Customer success is a critical function for any business that wants to build strong, long-lasting relationships with its customers. As a result, the demand for talented and experienced Customer Success Managers (CSMs) has grown rapidly in recent years.

However, with increased competition for these roles, it’s important for job seekers to stand out from the crowd and demonstrate their value to potential employers. In this article, we’ve gathered 19 pieces of advice from experienced CSMs to help you get a job in customer success.

From demonstrating your passion for customer success to showcasing your communication and problem-solving skills, these tips will help you highlight your strengths and increase your chances of landing your dream job.

So whether you’re just starting your career in customer success or looking to take the next step, read on for some valuable insights and advice from industry experts:

19 Expert Tips for Landing a Job in Customer Success: Insights from Experienced CSMs

1. Research the company you’re applying to and learn about its product and customers: Before applying for a customer success role, it’s important to understand the company’s product, services, and customer base. Conduct research to gather information about the company, its industry, and its competitors. Use this information to tailor your application and demonstrate how you can help the company succeed.
2. Network with people in the industry, attend events and meetups, and reach out to CSMs on LinkedIn to learn more about the role: Networking is a great way to learn more about customer success and connect with other professionals in the industry. Attend events, join online communities, and reach out to CSMs on LinkedIn to gain insights into the role and learn more about what it takes to succeed.
3. Demonstrate your passion for customer success by sharing your experiences and examples of how you’ve helped customers in the past: When applying for a customer success role, show your enthusiasm for helping customers succeed. Share stories and examples of how you have gone above and beyond to help customers achieve their goals.
4. Understand the role of a CSM, the value they bring to a company, and how they fit into the customer journey: Understand the responsibilities of a customer success manager and how they contribute to the overall success of the company. Be able to articulate how you can add value to the customer success team and help the company achieve its goals.
5. Highlight your communication and problem-solving skills, as these are crucial for success in this role: Effective communication and problem-solving skills are essential for a successful customer success manager. Highlight your ability to communicate effectively with customers and colleagues, and share examples of how you have successfully resolved complex problems.
6. Show your ability to work well with cross-functional teams, as CSMs often collaborate with sales, marketing, and product teams: Collaboration with other teams is crucial for success in a customer success role. Showcase your ability to work well with other departments and provide examples of how you have successfully collaborated with other teams to achieve shared goals.
7. Showcase your ability to be customer-focused, empathetic, and able to build relationships with clients: Customer success is all about building strong relationships with customers. Demonstrate your ability to be empathetic, understand customer needs, and provide personalized solutions to meet their goals.
8. Share examples of how you’ve dealt with difficult customers and situations, and how you resolved them: Customer success managers must be skilled in handling difficult situations and resolving customer issues. Share examples of how you have successfully resolved challenging customer situations in the past, and explain your approach.
9. Highlight your ability to analyze data and metrics to make informed decisions and track progress: Data analysis is crucial in customer success. Highlight your experience in analyzing customer data and metrics to make informed decisions and track progress toward customer goals.
10. Be proactive and show your willingness to learn and grow in the role: Customer success is a dynamic field that requires continuous learning and development. Demonstrate your willingness to learn and grow, and show how you have proactively pursued opportunities to improve your skills and knowledge.
11. Demonstrate your ability to manage multiple projects and priorities at once: Customer success managers must be skilled in managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. Share examples of how you have successfully managed competing demands and delivered results in a fast-paced environment.
12. Show your ability to adapt to change and be flexible in a fast-paced environment: The customer success landscape is constantly evolving. Showcase your ability to adapt to change and be flexible in a fast-paced environment, and share examples of how you have successfully navigated change in the past.
13. Share examples of how you’ve helped improve customer retention and loyalty in previous roles: Customer retention and loyalty are key metrics in the world of Customer Success, and being able to improve these metrics is a key part of the job. Sharing examples of how you’ve contributed to improving customer retention and loyalty in previous roles will demonstrate your ability to drive results in the field.
14. Showcase your ability to manage a large customer portfolio while still providing personalized attention to each customer: Customer Success Managers often have to manage a large portfolio of customers, but it’s still important to provide each customer with personalized attention. Demonstrating your ability to balance these two priorities will show that you can be successful in the role.
15. Highlight your experience with customer success software, such as CRM systems and customer engagement platforms: Customer Success Managers often use software to manage customer relationships and track progress. Highlighting your experience with these tools will show that you have the technical skills necessary for the role.
16. Demonstrate your ability to lead customer success initiatives and drive results: Customer Success Managers are often responsible for driving customer success initiatives and delivering results. Demonstrating your leadership abilities and ability to drive results will show that you can excel in the role.
17. Share examples of how you’ve identified upsell and cross-sell opportunities for customers: Upselling and cross-selling are important for driving revenue and improving customer retention. Sharing examples of how you’ve identified and capitalized on these opportunities will show that you can contribute to the company’s bottom line.
18. Highlight your experience with customer feedback and how you’ve used it to improve customer experience: Customer feedback is critical to the success of any Customer Success program. Highlighting your experience with customer feedback and how you’ve used it to improve customer experience will demonstrate your ability to drive results and improve customer satisfaction.
19. Show your passion for continuous learning and development, and your willingness to stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices.

Customer success is a constantly evolving field, and employers want to hire individuals who are committed to staying current with the latest trends, tools, and best practices.

Highlight any relevant training, certifications, or continuing education you’ve pursued, and showcase your passion for learning and self-improvement. This can include attending industry events, participating in online courses, joining professional associations, or reading industry publications.

By demonstrating your dedication to continuous learning and development, you’ll show potential employers that you’re a valuable asset who can help drive the success of their customers and the business as a whole.

Good luck!