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Merchandisers are a crucial part of the customer experience. Follow our tips and merchandiser resumes to write a resume that gets you the right merchandising job!
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To be a great merchandiser, you must first understand how to advertise yourself. After all, merchandisers are the people who convince you to buy something in a store while checking inventory, managing products and creating markdowns. That’s where your resume comes in.
To help you capture your wide range of skills, we’ve put together different merchandiser resume examples and professional writing advice you can follow.
Build my resumeMake sure your merchandiser resume hits all the right notes by following these tips:
Using the same resume for every job might be tempting, but you’ll just be doing yourself a disservice. Tailor your resume to each job posting using keywords from their list of requirements, skills and responsibilities to increase your chances of making it past applicant tracking systems (ATS). Many employers use ATS to scan resume submissions, with only the most relevant resumes getting a passing grade.
Part of customizing your resume to the job is to feature information that that specific employer will like. So, feature experiences and achievements relevant to the job’s responsibilities. For example, do you have experience organizing inventory? How good are you at giving product presentations? Have you successfully sold products before?
Being a merchandiser requires strong creative and practical skills. When you write your merchandiser resume, you should show that you can create appealing merchandise spaces and handle projects while also demonstrating strong interpersonal and intangible skills. As such, design skills, organizational skills and soft skills commonly associated with customer service (for example, conflict resolution) will all be beneficial. Try to focus on what you can do for the specific company that you are applying for to impress a hiring manager.
Saying you’re a great merchandiser is one thing, showing you’re a great merchandiser is another. Percentages, metrics and numbers help you show hiring managers your impact and success. So, instead of saying, “Led team to curate attractive displays to generate more sales,” tell prospective employers you, “Led team of three visual merchandisers to curate impressive store displays, resulting in a 30% increase in in-store traffic and 16% sales increase.”
Action words are a great way to energize your resume and make each statement more impactful. Instead of starting your phrases with “I was responsible for…” or “I was in charge of…,” use an action verb to look more professional in the eyes of hiring managers and recruiters. Below are some action words that are appropriate for a merchandising resume. For a more detailed list, visit our action words article.
You can choose from three resume formats based on your experience level.
Every merchandiser job is different, so be sure to tailor the hard skills and soft skills you include in your merchandiser resume accordingly to impress store managers. Some skills you might want to consider include:
At the top of your resume is your resume header with your full name and contact information, including your phone number, email address and social media links, like your LinkedIn profile.
The first actual section of the resume is your professional summary or resume objective.
A resume summary is a two-to-three-sentence summary of your top skills and relevant experience. It’s best for people with more than two years of experience. Here’s what a merchandiser resume summary could look like:
A resume objective summarizes your qualifications while also including your employment goals. It’s typically recommended for people with less than two years of experience or changing careers. For example:
Your ability to sell merchandise often rests on the skills you have. Here are some merchandising skills you might want to include on your merchandiser resume:
Both hard and soft skills are important as a merchandiser. You’ll notice that many of these skills are hard skills related specifically to the job title at hand. Soft skills are also important so you can relate to customers and team members, but hard skills let you do your job successfully.
List up to 10 years of experience in your work history section. Include three to five bullet points per job title, detailing important achievements, metrics and other experiences that will set you apart from the crowd. Write in the present tense for your current employment and past tense for previous ones.
If you’re just starting and are writing a resume with no experience as a merchandiser, you can include any previous work with related tasks or skills, such as handling store merchandise or setting up store displays.
Merchandisers typically require just a high school diploma, especially for entry-level positions. However, it may benefit you to get your bachelor’s degree in a field related to merchandising, like a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Check the job description to see what kind of education the company hopes to receive from you.
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Have questions? We’re here to help.
It’s essential to highlight your skills, achievements and experiences that demonstrate your ability to drive sales, optimize product presentations and contribute to the overall success of a business in your merchandiser resume. The specifics of what you should include in your resume will depend on the type of merchandiser the employer is seeking, but in general, you should:
Highlight your most relevant skills, experiences and achievements in your professional merchandiser resume.
The best resume summary for a merchandiser is one that concisely summarizes your key strengths and experiences. It should give the prospective employer a snapshot of your skills and accomplishments while showcasing your value. For example:
“Results-oriented merchandiser with a proven track record of driving sales and enhancing product visibility through strategic merchandising. Seven years of experience in the retail industry, planogram development, inventory management and cross-functional collaboration. Proficient at analyzing market trends and implementing effective merchandising strategies to maximize profitability. “
A resume objective for a merchandiser should communicate your skills and career goals. Keep it concise, focused and tailored to the specific position by highlighting key skills mentioned in the job description. Wrap up your resume objective with a short sentence expressing enthusiasm for the opportunity and your goals. For example:
“Dynamic and detail-oriented merchandiser with two years of hands-on experience in the retail industry. Proven track record of optimizing product presentation, driving sales and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Eager to contribute my skills and passion for creating compelling product displays to enhance the retail experience.”
A merchandiser’s core duties and responsibilities will vary depending on the industry and specific job requirements. Generally speaking, however, here are some duties commonly associated with the role you can include in your merchandiser resume:
Yes. Cover letters help you show that you’re serious about a job application, allow you to talk about your experiences more effectively, and make it easy to ask for a job interview. If you’re not confident in your skills for writing a cover letter, use the ResumeHelp cover letter builder to turn out an effective cover letter for a merchandiser job.
You don’t necessarily need years of professional experience to be a merchandiser. Not only can you utilize experience in many different fields, including retail sales manager positions, but you can also lean more heavily on your skills than on your work experience. This can help you write a better resume.
When writing a retail merchandiser resume, you must tailor each application to a specific job description. This is where resume keywords can come into play. By using these keywords, you’re able to reflect exactly what a recruiter wants to see in their eventual hire, which can help you shorten your job search.
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