are tailored to showcase customer service skills, you should have a winning customer service CV at your disposal.

You may also be interested in our waiter/waitress CV example .

Applying for roles

Once you have created your CV, don’t stop the hard work there.

Apply for plenty of customer assistant roles across the job websites, company career pages and LinkedIn. Maybe even set yourself a daily or weekly application target to ensure you stay on track.

To save time, create a cover letter template to use when sending applications. Don’t be deterred if you don’t get many responses to start with, keep preserving and adapting from feedback until you start seeing results.

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10 Customer Service Skills for Success in Any Job

Boost your business by mastering the most effective customer service skills.

When you walk into a cosmetics shop, and the salesperson asks if you need any help, that is customer service. When you call your credit card company to dispute a charge and speak with a representative, that’s customer service, too. 

Customer service plays an important role in attracting and retaining customers. Businesses can leverage good customer service to boost sales. Empathy, good communication, and problem-solving are core skills in providing excellent customer service.

In this article, you’ll learn customer service, its importance, and the top 10 customer service skills for a thriving business.

What is customer service?

Customer service is supporting customers before, during, and after their purchase. Someone providing customer service helps the customer navigate how to use the product or service and troubleshoot any errors or defects that may arise. The response is positive when a business is hospitable and puts customers first. 

Today, businesses also need to meet customers where they are shopping. E-commerce sales in the UK are higher than in any other country, making up nearly one-third of the retail market [ 1 ]. That means customer service should consider how to meet online customers at every touchpoint, in addition to in-person or phone interactions, to foster a holistic customer experience.

Whether you are a restaurant owner, waiter, technology start-up founder, or UX designer, delivering good customer service requires a human-centric approach. Though it can vary by industry, here are some common examples of good customer service attributes:

Speed: Customer receives a quick response and positive engagement.

Multi-channel communication: Customer service is available on multiple platforms, such as telephone, social media messaging, or live chat.

Personalised: Customer service is tailored to each customer.

Proactive: Answers, such as FAQs and product information, are available without the need to contact the business. Any other needs or desires are anticipated and addressed.

Why is customer service important?

Good customer service can improve a company’s sales and brand reputation. Customers tend to spend more money if they feel special and the service is tailored to their needs. According to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index report from The Institute of Customer Service, 35 percent of customers in the UK were willing to pay more for excellent service [ 2 ]. This, in turn, helps develop a positive brand association for future purchasing decisions.

Beyond a business’s bottom line, strong customer service skills can yield benefits internally. Informal feedback generated from customer interactions can be an invaluable resource for improving user experience (UX) and product design. Furthermore, hiring respectful, empathetic employees can enhance team collaboration and well-being. 

Brands known for customer service

Some of the biggest brands use customer service tactics to become associated with the brand. Apple is known for its personalised support portal, which allows you to view every product you’ve ever bought. It is linked to the Apple Genius bar, so you can easily book an appointment when you need support.

Ikea offers a 365-day return policy for every unopened purchase and 180 days for open shop-bought items, allowing customers to comfortably try out new items and decide whether to exchange for alternate products. Starbucks quickly replaces spilled drinks, and customers love seeing their names scrawled on the side of their coffee cups.

10 customer service skills for success

Anyone can learn these skills to build customer loyalty and foster strong relationships among employees and teams. You likely already possess some of these skills or need some practice to sharpen them.

Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s emotions and perspective. Delivering a good customer experience requires tapping into their headspace to fulfill their needs. It means reading cues and anticipating what they want. The outcome of empathy can look like treating customers kindly when they enter your restaurant, allowing for refunds within 30 days, and assisting them in their decision-making process.

Example: A customer calls their internet service provider complaining that their WiFi has been spotty over the past week. The representative says, “I understand how frustrating that can be. Let me do some tests to troubleshoot the issue.”

2. Problem-solving

Being able to solve problems is key to customer service. If a customer contacts the business with an issue or complaint, the employee needs to figure out why they are experiencing the problem and how to fix it. Solving the problem may require you to be patient and respectful as they explain the problem. You should be able to have the necessary technical knowledge to help the customer resolve the issue and help them prevent it in the future.

Example: Over live chat, a customer cannot reset their password to log into their account. The representative performs a manual reset and then walks the customer through how to reset their password in the future.

3. Communication

Communication can occur in many forms, through various channels, penetrating customers through in-person interactions, the instruction manual, and social media copy. Effective communication is utilising clear and concise language when educating customers on products and company policies so that they feel confident making a purchase and feel that they’ll be supported even after the purchase. When speaking with customers in person, body language should be positive, refraining from mumbling or crossing the arms and looking bored.

Example: A customer calls a local cafe to inquire about opening hours. The barista on the phone responds quickly and cheerfully instead of muttering incoherently and placing them on hold.

4. Active listening

Every conversation requires a listener and a speaker. Listening to a customer’s questions and concerns and responding in a way that makes them feel heard paves the way to a solution. Verbal cues like “mmm,” paraphrasing, and clarifying questions are all part of the practice of active listening.

Example: When a customer calls a restaurant to make a reservation, the host listens and then repeats, “You’re all set! To confirm, your reservation is 7 p.m. on Saturday at our London location.”

5. Technical knowledge

As a customer service professional, you’ll want to be familiar with technical and industry knowledge to help customers make informed decisions and troubleshoot any issues. Representatives should be up-to-date on all product specifications, purchasing processes, product or service usage, and company policies. Plus, technical knowledge is helpful if you’re trying to upsell a product or service because you’ll be able to list out the features of the newest edition.

A good practice for businesses is to list FAQs on their websites to empower customers to find information without contacting the support team. 

Example: An electronics sales representative helps customers decide which mechanical keyboard to purchase by explaining every model, brand, and key type. They even convince the customer to opt for the pricier but higher-quality option.

6. Patience

Patience is handy when dealing with customers, especially if they are angry, resentful, or rude. A heated argument with a customer can diminish your brand reputation, especially given the star rating systems on Google Maps, Yelp, or Glassdoor, where your business might be listed. Practising compassion can help you deliver a positive customer experience. Your presence and actions can lift someone’s spirits instead of worsening a bad situation. 

Example: A customer drops her umbrella while leaving the nail salon, ruining her just-polished nails. The nail technician calls her back with a smile and repaints the ruined nails.

7. Tenacity

Tenacity, the ability to remain doggedly persistent throughout a difficult situation, is a quality often overlooked but very important in customer service. Along with patience and developing a thick skin, tenacity is required to get the job done thoroughly and accurately. Customers appreciate it when service professionals walk them through the process when they need help. They are more likely to continue doing business with you if you have ensured customer satisfaction.

Example: A new landscaper makes a mistake when tending the lawn and accidentally cuts the client’s beloved rose bush. The next day, he drives several hours to find the same plant to replace it.

8. Adaptability

Customers want to be able to reach a business on nearly every platform. Their channel of communication might change depending on the situation. That means your customer service needs to be adaptable. Sometimes, the same customer contacts a business through different channels. Integrating customer information with a customer relationship management (CRM) system helps to streamline inquiries from multiple channels. It also helps to accommodate your customers' different backgrounds and personalities.

Example: A customer contacts a dermatologist by phone (with a headset) if they’re in the car and running late for their appointment but prefers to email or text for appointment confirmations and administrative questions. 

9. Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness is a useful customer service skill in problem-solving. Finding innovative and quick ways to solve a problem can decrease time with each customer so that you can help more customers in a day. It requires familiarity with different departments within a business and referring customers if needed. Developing creative approaches to problem-solving is a skill that can be sharpened while on the job.

Example: An Australian company requires customers to pay for return shipping. Due to an uptick in complaints, the CEO decided to experiment with free shipping for two months to maintain the status quo. Five-star ratings increased shortly after that.

10. Positive attitude

Maintaining a positive approach to customer service can be difficult if your customers are frustrated with your product or service. A rule of thumb is to stay calm and try to meet the customer where they are, to empathise with their situation and why they might be upset. Driving customers away with a negative attitude will only cause more pain for the business, as it can lead to a poor reputation and a decrease in sales.

Example: A customer who bought a board game from the shop is upset because some important pieces are missing. The employee thanks the customer for their patience and understanding as they mail the missing pieces to them within one week.

Enhance customer service skills with Coursera.

Customer service skills are important across many industries and can help create a positive work environment for you, your colleagues, and your customers. With Knowledge Accelerators’ course Customer Service Fundamentals on Coursera, you’ll learn the necessary skills to give you an edge in the in-demand IT customer service industry, such as communication skills, empathetic behaviour, and problem-solving. 

If you’re seeking a job in IT support, you’ll learn how to perform tasks such as computer assembly, wireless networking, program installation, and customer service with the Google IT Support Professional Certificate . Get started today and complete your programme in six months or less.

Give your team access to 8,000+ engaging courses and hands-on Guided Projects to help them develop impactful skills. Learn more about Coursera for Business .

Article sources

International Trade Administration. “ United Kingdom - Country Commercial Guide , https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/united-kingdom-ecommerce#:~:text=The%20biggest%20player%20in%20the,revenue%20in%20the%20United%20Kingdom.” Accessed May 22, 2024.

The Institute of Customer Service. “ UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) , https://www.instituteofcustomerservice.com/research-insight/ukcsi/.” Accessed May 22, 2024.

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Writing an Administrative Assistant’s Personal Statement

Table of Contents

Administrative assistants play an important role in any organization. They are responsible for scheduling appointments, answering phones, managing emails, and providing administrative support.

The job of an administrative assistant requires good organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to multitask. Asides from your resume, a personal statement is a vital document employers typically require to determine your suitability for a job role. The  administrative assistant personal statement examples  in this guide will help you get started on the right note.

A personal statement is your chance to sell yourself to the employer and demonstrate your abilities, qualifications, and skill set. You’ll surely leave a lasting impression on the recruiting manager with a solid personal statement that details what you can offer to the company.

This article will take you through writing the perfect administrative assistant personal statement . 

What Is A Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a document you submit as part of your job application. It is a summary of your skills, qualifications, and capabilities . It details what you can offer an employer regarding your applying job. 

A good personal statement must convince the hiring manager that you’re a perfect fit for the role at hand. You may include your interests, life, and career goals. The personal statement is also a great way to demonstrate your written communication skills. This is because administrative assistants often interact with customers and other stakeholders via email. 

What to Include in an Administrative Assistant Personal Statement

For your statement to stand out, you must include some essential information. Here are some key details to include in an administrative assistant’s statement:

1. Relevant work experience

List any previous work experience relevant to the administrative assistant position you are applying for. This could include experience working in a similar role, handling office tasks, or using appropriate software or technologies.

2. Skills and Abilities

Highlight any skills and abilities that make you a strong candidate for the role. These could be proficiency in computer programs such as Microsoft Office, excellent communication skills, and the ability to multitask and prioritize tasks effectively.

3. Education and Relevant training

Include any relevant education or training you have received, such as a degree in business administration or a certificate in office management.

4. Personal qualities

In your statement, highlight any qualities that make you well-suited for the role of an administrative assistant. These could include strong attention to detail, a positive attitude, and working well in a team.

5. Career goals

Finally, include a brief statement about your career goals and how the role of an administrative assistant fits into your long-term plans.

How to Write an Administrative Assistant Personal Statement

Your statement should be written in a clear structure, with each section building on the point you made in the previous one. 

The following steps will guide your writing:

1. Begin with a Hook

Begin your statement with a brief statement that captures the reader’s attention. You may start by explaining why you are interested in the administrative assistant position and what makes you a strong candidate.

2. Highlight your relevant work experience

When listing your relevant work experience, include the names of the companies or organizations you worked. Also include your previous job titles, and a brief description of your responsibilities.

3. Mention your most unique skills and abilities

You might have several skills and abilities, but only mention those relevant to the administrative assistant position. Also include any skills that give you an edge over other job applicants, one that portrays your uniqueness. 

4. Highlight your personal qualities that make you stand out

This is where you sell yourself to the employer. Detail any unique qualities that will make you excel on the job. These may include strong attention to detail, a positive attitude, and working well in a team.

5.  Conclude

Bring your statement to a close by convincing the employer that you’re indeed the perfect fit for the job role. 

Administrative Assistant Personal Statement Examples

I am an experienced and organized administrative assistant passionate about using my unique skill set to provide exceptional service.

My career has been built on the commitment to providing excellent support services, which I have perfected through initiative and dedication. 

As a professional, I take pride in learning complex tasks while working efficiently under tight deadlines. I often display impressive problem-solving abilities by resolving issues related to day-to-day operations in a timely fashion. Additionally, I always strive to increase my productivity by exploring creative methods of executing my duties. 

My strong interpersonal skills allow me to interact easily with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and build meaningful relationships. Furthermore, I always ensure effective communication between all stakeholders, helping create a peaceful work environment. On top of that, I am skilled at negotiating favorable terms and achieving organizational objectives. 

Overall, my experiences and expertise make me an ideal candidate for any organization looking for competent and reliable administrative assistance.

I am an experienced and enthusiastic administrative assistant, passionate about utilizing my diverse skills to help organizations achieve their objectives. With my extensive knowledge, I juggle many tasks while working efficiently and effectively under pressure. I focus on delivering results on time with accuracy and attention to detail that is second to none. 

My technical proficiency includes computer use, data entry, record keeping, scheduling, filing, and other clerical duties. With these abilities and my commitment to learning new software applications, I offer a unique blend of energy and experience to any organization. 

Additionally, I strive to build strong relationships through my active communication skills and problem-solving abilities. I also have excellent interpersonal and organizational abilities.

I hope to be considered for this opportunity to serve as an administrative assistant in your organization.

I am an experienced and enthusiastic administrative assistant, eager to bring my organized and dedicated work ethic to any workplace. 

With a proven track record of handling clerical duties efficiently and accurately, I am confident I will become an essential part of your team. My drive is fueled by my creative problem-solving skills and willingness to take on complex tasks easily. 

Furthermore, I have excellent interpersonal relationship skills to collaborate effectively with colleagues while maintaining professionalism. I strive to improve processes within any organization and possess the organizational skills necessary for achieving streamlined operations. 

Additionally, I can easily prioritize tasks, reduce risks, and keep communication lines open between departments while maintaining confidentiality and topmost discretion. My dedication to superior customer service will be invaluable when interacting with clients or customers. 

Overall, I offer a unique combination of experience, energy, skill, and reliability that would make me an ideal addition to your office.

Administrative assistants are the backbone of every organization, as many things won’t function without them. When seeking the role of an administrative assistant, you must display your uniqueness. And capture the employer’s attention in a way no other person does.

A strong personal statement will set you apart from the competition. So it’s worth investing your time and effort to create a striking statement.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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That’s the great thing about a career at Walgreens. You get to bring health and happiness to people’s lives. As a shift lead, we’re counting on you to help lead the way. You’ll be right in the middle of the action as a rock-solid point person between management and team members. It’s a big responsibility with an even bigger impact – on customers and on your future. So every time you walk our aisles, you’re moving in a positive direction.

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Karen Read trial live updates: Read may have had BAC more than three times limit

• Updated: May. 29, 2024, 8:53 a.m. |
• Published: May. 28, 2024, 8:42 a.m.

Karen Read listens to testimony by witness Brian Higgins during her trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool) AP

• Tréa Lavery | [email protected]
• Luis Fieldman | [email protected]

Court adjourns until next week — 4:02 p.m.

Testimony in the trial of Karen Read , a Mansfield woman charged in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, continued Tuesday — the only day of testimony this week.

Read, 44, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of O’Keefe, who was found cold to the touch and unresponsive on Jan. 29, 2022, outside of a home in Canton.

• Read more: Everyone you need to know to understand the Karen Read trial
• Read more: 4 takeaways from Karen Read trial: texts, taillight damage and first witnesses
• Read more: Karen Read trial: Jennifer McCabe testifies about when John O’Keefe was found dead

The final witness of the day Tuesday was Louis Jutras, information systems manager for the town of Canton. Jutras explained that the town has a security camera system across its properties that is motion-activated and takes video, but not audio, when activated. Depending on the amount of activity of the location, footage is typically kept for a minimum of 30 days, he said.

Jutras said that in early February, he was contacted by Massachusetts State Police who asked for footage from the Canton Public Library of the intersection of Washington and Sherman Streets between 12 and 1 a.m. and between 5 and 6 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022. He said only two cameras have a view of the specified area, so he was able to export and hand over the footage.

Jutras said before he provided the footage, he did not make any edits but watched the beginning and end of the video to ensure the time frame was correct.

On cross-examination, defense attorney David Yanetti asked if Jutras knew what police had done with the video after he gave it to them, which he did not. Jutras said in April 2023, police reached out again to ask him to provide the same footage to the defense team, but because of the time that elapsed in between, he no longer had access to the video.

The court adjourned for the day just after 4 p.m. The trial will not resume until 9 a.m. Monday, June 3.

Canton DPW director explains plowing procedure — 3:39 p.m.

Canton Superintendent of Public Works Michael Trotta, the next witness to be questioned, said he received a call from Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor in early February 2022 and Proctor asked about the town’s procedure for plowing roads during a snowstorm and what plow drivers were on duty during the blizzard on Jan. 28 and 29.

Trotta said the route in the Cedarcrest neighborhood, which included Fairview Road, was being plowed by one medium-sized, town-owned truck and a smaller, one-ton dump truck operated by a private contractor. He said Brian Loughlin was the driver of the truck that plowed Fairview Road.

During cross-examination, defense attorney David Yannetti asked if Proctor had specifically asked who had plowed Fairview Road and if Trotta had given him Loughlin’s name or recommended he check with the Public Works department’s operations manager. Trotta said he believed he had given Proctor Loughlin’s name and directed him to the operations manager but couldn’t be sure.

Read could have had BAC more than three times legal limit — 3:13 p.m.

The next witness to take the stand was Nicholas Roberts, a former employee at the state toxicology lab.

Roberts explained that serum testing performed in hospitals separates the serum, or the liquid part of the blood, to test for alcohol and usually results in a slightly higher result than a “whole blood” test because alcohol “likes to stay in the liquid portion more than throughout the whole blood.”

Roberts said at the toxicology lab, they are able to perform a mathematical conversion on serum test results to estimate what the level of alcohol would be in a whole blood test and provide a range of levels to account for differences between individuals that could affect the result.

When staff at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton drew Read’s blood for testing at 9:08 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, hospital staff measured 93 milliliters for deciliter of alcohol through a serum test.

Roberts said this level works out to a low of 0.078, a high of 0.083 and an average of 0.081 blood alcohol concentration.

Roberts also explained that it is possible to perform a “retrograde extrapolation,” or a calculation to estimate what a person’s BAC would have been at a time before their blood was drawn and tested. He said at 12:45 a.m. Jan. 29, when they estimated Read had her last drink, her BAC would have been between 0.135 and 0.292.

In Massachusetts, the legal BAC limit to be able to drive is 0.08.

Defense attorney Elizabeth Little questioned the wide range of possible BAC levels, pointing out that the unknowns in the case, most importantly when Read had her last drink of the night, meant the answer was uncertain. In addition, she said, usually the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab performs multiple tests to confirm the accuracy of their test results.

“In this case, obviously, you didn’t conduct any of the testing. You’re just assuming the accuracy of a single test,” she said.

Roberts agreed but said throughout his testimony that small variations in the time of the last drink, even of up to 30 minutes, would not significantly impact the result.

“That’s why we give a range,” he said. “You could be on the outskirts of either side.”

Before concluding Roberts’ testimony, Little asked him if the 12:45 a.m. estimate came from Read herself, and he said the time came from a police report.

Pathologist explains blood alcohol testing performed on Read — 2:33 p.m.

When court resumed after breaking for lunch, Good Samaritan Medical Center Chief Pathologist Gary Faller took the witness stand. Faller oversees testing at the hospital, where O’Keefe and Read were both brought after O’Keefe’s body was discovered on Jan. 29, 2022.

Faller said it is not standard but not abnormal for a patient’s blood to be drawn and tested for drugs or alcohol when they are brought in due to mental health concerns under the state’s Section 12 law, like Read was that day.

He explained the process for testing alcohol at the hospital is called a “serum test” and tests only the liquid part of the blood to determine alcohol levels, as medical professionals are focused on what they need to know to treat a patient and not legal alcohol levels.

Read’s blood was drawn at 9:08 a.m. on Jan. 29 and was found to contain 93 milligrams per deciliter of alcohol. Faller did not say what level this amount would work out to in a “whole blood” test, which could provide the typical blood alcohol concentration measurement used in legal settings.

Defense attorney Elizabeth Little asked Faller about ways this test may return an inaccurate result, which he said was possible in some cases, such as if the patient had elevated lipid levels. However, he said, the machine used by the hospital will flag samples that may return an inaccurate result or even not report a result at all, and this did not happen with Read’s blood sample.

“Last I looked ... of the I think 5,000 hospitals testing for alcohol, over 80% of them are using our methodology,” Faller said. “I can’t imagine why if there were any major issues with alcohol testing in that methodology, it would be that high.”

O’Keefe’s body temperature was 80.1 degrees when he arrived at the hospital — 12:53 p.m.

Dr. Justin Rice, an emergency medicine physician who was practicing at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton at the time of John O’Keefe’s death, took the witness stand when court resumed after testimony from O’Keefe’s minor niece and nephew.

Rice was on duty when O’Keefe was brought to the hospital after being discovered on the lawn outside of 34 Fairview Road on Jan. 29, 2022. He said when O’Keefe arrived in the ambulance at 6:47 a.m. medical personnel were performing CPR and he had been fitted with a breathing tube.

According to Rice, O’Keefe’s body temperature was 80.1 degrees, indicating hypothermia. Medical staff attempted to warm him using a “bear hugger,” a blanket that pumps warm air underneath it, as well as warmed intravenous fluids, but “there was not a significant warming of his core temperature.”

O’Keefe was also in cardiac arrest and asystole when he arrived at the hospital, meaning his heart was not pumping blood and had no detectable electrical activity. He had a cut about 7 millimeters long and swelling on his right eyebrow and scratches on his right forearm.

Rice said O’Keefe was presenting at a three on the Glasgow Coma Scale, which measures the responsiveness of a patient, the lowest possible score. He was pronounced dead at 7:50 a.m.

Rice was also the attending physician that morning when Read was brought to the hospital at 7:51 a.m. for mental health concerns after her mother requested she be involuntarily detained under the state’s Section 12 rule. He said blood was drawn when she arrived and alcohol was detected in her system at 93 milligrams per deciliter.

Defense attorney Elizabeth Little began cross-examination by asking Rice if he recalled treating Read, which he disagreed with, saying that he oversaw her care but did not personally treat her. Little asked if he personally drew and packaged her blood or sent it for lab work, which he said he did not.

Little then asked if any first responders had told Rice they believed O’Keefe had been struck by a car, which he said they did not. She also pointed out that Rice had not reported any other injuries that O’Keefe had sustained, such as broken bones, which he confirmed.

Before Rice was allowed to step down from the witness stand, prosecutor Adam Lally asked if there was a reason those injuries would not be included in the medical report. Rice explained that the focus of emergency medicine is on resuscitation, not things like broken bones, which in O’Keefe’s case, would not have been pertinent to the treatment of his hypothermia.

“The mind can only focus on so much,” Rice said. “In cases like this, because the attention is on resuscitation of someone’s heartbeat, their life, there’s less focus on injuries or observations that don’t coincide with the resuscitation effort or are not pertinent to the resuscitation effort.”

Rice left the stand at 12:50 p.m., and the court went into recess for lunch. Testimony is expected to resume at 1:30 p.m.

Testimony closed for juvenile witnesses — 10:32 a.m.

There was no transmission of video and audio from the courtroom starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday as O’Keefe’s niece and nephew, both minors, were called as witnesses. O’Keefe was caring for his niece and nephew after their parents died.

A court order released May 7 instructed members of the media not to film, photograph, transmit or audio record testimony by the minor witnesses or any exhibits containing prior interviews with them, and members of the media were not allowed to use any electronic devices in the courtroom during their testimony Tuesday. The media has also been instructed not to disclose the names of the children, their town of residence or the schools they attend.

Lally told jurors during opening statements about the Aruba trip when a 20-minute screaming match took place between Read and O’Keefe in front of his nephew and niece.

In addition, Read told Brian Higgins in texts that she and O’Keefe had had arguments over the children’s care.

“It’s just a very very complicated dynamic with the four of us. He isn’t cut out for what he’s doing and the kids present constant issues ... his heart isn’t in it,” Read wrote Higgins, according to text logs he read in court on Friday. “I try very hard, but they are very spoiled, and they’re not my family. My parents keep telling me I’d feel different if they were mine or my own sister’s.”

Brian Higgins confirms destruction of cell phone — 10:09 a.m.

Defense attorney David Yannetti began Tuesday’s cross-examination of Brian Higgins where his colleague Alan Jackson left off on Friday by asking Higgins about the destruction of his cell phone in October 2022 (Jackson was not present in court Tuesday).

Through his answers to a series of yes-or-no questions from Yannetti, Higgins confirmed that he received a protection order in September of that year instructing him not to delete anything from his cell phone or destroy his phone and never received anything in writing canceling that order. However, he said he made a decision to dispose of his phone, and threw it away in a dumpster on a military base on Cape Cod.

Higgins denied doing a factory reset of the phone before throwing it away but confirmed that he did not transfer any data, including photos, videos, and text messages, off of the phone before doing so. When Yannetti asked if he had taken out the SIM card and cut or broken it before throwing away the phone, saying it was what the witness had said in previous testimony, Higgins disagreed that that was what he said.

“What I said was, that might have been the extent of it if I was to have done that,” Higgins said, later elaborating that he didn’t remember destroying the SIM card but believed it may have been what he had done to prevent someone using the card in another phone.

He also added that he had learned the protection order was denied before throwing away the phone.

Higgins confirmed that he did not save any text messages other than those he provided to police, including those with Brian, Kevin and Nicole Albert.

“It was important to you that no one see those text exchanges that you had with those three members of the Albert family,” Yannetti said.

“No sir, that’s not true,” Higgins said.

After Yannetti finished his questioning, prosecutor Adam Lally asked more questions of Higgins, starting with the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, before O’Keefe’s body was found. He asked Higgins about testimony he gave Friday that when he left 34 Fairview Road earlier that morning in his Jeep outfitted with a plow, he drove a short distance before realizing the plow was down and grinding on the ground.

Higgins said he drove about a foot before lifting up the plow to drive away.

Lally also asked if Higgins had told anyone about the flirty text messages he had exchanged with Read that month, which he said he had not, in part because he tends to keep personal issues to himself.

“I was a little embarrassed. I wasn’t really proud of [the text messages]. They maybe didn’t show me in a good light with respect to that I was John’s friend,” he said.

Lally also asked Higgins about two short phone calls that showed in his call logs at 2:22 a.m. on Jan. 29 between him and Brian Albert, which Higgins has said he does not recall. Lally pointed out that on an iPhone, when a call begins, the phone begins counting seconds for the duration of the call whether or not the other person picks up, implying that Albert and Higgins may not have actually spoken during the one- and 22-second calls.

He also provided Higgins with a log of all door access records at the Canton police station on Jan. 29, when he visited after learning O’Keefe had been found on the lawn of 34 Fairview Road. The 116-page log included 18 instances where Higgins had swiped his access card, according to Lally.

The prosecutor then turned to the cell phone that Yannetti had asked about earlier. Higgins said he was motivated to get a new phone number when he received a call from the target of an investigation he was working on July 25, 2022, and the target told him his girlfriend had found Higgins’ number on the internet.

Higgins also said he had more of a personal attachment to his work phone than his personal phone, which was why he had not transferred any data off of the phone before throwing it away.

“I’m divorced. I don’t have kids. I didn’t have the type of memories that somebody would’ve had on their phone that they wanted to preserve,” he said. “They were more like the text messages with the defendant, where it would be a drink glass at a bar, food, something along those lines.”

He also said it was common for him to throw away trash or recycling on the military base while driving through to get gas or stop at the duty-free store and that he had not gone there specifically to throw away the phone but had thrown it away along with other trash. He explained that his other home in Barnstable did not have a trash pickup, so he had to throw all the garbage away on the base or at his home in West Roxbury.

Finally, Lally asked Higgins what he would have done if he had seen O’Keefe on the lawn on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022.

“I’ve spent my whole life between being a firefighter, working in the profession that I work now, being a tactical medic,” Higgins said. “If I had saw John O’Keefe on the side of the road, I would’ve done something to make a difference.”

Before Higgins was allowed to step down from the witness stand, Yannetti asked a few final questions, with Higgins confirming that even though he got the call from the target of an investigation in July 2022, he did not change his phone number until September.

Yannetti also asked if Higgins had told his boss about the text messages with Read, as Higgins had testified on Friday that he told his boss about the kiss. He said Tuesday that he knew he had told her about the kiss and did not remember telling her about the texts, but said it was possible he did tell her and would not deny it.

After a short recess, the court was expected to continue with questioning of a juvenile witness, which will not be livestreamed to protect their privacy.

Karen Read trial recap — 7:30 a.m.

Norfolk County prosecutors say Read struck O’Keefe with her SUV while driving intoxicated. Read’s attorney, David Yannetti, said during the trial’s opening statements that her car never struck O’Keefe and that others are to blame for his death.

The trial is taking place in Dedham’s Norfolk County Superior Court.

On Friday, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Brian Higgins, a friend of O’Keefe’s, testified about flirtatious text conversations he had with Read in the weeks before O’Keefe’s death, as well as a moment they shared when he said Read kissed him after a party. Defense attorneys are expected to finish cross-examining Higgins Tuesday morning.

The trial resumes Tuesday after the long weekend. Tuesday will be the only day the trial is in session this week.

More about the case

• Everyone you need to know to understand the Karen Read trial
• Karen Read trial: Read kissed Brian Higgins 2 weeks before O’Keefe’s death
• New evidence could be used in ‘Turtleboy’ blogger’s trial, report says
• Karen Read trial: Witness says Read kicked car door to get out when O’Keefe was found
• Karen Read trial: Witness says defense attorney is 'spinning all of this'

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Bill Gates wishes he learned this lesson from Warren Buffett sooner: The power of an ‘intentionally light’ calendar

It’s easy to assume that the names leading the Fortune500 will have their days packed with back-to-back meetings, endless calls and dinner engagements. But Bill Gates wishes he’d learned to free up space in his diary earlier in his career, a trick Warren Buffett is well known for.

The Microsoft co-founder has been open about his work-life balance— or lack thereof —when he was leading the Big Tech giant.

But in a post on Meta platform Threads, Gates said he no longer believes a stacked schedule is a guarantee for productivity. Reposting an article about how being less busy can make a person more happy, he wrote: “It took far too long for me to realize that you don’t have to fill every second of your schedule to be successful.

“(In hindsight, it’s a lesson I could have learned a lot sooner had I taken more peeks at Warren Buffett’s intentionally light calendar.)”

The 68-year-old entrepreneur and philanthropist has been open with his reflections about his working life at Microsoft, and the things he would do differently if he had his time over. Last year during an appearance on his own podcast, Unconfuse Me with Bill Gates , alongside guests comedian Seth Rogen and Rogen’s wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, Gates revealed he had once ranked himself against others in terms of how much time he had had seemingly wasted by sleeping.

“In my thirties and forties when there would be a conversation about sleep it would be like ‘Oh,, I only sleep six hours,’” Gates told the couple. “And the other guy says ‘Oh, I only sleep five,’ then ‘Well, sometimes I don’t sleep at all.’ 

“I’d be like ‘Wow, those guys are so good, I have to try harder because sleep is laziness and unnecessary.”

Years later, Gates, now worth $154 billion per the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index , says he has realized good sleep is “super important” for brain health, a topic which has increased in importance for him following the death of his father, Bill Gates Sr., who died at home in  September 2020  after a battle with Alzheimer’s.

Post by @thisisbillgates View on Threads

But Gates didn’t just push himself to the extreme—he expected the same of his staff. Last year Gates told graduates from Northern Arizona University that when he was their age he simply “didn’t believe” in vacations or weekends.

He told the students in May: “I pushed everyone around me to work very long hours. In the early days of Microsoft, my office overlooked the parking lot—and I would keep track of who was leaving early and staying late. But as I got older—and especially once I became a father—I realized there is more to life than work.”

The Buffett method

A turning point at which Gates, a father of three, may have decided to switch up his schedule was after learning how Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett manages his time.

In a Bloomberg interview in 2017 with both Buffett and Gates, who dropped out of Harvard University after three semesters, Gates said one of the lessons he had learned from the Oracle of Omaha was the beauty of a free schedule.

“I remember Warren showing me his calendar. I had every minute packed and I thought that was the only way you could do things,” Gates said. “The fact that he is so careful about his time… he has days that there’s nothing on.”

Business isn’t a “proxy of your seriousness,” Gates added. Before Buffett chimed in: “I can buy anything I want, basically, but I can’t buy time.”

As well as traveling the world for his philanthropic causes, Gates now also dedicates more of his time to hobbies like reading and listening to music—demonstrated in the highlights he often shares on his blog , GatesNotes.

Buffett, meanwhile, seems not to have struggled so much with finding the balance. A 2005 feature in the Wall Street Journal reported Buffett spent a significant proportion of his day “reading and thinking,” with the mogul worth $135 billion adding in 2017 he “likes sleep” and has “no desire to get to work at four in the morning.”

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Amazon, Walmart, and Target finally realize their colossal pricing mistake—now they’re slashing costs to win back customers

Lina Khan’s noncompete crackdown could leave most doctors and nurses out in the cold

Jamie Dimon is right. The number of U.S. public companies is plummeting—and that’s bad news for the democratic component of the economy

The average age of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russia is 43-45, while the youngest troops remain exempt from front-line combat

The cult of Costco: How one of America’s biggest retailers methodically turns casual shoppers into fanatics