Customer Service Executive Assistant

BILL CLEERE

**** ***** ***** #**, *********, CA 94087 • *******@*****.*** • (home) 408-***-****

OBJECTIVE A challenging full-time Research position with a stable and growing institution, in which I can make a significant contribution to the organization’s success while building on my existing skills and diverse experience in business administration and high technology.

PROFILE

Initiative: Anticipate problems and either solve them independently or present options to the manager, depending on the situation.

Knowledge: The wide background of knowledge and experience gained in my different careers includes extensive familiarity with finance, business development and many other fields. I’ve mastered many types of software and know how to quickly teach myself what I don’t know.

Writing: Old-school writing skills (i.e., perfect command of the basics) as well as the ability to produce compelling original work when required. Excellent writer and expert editor and proofreader.

Organization: Experience in creating systems that allow information to be filed logically and retrieved quickly in both electronic and paper files.

Public Relations and Customer Service: My years of experience in customer support have taught me to treat everybody with respect and to remember that everything I do is taken as a reflection of the people I’m working for.

SKILLS SUMMARY

• Experienced office administrator

• Proven track record of supporting management in environments ranging from small business to Fortune 500 enterprises

• Research and compilation of complex data

• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills

• Professional writing experience and mastery of English usage and style – type 65 wpm

• Fluent in many word processing, database, spreadsheet, graphics, and Web applications

• Expert Windows user (all versions) – extensive UNIX and Mac experience

• Expert MS Office user (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Executive Assistant to Director of Development and Marketing

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties, 2012

Non-Profit organization

www.shfb.org

Performed complex and varied administrative duties including scheduling, meeting arrangements, expense reporting and record keeping, filing, writing, communicating with donors, and inter-departmental relations.

Customer Support Representative

Zazzle, Inc. 2006 – 2012

Privately Held; Internet industry

www.zazzle.com

Zazzle produces a huge variety of customizable consumer products. I fielded front-line calls and e-mails from customers ranging from novices to graphics professionals. The variety of challenges presented by every customer contact required people skills, high-speed multitasking, learning on the go and problem-solving skills at very high levels. (Note: This was a part-time second job until becoming full-time in 2011.)

Executive Assistant

Exponent Failure Analysis Associates (2006 – 2010)

Public Company; EXPO - Menlo Park, CA

www.exponent.com

Provided direct administrative support in technical and management functions for forensic engineering firm. Also responsible for high-quality editorial review of complex engineering reports. Administrative duties included research and frequent international travel arrangements. Worked closely with engineers to refine and format reports. (Laid off in 2010 along with significant percentage of administrative staff.)

Executive Assistant & Development Associate (2002 – 2006)

ALLIANCE for Community Care – San Jose, CA

www.alliance4care.org

Maintained database of donors, developed direct mail campaigns, generated analyses of giving for Development Director and Board Development Committee. Supported Director and three managers. Worked closely with executives and managers on grant proposals, fundraising campaigns, and special events.

Executive Assistant & Research Director (1998-2002)

CLB Associates – Palo Alto, CA (now in Lexington, KY)

www.clbassociates.com

Responsible for all administrative and office management functions for a boutique investment banking and strategy consulting firm. Supported five partners based around the U.S. Acted as personal assistant to CEO in all aspects of the business, including calendaring and meeting and travel planning. Prepared partners with extensive information on new clients including prospects for their business sector, competitive strengths and weaknesses, and prospective alliances, buyers or acquisitions. (Note: this position was part-time from 1998 to 2001 and full-time until 2002 when the company closed operations on the West Coast.)

Senior Customer Support Representative (1999-2001)

VERITAS Software, Mountain View, CA

www.veritas.com

First-line phone support for global engineering response center of the leading storage management software company. Worked unsupervised on evening shift. Frequently interacted in mission-critical situations with Fortune Global 2000 customers. Followed up with customers and managed escalations. Worked directly with Sales and Contracts departments to resolve disputes and generate leads. (Note: my department was relocated to Florida in 2001 following a merger.)

Customer Support Specialist (1993-1999)

Siemens Business Services (originally Pyramid Technology), San Jose, CA

www.sni-usa.com

Phone support for response center at large manufacturer of UNIX enterprise computer systems. Very heavy phones and interaction with Fortune 500 clients on mission-critical technical problems. Responsible for field dispatch and escalation to all levels of management. (Note: this position was eliminated when the business line was phased out.)

Public Affairs Associate (1989-1993)

Syntex Corporation, Palo Alto, CA (now Roche Bioscience)

Responsible for $600K annual corporate charitable contributions to Bay Area nonprofit organizations. Managed permanent corporate art collection. Director of Syntex Art Gallery, responsible for organizing and supervising four major temporary exhibitions a year. Organized and administered employee volunteer program. Coordinated $1 million United Way Campaign. Various writing and editing special projects, often at direct assignment of top management. (Note: this position was eliminated in a large layoff after the company’s sales plummeted.)

EDUCATION

B.A. (History), San Jose State University

TRAINING

• Organizational Skills for Managers (course)

• Managing Diversity in the Workplace (course)

• Various software and other technology training (formal classes and on-line sessions)

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