See how to list phone skills on a CV with this step by step guide on how to say you answered phones in your resume.
Why are phone skills important to include on a CV or resume?
Phone skills are important to many employers because customers often prefer ask for help by talking to someone on a phone rather than sending emails or using contact forms. Human connection is a vital part of business. When people are dealing with a company, they want to feel that the people behind it care about them. This is one of the main reasons that, even in the age of email and other forms of digital communication, telephone skills are still so important.
Phone skills are particularly vital for jobs such as call centre and customer service roles, but they are also essential in many other areas. But when you’re applying for a new job that requires telephone skills, how do you demonstrate those skills on a CV?
What Are Phone Skills?
Phone skills refer to your ability to communicate effectively with customers and users on the telephone. This includes succinctly communicating the relevant information, building a rapport, providing great customer service, and adapting your tone and conversational style appropriately on the phone. Phone skills are prized by employers in an evolving age of communication, and worth including on your CV.
Phone skills can also encompass technical skills, particularly in the instance of an organisation such as a call centre which uses specialist software. They might also involve paying close attention to detail, for example by managing a large call list and ensuring that you are properly documenting the relevant information from each call.
The specifics of phone etiquette differ slightly between different jobs, but the basics are the same: speak clearly, be as succinct as possible, do not interrupt while the other person is talking, give the caller your full attention, and maintain a polite and positive tone of voice. If you are required to do other things while on a call, such as take notes or enter information into a database, practice until you can do this without losing the flow of the call.
How to Show Phone Skills on Your CV
When you are applying for a job that requires telephone skills, you’ll need to demonstrate them on your CV to give yourself the best chance of landing an interview. Here are a few ways to do that.
What to include about your phone skills:
- Specific technical skills (e.g. forwarding calls)
- Soft skills for communicating with callers (e.g. being polite and calm at all times, and asking questions to understand the nature of the call)
- Any phone or call centre software you might have used (e.g. big companies like BT Group might have their own call centre softwatre)
- Job responsibilities using phone skills (e.g. taking office calls when the manager is on annual leave)
Include it in your job duties
When you list a previous job on a CV, it’s good practice to include some of the main duties that made up the role. When you do this, include call handling within the job duties if appropriate.
You should try to be as specific as possible. For example, if you had a customer service job that included call handling, you might list “provided customer service and resolved queries over the telephone”. Or if you’re bilingual and utilised that in your phone work, you might say “supported customers with their queries on the telephone in both English and Spanish”.
Ensure that you list the skills and experience that are the most relevant to the job you are applying for. If in doubt, study the job description and person specification and tailor your CV accordingly.
Show the results you achieved
Discussing what you did in a previous job is important but showing the results you achieved is even more vital. This offers concrete metrics to show your prospective employer why you would be an asset to their company.
For example, did you see an increase in sales as a result of your customer service skills? Did you receive particularly positive feedback from clients after helping them on the telephone? Did you manage a particularly large list of telephone contacts? If so, include this within your achievements from that job. If you can attach a specific number to it (for example “achieved 15% increase in telephone sales over six months”), that’s even better.
List the technology you have used
Have you used a specific call handling or customer service software? If so, list this on your CV. If your prospective new employer uses the same tool, you’ll already have an edge over the competition. Even if they use a different one, showing that you have a good grasp of phone technology indicates that you are capable of learning the nuances of these systems and using them while making calls.
Include “soft” telephone skills
“Soft skills” refers to the non-technical skills that are vital to performing well in the workplace. They include communication, interpersonal skills, critical thinking, problem solving, time management, and your overall attitude to work. If you are providing customer service or making sales over the telephone, soft skills are what makes the difference between a good employee and a great one.
Ensure you list your phone-related soft skills on your CV and, where possible, back them up with specific examples. Perhaps you frequently had to communicate with people in distress on the phone? This shows empathy, sensitivity, and tact. Or perhaps you had to work with customers to come up with creative solutions to unique problems they were facing. This shows problem solving skills, dynamic thinking, and flexibility.
Show as well as tell!
If your prospective employer likes your CV, they may call you to ask some additional questions or to schedule an interview. When this happens, get ready to show off those amazing phone skills. Be polite and professional, give them your full attention, speak clearly, and give full answers without rambling. First impressions count for a lot, so making a good impression on the phone is one of the best ways to get your foot in the door.
Exercise: Practice Your Phone Skills
The best way to get better on the telephone is to practice! So grab a friend, co-worker, or family member, and try some roleplay scenarios to brush up on your phone skills. Ask them to pretend to be a customer with a query or problem, and practice what you’d say and how you’d respond. Pay attention to your tone and overall manner as well as the words you say.
You might feel silly at first but practicing your phone skills like this can help you a huge amount when you have to handle a real-world scenario at work.
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