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A retail sales associate is a frontline worker and is one of the most popular jobs today. How can you use a resume to stand out against all the competition?
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Retail sales associates are the frontline workers of any retail company. They are in charge of helping customers find the right product, processing payments and returns, and organizing merchandise. Retail outlets such as supermarkets, clothing stores, and electronics retailers are in constant need of retail sales associates. To stand out from other job seekers, you need to create a stellar resume that will increase your chances of getting hired.
Retail sales associates primarily handle customers. Because of this, you will need to highlight your excellent customer service skills in the resume. If you have previous experience with the product the store is selling, this should also be outlined. Retail sales associates are often asked questions about products by customers, so extensive product knowledge can be used when upselling.
Build my resumeThere are many ways to structure a retail sales associate resume. You can either structure your resume to highlight your work history or highlight your skills in the industry. Either way, here are five sections you should always include in your resume:
Your contact information should be at the very top of any professional resume. This way, hiring managers have an easy time contacting you if they want to interview or hire you. In this section of the resume, include your full name, phone number, email address, and a link to your LinkedIn profile, if you have one.
A resume summary or resume objective is a 2-3 sentence paragraph. A resume summary focuses on your most significant achievements and skills. However, if your work experience is limited, the resume objective will be a better option for you. In the resume objective, state your overall career goals and top abilities.
In the skills section of the resume, you’ll want to highlight skills that would be beneficial to the company based on what’s required in the job posting. Providing a mix of hard skills, such as experience with Microsoft Excel, and soft skills are especially valuable in sales associate positions because those are the skills most used on a day-to-day basis. Some skills you can include on your retail sales associate resume are:
Retail and sales experience is very important to recruiters in the retail space. In the work experience section, limit yourself to your last 10 years of experience. Even in retail jobs, a lot changes in 10 years, and your most recent jobs say more about your experience than your first few.
The education section is where you list all of your certifications and academic achievements. List the highest level of education you’ve completed as well as any certifications related to sales, finance, business, or anything else that relates to the job you’re after. You’ll want to keep this section as focused as possible, so if you completed a babysitting course, don’t include it if you’re looking for a retail job at a hardware store.
Do:
Don't:
Have questions? We’re here to help.
Yes, you do need to include a cover letter unless the job description says otherwise. In the cover letter, you can go into more detail about your skills, your experience, and why you’re interested in working for that particular company.
Retail sales associate positions are typically entry-level jobs that don’t require much experience. However, you can still stand out by highlighting your skills. For example, if you can speak Spanish, include that in your resume. You can also focus on your availability and flexibility, such as being willing to work weekends and holidays.
If you want to apply to different jobs, you can make it easier for yourself by thoroughly looking at the job description. The job description will have certain keywords (e.g., specific skills and requirements) you can include in your resume to tailor it to each company you apply to.
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