When you are applying for a customer service job, t’s important to dedicate time and effort into creating a professional and well written letter, as it is one of the few resources recruiters will have at their disposal when making snap decisions about whether to proceed with your application or not.
For this reason, it’s important to make a good first impression, and create a quality document that does your experience and skills justice. This article will explain how candidates can do exactly that. We cover:
- content
- formatting
- general cover letter tips
Customer service cover letter content.
As a customer service applicant, you should pay particular attention to you covering letter to ensure that your excellent communication skills come across in the writing. Most roles now involve some form of email communication with customers, and employers will be on the lookout for poorly written applications. This will be seen as a lack of commitment, effort or ability, and is likely to lead to the application being discarded, so take extra care in this regard.
Flowery language should certainly be avoided. It simply needs to explain the individual’s past experience, and make references to the information contained within their CV. In general, the covering letter will only need to be around 300 words long if a CV has also been requested. Avoid making it longer than this, as employers will not have time to read it.
Get the formatting right.
The letter itself should be formally formatted, and addressed to the appropriate recipient. The introductory paragraph will normally see the candidate explain which role they are applying for, where they saw it advertised, and give a brief overview as to why the role is of particular interest.
The letter can then be used to provide examples of relevant experience, which can be detailed in paragraphs or in bullet points.
Specific examples of past experience, that demonstrate skills needed for customer service roles can be included. So, for example, a candidate might write: “In my previous role in a customer service job, I interacted with customers on a daily basis. On one occasion, a customer was so happy with my service that he sent me a gift as a thank you.” These details can bring a letter to life, but only include them if they are relevant and true.
The letter can be concluded by including a couple of sentences detailing interests and hobbies, before making a formal request for an interview.
Cover letter top tips.
When writing the letter, it’s important for candidates to put themselves into the mind of a recruiter, and to consider what they are likely to be looking out for. It’s highly likely that they are going to want to see evidence of professionalism, quality communication skills, and experience that shows the applicant is able to deal with customer problems effectively and productively.
The letter should try and make it abundantly clear that the employer will be getting exactly that from the candidate if they proceed to interview.
