The best customer service jobs provide a career pathway and some flexibility. It is not uncommon to see customer service positions advertised which stipulate that you need to be available to work twenty-eight hours over seven days depending on the roster. You may not have a choice if you are working in a call center, but these are hardly family-friendly positions. Neither do they provide definite working hours so you can fit in another job if you need the extra income. The best customer service jobs will also meet your needs as an employee. With the emphasis on productivity in the workplace and a flexible workforce to meet the competitive demands of the industry, you need to be your own best friend when it comes to choosing the right customer service job for your personal circumstances.
The skills you gain in customer service rep jobs are generally transferable to other contexts; however, it is up to you to write your resume so that these skills are emphasized. It is a good idea to target your resume to particular jobs and adjust your presentation of skills and experience to match specific selection criteria. For example, if you have worked as a customer service representative in a health insurance company, you would emphasize all the direct contact aspects of your job as well as your problem solving skills. If you have had a mixed employment history with some customer service components along with other job types, such as administration or accounting, a skills-based resume would probably be best rather than a chronological one. This way the recruiter can quickly see how your skills and experience match their requirements.
Hotel customer service jobs are among the most popular customer service positions, but they can be seasonal, with hotels laying off staff in the off-seasons. However, if you train in hospitality to work in the industry as a professional and obtain an entry-level position as a graduate, you will be one of the professional employees in the industry who are employed permanently. Customer service standards in top hotels are extremely high and you will usually need to be well-trained in similar roles in order to qualify for one of these positions. Whereas other industries tend to be very happy to employ someone whose customer service experience has been in a hotel or resort environment, the hotel sector tends to employ individuals who are trained and experienced in their own industry. There are obviously exceptions to this generalization, however if you want to work in a top class hotel in a frontline position you will have a better chance if you obtain quality training and gain experience via internships.
Customer service advisor jobs are common to the insurance, banking and finance, health, and education sectors. In order to qualify for these positions you will need specific qualifications in the area you are advising on as well as customer service experience or training. You may need state licensure in order to give the public advice. Some advisor positions are face-to-face; others are over the telephone. The type of job which would suit you best will depend upon your personality and personal preferences. If you like face-to-face contact with people and have the ability to engage with others, then a face-to-face position would be best. If you are happy to work solitarily from a booth and talk to people on the phone, then telephone-based roles may be more up your alley.
No matter what your customer service background, the skills you gain in dealing with customers are largely transferable between customer service positions. By carefully reading the selection criteria for the jobs you are interested in you will be able to rewrite your resume to suit the different emphases of different employers. If stable employment is important to you, it is also important that you think carefully about the sort of company and role you would be happy in. Dealing with people and their problems can be stressful, so choosing the right company and right customer service role for you is important to your happiness, success, and job security. If you approach applying for administrative customer service jobs intelligently, you will find you have more than your fair share to choose from and will be able to settle into a long association with your employer.
