Retail Resume

About This Resume

Working in retail can be tiring and, at times, chaotic. Associates are on their feet for whole shifts and spend a lot of time restocking shelves, working the register or refolding the sweaters that shoppers leave in a heap by the fitting rooms. They're prone to rushes, such as holiday weekends, back-to-school sales, and the first warm Saturday of spring, so staying calm is important. Most retail resumes list the same duties.

Store managers tend to check availability first and larger chains generally screen applications with software before anyone reads them. Their checklists may include items such as weekend and evening hours, cash handling, opening or closing experience and a sales number or two you can back up. Put those near the top of the page, where they're easy to spot.

What to Include

• The type of store for each job (grocery, sporting goods, home goods), since each one sells differently
• Register, cash and deposit duties, including any time you balanced a drawer or took the deposit to the bank
• Sales results in plain numbers, such as a sign-up ranking or an add-on target you beat
• Opening, closing and key holder duties, which show a manager you can be trusted alone
• Stock work: truck unloads, counts, price changes and displays built from a floor plan
• The days and hours you can work, in the summary or a short availability line

Retail Resume Sample

Tips for Your Retail Resume

• Compare "Helped customers" with "Fitted about 30 customers a Saturday for hiking boots and sold insoles to half of them." Only the second one paints a picture.
• If you've opened or closed a store on your own, say so plainly and list the tasks: cash counts, alarm codes, deposits and the last walk-through.
• Whenever possible, write bullets that tie your selling to numbers you've reached on the floor. Any applicant can claim great service. To get noticed, you need to show a manager a result they can check, such as ranking first of 14 associates for loyalty program sign-ups last year.
• Key holders protect the cash and the building for the owner, the manager, and the next morning's crew. They make sure that alarms are set, and deposits are counted, sealed and dropped at the bank on time. Give each duty a bullet.
• Retail promotions often come quickly. You may move from associate to key holder and then to assistant manager if you can be trusted with the store, so mention any ordering, scheduling or display work you've done.
• Group holiday jobs under one heading, such as Seasonal Sales Associate, with the years it covers. In other words, a manager sees three winters of experience in one place.
• Keep the layout as tidy as a freshly faced shelf, with one font, one bullet style and nothing spilling onto a second page.