If you’re looking for a job as a Customer Success Manager, you know that having the best resume is the first step to landing an interview. Your resume needs to showcase your skills and achievements in a way that makes you stand out from other candidates. In this article, we’ll provide you with best practices for creating a Customer Success Manager resume that will help you get noticed by hiring managers.

First, it’s important to understand what a CSM does. Essentially, a Customer Success Manager is responsible for ensuring that customers are happy with a company’s products or services. This involves building strong relationships with customers, identifying potential issues before they become problems, and working with other teams within the company to address customer concerns. When creating your resume, you’ll want to highlight your experience in these areas, as well as any specific skills or achievements that demonstrate your ability to excel in this role.

Writing the Best Resume for Customer Success Managers

To make your Customer Success Manager resume stand out, you’ll need to focus on creating a clear and concise document that showcases your strengths. This means using bullet points to highlight your most important accomplishments, using strong action verbs to describe your experience, and tailoring your resume to each job you apply for. The format and structure of the resume needs to be clean and easy to read. Remember, a recruiter spends only a few seconds on each resume so you only have one opportunity to present the best resume possible to get to the next stage in the interview process. With the right approach, you can craft a Customer Success Manager resume that will help you land your dream job and one of the best remote jobs in tech.

Job Description

As a Customer Success Manager, you are responsible for ensuring that customers are satisfied with the products or services they receive. You will be the primary point of contact for customers and will work with them to understand their needs, answer their questions, and resolve any issues they may have. Your ultimate goal is to help customers achieve their objectives and succeed with your organization’s products.

To be successful in this role, you must have excellent communication skills and be able to build strong relationships with customers. You should be able to understand their needs and goals and be able to provide them with the support they need to achieve them. You will also need to be able to work closely with internal teams, such as sales, marketing, and product development, to ensure that customer feedback is incorporated into the development process.

Some of the key responsibilities of a Customer Success Manager include:

• Communicating with customers to understand their needs and long-term goals
• Soft skills such as empathy and passion to help the customer
• Providing ongoing support and training to help customers succeed with your products
• Gathering and delivering information between internal and external teams
• Tracking and optimizing customer retention metrics

ATS

When applying for a Customer Success Manager position, your resume will likely go through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before being seen by a human recruiter. This system scans resumes for specific keywords and phrases that match the job description, and ranks them accordingly. Therefore, it’s essential to tailor your resume to the job description and optimize it for ATS. Some resume builder tools (listed later in this article) will help you build your resume with these guidelines in mind.

Here are some tips to optimize your resume for ATS:

• Use relevant keywords: carefully read the job description and identify the most relevant keywords and phrases. Incorporate them into your resume, especially in the summary, skills, and experience sections.
• Use bullet points: use bullet points to highlight your achievements and skills. This makes it easier for the ATS to scan your resume and identify relevant information.
• Use standard formatting: avoid using fancy fonts, graphics, or images. Stick to standard fonts like Times New Roman or Arial, and use bold text or italics to emphasize important information.
• Use relevant job titles: use the job titles mentioned in the job description, especially if they match your previous work experience.
• Customize your resume: customize your resume for each job application. This means using different keywords and phrases for each job, and highlighting relevant skills and achievements.

Cover Letter

There is an ongoing debate about the impact of Cover Letters. Are they necessary? While they are not required, it can definitely increase your chances of standing out in the application process, especially in an employer’s market. Your cover letter is your chance to make a great first impression and convince the hiring manager that you are the right fit for the Customer Success Manager role. It should be tailored to the specific job posting and highlight your relevant skills and experiences.

Tips

Here are some tips to help you write a great customer success manager cover letter:

• Keep it concise and to the point.
• Tailor your cover letter to the job posting.
• Start off your cover letter by sharing why the company’s mission resonates with you.
• Highlight your transferable skills and experiences.
• Use specific examples to demonstrate your achievements that relate to the job opportunity.

Proofread for errors and typos.

Resume Builder and Cover Letter Tools

Start your cover letter with a header that includes your full name, address, phone number, and email address. This information should be easy to find, and the font should be clear and professional. Below is an example:

Summary or Introduction Section

The summary section of your resume should provide a brief overview of your experience and skills. Use this section to highlight your most relevant achievements and qualifications. Your introduction should grab the hiring manager’s attention and explain why you are interested in the role. You can start with a strong opening sentence that summarizes your qualifications and experience.

Here’s an example:

Skills and Qualifications

When it comes to crafting a winning Customer Success Manager resume, it’s important to highlight your skills and qualifications. This section should be tailored to the specific job you’re applying for and should showcase your ability to effectively manage customer relationships and drive business growth. Here are some key skills and qualifications to consider including:

​ Your skills section should highlight your most relevant skills and qualifications. Use bullet points to make this section easy to read. Here are some skills to include:

• Customer relationship management
• Team management
• Customer success strategy development
• Sales and revenue growth
• Customer satisfaction improvement
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Problem solving
• Technical aptitude

 

Work Experience Section

Your experience section should showcase your relevant work experience. Use bullet points to highlight your most significant achievements in each role. Here’s an example:

Education Section

Your education section should highlight your relevant educational background. Include any degrees or certifications that are relevant to your role. Here’s an example:

Your work history section is where you showcase your past experiences and accomplishments. It is important to highlight your relevant work experience to show the hiring manager that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in the position.

When listing your work history, make sure to include the company name, job title, employment dates, and a brief description of your responsibilities and achievements. Use bullet points to make it easier to read and highlight your most important accomplishments. It is also important to tailor your work history to the specific job you are applying for. Look at the job description and match your past experiences to the job requirements. Use the same language and keywords as the job posting to show that you are a good fit for the position.

If you have gaps in your work history, be prepared to explain them in your cover letter or during the interview. It is better to be upfront about any gaps than to leave the hiring manager guessing. Remember to be honest and accurate in your work history section. Exaggerating or falsifying your past experiences can hurt your chances of getting the job and damage your professional reputation.

Achievements

The achievements section is where you can showcase your accomplishments and demonstrate your value to potential employers. This section should be brief and to the point, highlighting your most impressive achievements in a clear and concise manner. When writing this section, it’s important to focus on results and outcomes rather than just listing your responsibilities. Use specific examples and data to illustrate your impact on the company and its customers.

Here are a few tips for crafting a strong achievements section:

• Start each bullet point with an action verb to make it more dynamic and engaging.
• Quantify your achievements whenever possible. For example, instead of saying “improved customer satisfaction,” say “increased customer satisfaction by 20%.”
• Focus on achievements that are relevant to the customer success manager role. For example, if you increased customer retention rates or reduced churn, be sure to highlight these accomplishments.

 

Here are a few examples of achievements that you could include in your customer success manager resume:

• Increased customer satisfaction scores by 25% through the implementation of a new onboarding process.
• Reduced churn rates by 15% through the development of a proactive customer engagement strategy.
• Successfully managed a portfolio of over 50 enterprise-level accounts, resulting in a 95% retention rate.
• Collaborated with the product team to identify and address key customer pain points, resulting in a 30% increase in product adoption.
• Developed and delivered customer training programs that resulted in a 40% increase in customer self-sufficiency.

 

Remember, the achievements section is your chance to make a strong impression and demonstrate your value as a Customer Success Manager. Use it to showcase your most impressive accomplishments and show potential employers what you’re capable of achieving.

Once you implement the above strategies to create a winning resume, hopefully, you’re on your way to landing the interview! Check out Interview Techniques to help you with next steps in the process or grab a copy of my ebook here. For further reading, you can also learn about the Career Path and Progression for CSMs.