Customer service skills: what employers look for and how to show them
Customer service skills are the habits and tools that let you help people with questions, orders and problems: listening, speaking clearly, solving problems and recording what happened. O*NET lists active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, critical thinking and monitoring as the top skills for customer service representatives.
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Skill | Customer service |
| Source of the occupation data | O*NET OnLine (US Department of Labor), accessed 31 October 2026 |
| Occupations in this guide that list it | 4 |
| Where to learn more | Our career guides and the O*NET pages linked below |
What is Customer service?
Customer service work happens by phone, chat, email or in person. Beyond manner, it uses tools: contact center software, customer relationship management systems, email and spreadsheets. Show both the people skills and the tools you used.
Which jobs use it?
The occupation pages on O*NET OnLine list technology skills and top essential skills. These occupations from our career guides include this skill or closely related ones:
- Customer Service Representatives (O*NET 43-4051.00): multi-channel contact center software, CRM (Salesforce), Microsoft Office and Outlook, and video conferencing.
- Computer User Support Specialists (O*NET 15-1232.00): help desk or call center software, remote control software and Microsoft Active Directory.
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products (O*NET 41-4012.00): CRM software such as Salesforce, and email and video conferencing tools.
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive (O*NET 43-6014.00): email, office suites and customer relationship management.
O*NET examples are illustrative, not a requirement for every employer. Read the postings for the role you want.
How do I show it on a resume?
- Name the channel: phone, chat, email or in person, and the tool: ticketing, CRM or point of sale.
- Use a result you can state honestly, such as a recognition or a measure your employer shared with you.
- Show how you handled a hard case in one line, without naming the customer.
- Match the words in the posting: "de-escalation", "first contact resolution" only if you did that work.
See the customer service resume example and retail associate resume example for layout, and our guide to an ATS-friendly resume.
On LiveRec, employers who find candidates for a job see up to five of your skills on your card, with the ones that match the job first. Use the exact name of the skill, as in which skills to put on a profile.
Where can I learn it?
We link only official sources we could verify. The O*NET Skills Search shows skills and examples, and each career guide above explains typical education from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ask your employer or school what training it offers, then add what you complete to your profile.
Frequently asked questions
What are the top skills for customer service? O*NET lists active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, critical thinking and monitoring as the top skills for customer service representatives.
Do I need experience for a customer service job? Many roles accept related experience from retail, hospitality or volunteering. Describe those tasks in customer service terms, as in our no-experience resume guide.
Which tools should I list? List the ones you have used: CRM, ticketing or contact center software, Microsoft Office, and email. O*NET names these for the occupation.
Related guides
When you are ready, search jobs on LiveRec.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine, Customer Service Representatives, 43-4051.00: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-4051.00 (accessed 31 October 2026)
- O*NET OnLine, Computer User Support Specialists, 15-1232.00: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/15-1232.00 (accessed 31 October 2026)
- O*NET OnLine, Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products, 41-4012.00: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/41-4012.00 (accessed 31 October 2026)
- O*NET OnLine, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive, 43-6014.00: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-6014.00 (accessed 31 October 2026)
- O*NET OnLine, Skills Search: https://www.onetonline.org/skills/ (accessed 31 October 2026)