Retail Resume
Before you begin writing your retail resume, make sure that you really want
to do this on your own. There are many professional
resume writers and resume
services you may want to hire to help you. Sometimes their expertise
makes all the difference between getting and not getting that first interview.
|
|
If you decide to write your own resume,
the best place to start is to analyze resume
examples that utilize common resume
formats. This will give you a good idea of the resume
templates being used successfully today to land retail jobs.
Next, look at retail-related web sites and publications to help you choose
the key words you need to emphasize in your resume so that scanning software
used to identify strong job candidates won’t pass you by.
Performance is the key to a successful career in the business world, in general
and the Retail world, in particular. A person could have been the manager,
salesperson, merchandiser, cashier, clerk, HR professional or have performed
many other retail jobs. The most important thing while searching for a job
in the retail business is that your résumé needs to demonstrate
how you have contributed to the company's success. |
Display a Clear Career Goal and Highlight
Your Achievements:
Be sure to include a Career Summary section which will grab the employer’s
attention immediately by highlighting your most important attributes.
Avoid listing vague skills or clichés like "excellent communication
and interpersonal skills". Instead, provide hard facts about your
work history or training that would prompt the hiring manager to call
you for an interview.
Areas of Skills and Expertise to include:
Include an Area of Expertise section to display your qualifications
and competency for the job. Organize your expertise in a simple methodical
list. Here’s an example: |
- Strategic Planning
- P&L Management
- Retail Distribution
- Budget Planning
- Merchandise Displays
- Sales and Marketing
- Inventory Control
- Procurement
- Warehousing
- Systems Management
- Incentive Structures
- Performance Standards
- Safety and Compliance
- Team Leadership and Mentoring
Try to energize your job descriptions by describing how you went above and
beyond your job duties. Think about how you performed in each of your positions
to develop accomplishment statements that will create a significant impact
on the potential employer. Include factors like what was expected of you and
how well met those expectations; the methods you used to generate strong results;
awards won if any; and overcoming obstacles that resulted in a positive outcome.
Include Specific Skills that Will Get You Noticed
Keep in mind to include the various skills that will make the potential employer
take notice your resume. Listed here are some of the important skills related
to Retail:
- administrative functions
- advertising
- budgeting
- buying
- customer service
- design
- display
- hiring/firing
- information technology skills
- merchandising
- planning
- public relations
- receiving
- scheduling
- selling
- shipping
- stock work
- store management
- supervising
- training
Your skills should evolve in accordance with the ever-growing world of retail.
Always remember to include your continuing education, in-service training,
outside seminars, courses, certifications, or any other experience that displays
dedication to your profession.
PAR (Problem-Action-Results) Statements:
According to Yana Parker, author of The Damn Good Résumé Guide, "Remove
everything that starts with 'responsibilities included' in your résumé.
Replace that with on-the-job accomplishments”. You can do this by filling
your resume with PAR statements. For instance, state the problem that existed
in your workplace, describe what you did about it and specify the beneficial
results.
A good example of a PAR statement would be: 'Increased lagging department
sales 17 percent to 23 percent each quarter in one year by redesigning displays,
improving advertising, and enhancing customer service.'
Keywords to Include:
Your Retail Resume should include specific job titles like: retail manager,
store manager, retail store manager, retail sales, sales representative, cashier,
assistant manager, merchandiser, buyer; and required job skills: P&L management,
purchasing, procurement, retail operations management. Other keywords that
might be used include technology such as specific computer programs, degrees
such as BA or MBA and positive personal qualities.
In addition to these important guidelines for constructing your resume, there
are many resume tips plus
simple resume formats to
follow that will help you compose a great resume. Some of the more important
rules are as follows:
- Never write more than two pages.
- Use a format that makes the resume inviting and easy-to-read.
- Think about your accomplishments and make them the focus of the resume
- Tell the truth.
- Use buzzwords and keywords.
- If possible, tailor your resume for a specific job, not just a specific
industry.
- Include computer proficiency levels for almost all jobs.
- Ensure all dates link up and leave no suspicious gaps if you are using
a chronological format.
- If there are gaps in your work history, use a functional resume format.
- Make sure your cover letter is as good as your resume.
- Practice your job
interview skills.
- Don’t forget to follow-up with a thank-you note.
Finally, click on retail jobs to
find suggestions of specific web sites and resume
posting and submission services where you can submit your resume.
|
|
Find Retail Jobs with Business.com
|
Retail & Consumer Services - Business.com will help you find just what looking for. Browse through more than 65,000 categories. Find all the vendors and goods you need to grow your...
|
|
Retail Job - Monster
|
Find your next job at Monster today. Search thousands of local job listings from the web's premium job database. Sign-up for a free account and post your resume...
|
|
iHireRetail
|
100's of retail jobs and 1000's of retail candidates! Instantly email your job to a huge database of general managers, department managers, regional managers, and...
|
|
|
|
