Retail Worker Resume Examples
Retail Workers are employed by stores and perform a variety of duties: greeting and advising customers, stocking shelves, keeping the premises clean, handling transactions, solving complaints, and reporting to supervisors. Essential skills listed on a successful Retail Worker resume include sales expertise, customer service orientation, courtesy, self-motivation and teamwork. Retail companies select resumes displaying previous experience in the field and at least a high school diploma. Basic training in retail sales represents an advantage, and managers may be required to hold a Bachelor’s Degree.
Find out what is the best resume for you in our Ultimate Resume Format Guide.
The best examples from thousands of real-world resumes
Format The Resume Work Experience Section
Here are three effective ways to structure the job experience section of your resume:
Chronological format
In a chronological resume, you will list your work history with your most recent job at the top. This is the most widely used format because it shows clearly how you progressed through your career. This method works best if you have at least a few years of consistent employment experience.
Functional format
With the functional resume format, youll categorize your achievements and skills according to the requirements of your desired job. Youll only need to mention the names of your previous employers and durations of employment under your work history. Since this format focuses on your achievements and skills instead of the job positions you held, it is a suitable option if you are a recent graduate or have significant gaps in your employment history.
Combination format
The combination format offers more flexibility, allowing you to present your work history in a way that emphasizes your strengths. With this option, you will provide a summary of your professional experience first, followed by a list of your achievements and skills. Consider using the hybrid format if you are applying for a management or executive-level position.
How To Include Education On A Resume With No Experience
When youre creating your first resume, its important to highlight your education. This will show employers youre able to overcome challenges, stick to your commitments and learn new things. You can also take this opportunity to share coursework youve completed thats relevant to the job.
For example, if youre applying to a retail associate position, heres how you might highlight your high school experience:
Sydney Girls High SchoolRelevant coursework: Design and Technology, Business StudiesClubs: Young Entrepreneurs AssociationOnline Course: Introduction to Fashion Merchandising
And here is how you might highlight your university experience if youre applying for a role as a receptionist at a naturopathy clinic:
Sydney University
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Customer Service Resume Sample
Belle Brashears1234 Southern Avenue, #45Atlanta, GA 30305www.linkedin.com/in/BelleBrashears
Qualifications Profile
Attentive and detail-oriented Customer Service Representative energized by the challenges and opportunities offered within fast-paced, quality-critical call center environments. Fluent in English and Spanish.
Customer Service: Interact well with callers requesting product information and technical support, responding with professionalism and empathy while proactively resolving conflicts to prevent escalation and ensure customer satisfaction.
Communications: Clearly communicate with customers via telephone and online to identify individual needs and provide positive solutions. Superb active listening skills complemented by proven skill in facilitating consultative sales discussions.
Leadership and Teamwork: Avid team supporter, motivating peers through personal example, a positive attitude, and a willingness to lend a hand whenever needed. Available to work overtime and on weekends to ensure adequate staffing.
Technical Proficiencies: Solid command of Microsoft Office Suite and Kayako live chat software.
Professional Experience
- Led team tasked with developing new customer service protocol that reduced customer wait time .
- Maintained a perfect attendance record while frequently stepping up to substitute for absent personnel during other shifts.
- Partnered with call center manager to co-write new, positive customer service script that reduced product returns .
Retail And Customer Service Resume Samples
Before applying for a job in retail or customer service, it’s a good idea to review relevant resume samples while writing or editing your own. This is a great way to get a better idea of how your resume should look and what information to include.
Often, your resume will be the initial way a potential employer gets to know you, so take the time to make sure it properly displays your best qualities in customer service and includes past experiences and retail successes.
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Avoid Grammatical And Structural Errors
Seems obvious, we know, but too often otherwise strong resumes are tossed in the trash due to unfortunate grammatical or structural errors. In addition to proofreading, it is wise to have your resume professionally reviewed, or at the very least, have a good friend give it an honest review. Think about how hard you have worked to get this far. Your resume should be one of the last and strongest pieces on this job journey. Resume.io offers review services that will have your resume in tip-top condition. Check out our 250+ resume sampleshelping you create that winning resume.
Review Retail Job Descriptions
It’s often helpful to examine the job descriptions for retail positions that you’re interested in so that you can tailor your resume summary for those opportunities. Pay special attention to the keywords and requirements that align with your own qualifications. Some of the most common skills for retail positions include:
- Attention to detail
- Familiarity with business operations
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Retail Sales Associate/customer Service
Working in Commission and exceeding Quotas monthly
- Utilizing Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word and PowerPoint on a daily bases to communicate with team members and follow-up with clients to build rapport
- Aggressively promoting and selling products to achieve exemplary goals for both customer-base and company quotas and expectations
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to balance multiple demands and thrive in a
- Operating computers, copy/scanning machines and telephone equipment on a daily basis
Writing The Work Experience Section
Writing the resume work experience section is one of the most influential and often trickiest resume sections to get right.
The work experience/job history on a resume is where past job descriptions and professional experiences give credibility to an application or interview. All the other information and sections on a resume, from hobbiesto the personal statement, frame the list of relevant work experience over the last 10 – 15 years. So, how do I describe my work experience on a resume?
This guide will show you everything you need to know about including work experience on a resume, including:
- How to list your current job and previous positions
The five-word rule. Think about five words that would be sum up your career. How would you describe your experience? Those five words should then come across incredibly strongly in the work experience on a resume. A hiring manager is not going to remember the sentences that you write, but if they stop reading with those five words in their minds, your resume will have done its job.
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Should You Write A Retail Resume Objective Or Summary
When creating your retail resume, you could include a resume objective or summary. An objective statement is a concise and position-focused statement where you describe how you can add value to the employer and the company needs that you can fulfill. The objective could include a short statement of your skills and the qualifications you have for the position in question. Professional summaries tend to be lengthier than objective statements and are meant to provide more details about your job experience, skills, and education.
Objective or summary for your retail resume?
Consider writing an objective statement when:
- You want hiring managers to know you’re a good fit for a specific position
- You’re an entry level employee who has very little experience
- You are making a career change
- You’ve just moved to a new city or town
You might want to opt for writing a summary when:
- You have years of experience and want to tie this experience together
- You want to hone in on key transferable skills
- You believe that an objective statement isn’t enough to show your value to the employer
- You want to clearly emphasize your selling points
Even though objective statements and summaries can help you get your point across to hiring managers, not everyone should use one. If you don’t have years of experience or your career path is streamlined and straightforward, a lengthy summary is unnecessary.
“Objective: To be a sales associate in a retail store.”
Why Is Work Experience On Your Resume So Important
Before we jump in to the ins and outs of writing work experience on a resume, here is why it matters. A hiring manager or employer looks at a resume to answer one question:
Does this persons work experience qualify them for this job?
The work experience section of your resume is the foundation that either qualifies you or disqualifies you for an interview or the next step in the hiring process. This resume section uses the last 10 – 15 years of relevant career history to tell a prospective employer whether you have the work experience in your cv that will fit the requirements of the role. The work experience section gives credibility to your application and should compliment every other aspect of your application materials .
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How To Write A Retail Sales Associate Resume
Before you start writing, make sure you know how to write a resume in a way that best emphasizes your strengths.
Despite setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the retail industry is still growing at a reliable pace and is one of the biggest employers in the United States. This makes working as a retail sales associate a stable, rewarding job, whether youre looking for a part-time position or a full-time job.
However, just because retail sales associate positions are traditionally entry-level doesnt mean theyre always easy to get. Working in retail requires a well-developed set of skills and a positive attitude, especially at high-end stores. To get hired, you need a strong resume that convinces employers youre the right person for the job.
Follow these four tips for writing a retail sales associate resume that sells your qualifications and lands your next retail gig:
How To Include Volunteer Work On Resume When Its Minor
Some volunteer work isnt central to the job.
Maybe you walked dogs for a local shelter. Maybe you helped with a bake sale.
That volunteer resume experience can still impress. But dont list it as work experience.
How to list volunteer work on resumes when its minor:
- If you have lots, put it in a volunteering section below Experience.
- If you have little, put it in an Activities section.
The first of those how to list volunteer work on resume examples is Gates-Foundation-worthy.
It proves skills the employer wants.
Expert Hint: Dont list every piece of volunteer experience on resumes. If youve got more impressive feats, save the resume real estate for them instead.
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Quantifiable Examples On A Retail Resume
When youre writing about your past achievements in your retail resume, do your best to include quantifiable examples. What do we mean by quantifiable? We mean numbers, metrics, and amounts, which is powerful evidence that demonstrates your skills, abilities, and successes!
Hiring managers love seeing real life evidence in retail resumes, so have a look at what type of experience you should include on your resume:
Retail Experience for Your Resume
Action Verbs On A Retail Resume
An action verb on a resume is a verb that represents an action that achieves something. On a resume, action verbs are usually used to demonstrate instances where you have accomplished or achieved something significant in a work-related context. Its important you make an effort to use actions verbs, so take note of the following examples:
Strong Action Verbs for a Retail Resume
Popular action verbs used in retail resumes include words like:
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Customize Your Retail Resume For Every Job Application
Writing an effective resume takes more than just listing your skills and work experience. It’s also important that you tailor your resume to each job you apply to. Many applicants make the mistake of sending the same resume to every job. However, most hiring managers will pick up on this.
To properly tailor your resume, add company- or organization- specific information to the objective/summary sections, the skills section, and bullet points. If the job ad you’re responding to mentioned looking for a strong leader who can manage numerous team members, you should focus on your leadership skills throughout your retail resume.
Retail Resume Format Types
The reverse-chronological format, functional format, and combination/hybrid format are the most popular formats for retail resumes in 2021.
Retail resume format choices:
While each retail resume format has its own set of advantages and disadvantages that you should be aware of, the reverse-chronological choice is ultimately the best option for retail. In fact, many employers outright dislike the functional format for retail positions. The reverse-chronological format is ideal for retail resumes because it allows you to show prospective employers your most recent work history, which will automatically allow these employers to determine if you have the experience necessary for the job.
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Make Sure It Adds Clarity
Your professional summary is only useful if it draws attention to and clarifies your strengths. This is especially helpful if you possess extensive professional experience because it consolidates your most relevant information into a short statement that is focused on the most important points of your resume.
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Showcase Your Relevant Skills
Writing a strong resume skills section will set you apart in your job search and increase your chances of landing an interview. However, if youre like most no-experience job-seekers, your technical skills may be limited.
In this case, use your resume to highlight the soft skills youve acquired throughout your life. Soft skills are applicable for nearly any industry, and are valued by employers.
Here are some examples of soft skills:
- Critical thinking
- Positive attitude
- Assertiveness
Additionally, listing foreign language skills on your resume is a great way to stand out from other applicants and fill out your skills section.
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List Certifications On Your Resume
While not entirely necessary, having relevant retail certifications may be what makes hiring managers think you’re the perfect candidate for the job. This is because having certifications shows them that you’re passionate about what you do as a retail manager.Oftentimes, you can get certifications directly through online programs or through your job.Here are some examples of certifications for retail managers:
- Retail Industry Leaders Association
- National Retail Federation
If you’re looking for more certifications to include in your resume or want to know how to correctly list them, check out our guide.
Tailoring Job History On A Resume For Each Application
Instead of mass applying to every job ad on the internet with the same resume, take the time to tailor it:
Besides the fact that 36% of hiring managers throw out resumes that dont seem personalized for a particular role, a tailored resume and application:
- Shows the hiring manager you took the time to apply and their job wasnt one of 50 different places you sent your resume.
- Get past the automatic keyword filtering larger companies might use to automatically screen candidates in their Applicant Tracking System . Your work experience samples need to be scanned by the machines first.
- Tweak diverse experiences to focus on the most relevant experience for a particular job. For example if youve ever had a job wearing many hats unless youre applying for another many hats position, this strategy gives you a chance to focus your work experience on the hats that are most relevant for the new role.
Restarting this process every time you apply for a new job may seem excessive. Ideally, the more time you put into tailoring your resume, the less jobs youll need to apply to.
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The Guide To Resume Tailoring
Guide the recruiter to the conclusion that you are the best candidate for the retail experience job. Its actually very simple. Tailor your resume by picking relevant responsibilities from the examples below and then add your accomplishments. This way, you can position yourself in the best way to get hired.
Retail Resume Headline Examples
Resume title or header refers to the brief-phrase that proves your competence as a candidate. The most important thing to remember when drafting a resume header applicable to the job description is by citing the most relevant work experiences from your past jobs.
Seen at the beginning of the resume, underneath the contact information and identity of the candidate, retail-based resume titles must condense work experiences that are impressive to outsmart the other candidates. To do so, candidates must first assess multiple formats and styles of resume samples before writing one on their own.
- Versatile Retail Sales Associate with 11+ Years in Sales and Client Retention for National Food Chains.
- Bold and Enthusiastic Retail Salesperson with Expertise in Boosting Online Presence of Brands via Social Media.
- Multitalented Retail Manager with 12+ Years Experience in Managing, Operating and Improving Sales for Global Enterprises.
- Energetic Sales Assistant with Merit-Roll Academics in Business Administration
- Retail Sales Clerk with Proven Record of Improving Sales for Beauty Saloons.
- Exceptional Retail Accountant with 7+ Years Experience Maintaining Accounts for Big Bazaar group of Supermarkets.
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