What does a customs officer do?
Customs officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real customs officer resumes:
- Manage VIP visits and deal with all areas of logistics including event management and corporate hospitality
- Seize contraband secrete in conveyances and when justify, seize the conveyance.
- Process passengers that have been identify as having outstanding warrants in accordance with NCIC guidelines.
- Maintain firearms and other issue equipment in good working order and condition at all times.
- Review HAZMAT labels, FDA paperwork, and perishable goods invoices in compliance with regulations.
- Search automobiles, conveyance of records and documents, seize contraband, equipment, and vehicles.
- Review and authorize all employee firearms training records, review and authorize all instructor reports, certification and testing results.
- Make recommendations to litigate accounts while following all state and FDCPA standards and federal regulations regarding collections procedures.
- Facilitate partnership building among other installation programs and tenants to promote CMS.
Customs officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Customs Officers are proficient in Bank Products, Customer Satisfaction, and Financial Services. They’re also known for soft skills such as Empathy, Good judgment, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Customs Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Bank Products, 14%
Promote & sell bank products & services to achieve the yearly tar gets.
- Customer Satisfaction, 11%
Contributed to Customer satisfaction improvement initiative
- Financial Services, 11%
Assisted product development department in launching and promoting financial services of the bank into the market.
- Customer Service, 10%
Managed wide variety of customer services and administrative tasks to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently.
- Customer Inquiries, 8%
Addressed customer inquiries; interpreted and delivered information; proposed suggestions; provided guidance; identified, investigated and negotiated conflicts.
- Customer Complaints, 5%
Assisted Sales Operations Manager with resolving customer complaints.
Most customs officers use their skills in "bank products," "customer satisfaction," and "financial services" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential customs officer responsibilities here:
Empathy. The most essential soft skill for a customs officer to carry out their responsibilities is empathy. This skill is important for the role because "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public." Additionally, a customs officer resume shows how their duties depend on empathy: "ensured superior customer services by addressing customer concerns, demonstrating empathy, and resolving problems. "
Good judgment. Many customs officer duties rely on good judgment. "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems.," so a customs officer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways customs officer responsibilities rely on good judgment: "lead generation over the phone and email outbound and inbound calls arranged pick-up and delivery of goods. "
Leadership skills. customs officers are also known for leadership skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to customs officer responsibilities, because "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." A customs officer resume example shows how leadership skills is used in the workplace: "fostered strong client relationships, established frictionless integration and change management services through a diplomatic and nurturing leadership approach. "
Physical strength. For certain customs officer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical strength." The day-to-day duties of a customs officer rely on this skill, as "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what customs officers do: "developed and strengthened client relationships by identifying customers needs. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for customs officer responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of customs officers all the time, as "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." An excerpt from a real customs officer resume shows how this skill is central to what a customs officer does: "executed best customer services in the said telecommunication company for inbound calls. "
The three companies that hire the most customs officers are:
- SAP3 customs officers jobs
- Banc of California Inc2 customs officers jobs
- Land Title Guarantee2 customs officers jobs
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Compare different customs officers
Customs officer vs. Immigration inspector
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between customs officers and immigration inspector. For instance, customs officer responsibilities require skills such as "bank products," "customer satisfaction," "financial services," and "customer service." Whereas a immigration inspector is skilled in "law enforcement agencies," "citizenship," "intelligence reports," and "ncic." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, immigration inspectors reach similar levels of education than customs officers. Immigration inspectors are 3.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Customs officer vs. Chief, port director
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, customs officer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "bank products," "customer satisfaction," "financial services," and "customer service." Meanwhile, a chief, port director has duties that require skills in areas such as "public safety," "logistics," "r," and "oversight." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Chief, port directors earn higher levels of education than customs officers in general. They're 10.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Customs officer vs. Senior patrol agent
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from customs officer resumes include skills like "bank products," "customer satisfaction," "financial services," and "customer service," whereas a senior patrol agent is more likely to list skills in "patrol," "law enforcement agencies," "public safety," and "incident reports. "
When it comes to education, senior patrol agents tend to earn lower degree levels compared to customs officers. In fact, they're 8.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Customs officer vs. Supervisor/port director
Updated January 8, 2025
