How To Write a Retail Resume
Writing a resume doesn’t have to be hard, but you do need to describe your relevant skills and tailor your information to the role you’re after. And for jobs in retail, that means proving you can help drive healthy sales of merchandise to buyers in a competitive industry. The tips and examples featured below will show you how to write a detailed and effective resume for your retail job search.
1. Write a compelling profile summarizing your qualifications
Start your resume with a profile paragraph that gives hiring managers a quick view of your strengths and why you’re suited to the role. Use this section to highlight your years of retail experience and anything that sets you apart from other applicants, such as fluency in a foreign language or skill in relevant POS software.
Senior-Level Profile Example
Strategic Retail Manager with 10+ years’ experience driving product sales growth. Confident leader who motivates teams to consistently meet and exceed goals. Recognized for creating unique in-store displays that effectively market products and capitalize on consumer trends. Quickly adapt to new work challenges and industry conditions. Bilingual: Fluent in English and Spanish.
Entry-Level Profile Example
Retail Customer Service Representative with nearly five years of experience. Dedicated to finding creative, practical product solutions for customers based on a close understanding of their needs and priorities. Naturally curious and committed to gaining and applying new work skills.
2. Add a results-driven professional experience section
Retail jobs are all about driving revenue, whether you’re greeting customers and operating the register or researching sales trends and developing products. This is why you should focus your experience section on the revenue you’ve helped generate for employers – try to quantify this experience in terms of a dollar amount or percentage. Also try to quantify related metrics such as your upselling rate or the number of customers you assisted per day.
The retail areas you focus on should depend on your employment level as well. For instance, if you’re applying to entry-level jobs, you’ll want to focus on direct customer service. But if you’re applying to retail leadership jobs, you’ll probably want to focus on your experience helping grow profits via new company systems or initiatives.
Senior-Level Professional Experience Example
Store Manager
This Sounds Cool CDs & Records, Fairfax, VA | January 2013 – February 2018
- Oversaw a 10,000-square-foot retail store with 15 employees
- Led team to grow sales by ~5% annually despite a period of industry challenges
- Developed a unique, franchise-approved rewards program that increased customer loyalty by 20%
- Won “Franchise Retail Manager Excellence” awards in 2015, 2016, and 2017
Entry-Level Professional Experience Example
Retail Customer Service Associate
Best Buy, New York, NY | October 2019 – Present
- Member of a 20+ person, high-performing retail sales and customer service team
- Assist and educate 25+ customers per day on store’s products, payment plans, and rewards programs
- Efficiently process product refunds, replacements, or store credit as needed
3. Include relevant education and certifications
Your resume should include any relevant education or certifications you’ve earned in the retail space. This could range from taking a college class in merchandising to getting your MBA. Certification opportunities in the retail industry vary based on what part of retail you’re pursuing. For example, you may have a certification in accounting if you’re applying to management jobs, or a food safety certification if you’re applying to jobs in a grocery store. Highlighting these on your resume shows employers that you’re serious about your career and invested in professional growth.
Certifications
Template:
[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example:
Service Excellence Certificate, VCU Advanced Solutions, 2023
Education
Template:
[Degree Name]
[School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] – [Graduation Date]
Example:
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sales & Marketing
Fairfax Retail College, Fairfax, VA – 2014
4. List relevant key skills and proficiencies
A key skills section lets you show the various ways you can help retailers sell merchandise and engage customers. These may include specific POS systems you’ve learned, soft skills you’ve developed, or products you’ve promoted. Aim for variety with this section, but also make sure each item overlaps with the duties of your target retail job. Below are some common retail skills to consider for this part of your resume.
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Cash Handling | Conflict Resolution |
| Customer Service & Support | Data Entry & Organization |
| Employee Engagement | Inventory Management |
| New Product Promotions | Payment Processing |
| Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems | Procedure Improvement |
| Process Streamlining | Product Upselling |
| Reporting & Documentation | Retail Sales Support |
| Retail Store Management | Revenue & Profit Growth |
| Sales Management | Task Prioritization |
| Team Collaboration | Team Leadership & Motivation |
| Time Management | Visual Merchandising |
How to Pick the Best Retail Resume Template
If you’re not sure how to draft a great retail resume, a template can make it easier to organize and tailor your information to the job you’re seeking. While there are many to choose from, a retail resume template should be clearly structured and easy to read. A clean format with bullets and bolding to visually separate text ensures that hiring managers can quickly find what they’re looking for.
Retail Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
Years of Experience
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
Cameron Malfara
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | New York, NY 12345 | LinkedIn
Profile
Retail Customer Service Representative with nearly five years of experience. Dedicated to finding creative, practical product solutions for customers based on a close understanding of their needs and priorities. Naturally curious and committed to gaining and applying new work skills.
Key Skills
- Active Listening Methods
- Consultative Sales Strategies
- Customer Support & Satisfaction
- Process Improvement
- Product Upselling
- Retail Customer Service
- Sales Management
Professional Experience
Retail Customer Service Associate, Best Buy, New York, NY | October 2019 to Present
- Member of a 20+ person, high-performing retail sales and customer service team
- Assist and educate 25+ customers per day on store’s products, payment plans, and rewards programs
- Efficiently process product refunds, replacements, or store credit as needed
Highlights:
- Consistently surpassed monthly sales goal by more than 30%
- Achieved and maintained a 94% customer satisfaction rating
- Helped streamline five daily procedures, reducing average customer wait times by 12% in 2021
Retail Customer Service Associate, Target, New York, NY | June 2018 to October 2019
- Addressed and resolved various customer inquiries by phone and in person
- Directed shoppers to their desired products and merchandise
- Coordinated with other store departments and locations as needed
Highlight:
- Earned a 93%+ service score for 12 consecutive months
Education
Graduate, Central Park East High School, New York, NY | 2018
Technical Skills
Microsoft Office Suite | Multi-Line Phone Systems | Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems
Ann Lee
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | San Francisco, CA 94567 | LinkedIn
Profile
Retail Sales Associate with 3+ years of experience in the fine furniture industry. Natural collaborator who builds productive relationships with diverse team members.
Key Skills
- Consultative Sales Strategies
- Cross-Functional Coordination
- Customer Service
- Inventory Management
- Process Streamlining
- Product Upselling
- Retail Sales Operations
- Revenue & Profit Growth
- Team Collaboration
Professional Experience
Sales Assistant, Morris & Sons Fine Furniture, San Francisco, CA | March 2020 to Present
- Build rapport with customers to clarify their needs and show them high-quality furniture options
- Consistently generated 100%+ of sales goals by building and applying expert product knowledge
- Ranked #3 on a 15-person team for customer satisfaction, with 94%+ rating on post-sale surveys
- Revamped merchandise display to create a more appealing sales floor that motivates customers to buy accessories in addition to large furniture items
Waitress, Bucky’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, CA | February 2017 to February 2020
- Maintained high service standards in a dynamic and fast-paced work environment
- Gained strong foundation in effective customer relations and product upselling
Education
Associate of Arts — Retail Management, Bay Community College, San Francisco, CA | 2019
Select Coursework:
- Business Communication
- Display & Visual Merchandising
- Principles of Sales
- Retail Management
Alison Jacobs
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Baltimore, MD 12345 | LinkedIn
Profile
Strategic Retail Manager with 10+ years’ experience driving product sales growth. Confident leader who motivates teams to consistently meet and exceed goals. Recognized for creating unique in-store displays that effectively market products and capitalize on consumer trends. Adapt readily to new work challenges and industry conditions. Bilingual: Fluent in English and Spanish.
Key Skills
- Customer Service & Satisfaction
- Employee Engagement
- Process Improvement
- Product Merchandising
- Retail Store Management
- Revenue & Profit Growth
- Team Leadership & Motivation
Professional Experience
Store Manager, This is Hip Clothing & Accessories, Baltimore, MD | March 2018 to Present
- Oversee daily operations of a 25,000-square-foot retail store with 40 personnel
- Introduced customer-focused sales methods that grew store revenue 10% – 20% annually
- Drove recruiting initiatives that helped maintain 90% staff retention
Store Manager, This Sounds Cool CDs & Records, Fairfax, VA | January 2013 to February 2018
- Oversaw a 10,000-square-foot retail store with 15 employees
- Led team to grow sales ~5% annually despite a period of industry challenges
- Developed a unique, franchise-approved rewards program that increased customer loyalty by 20%
- Won “Franchise Retail Manager Excellence” awards in 2015, 2016, and 2017
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) — Sales & Marketing, Fairfax Retail College, Fairfax, VA | 2014
Certification
Service Excellence Certificate, VCU Advanced Solutions | 2023
Language
Fluency in Spanish | Basic proficiency in Italian
Frequently Asked Questions: Retail Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for retail resumes?+
Retail jobs typically focus on serving customers, selling products, and supervising franchise operations. You can capture these and other work areas on your resume by referring to the list of verbs below.
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Advised | Assisted |
| Collaborated | Communicated |
| Coordinated | Created |
| Cross-sold | Decreased |
| Demonstrated | Enhanced |
| Generated | Implemented |
| Improved | Increased |
| Interacted | Lowered |
| Maintained | Marketed |
| Merchandised | Monitored |
| Operated | Organized |
| Oversaw | Processed |
| Produced | Promoted |
| Provided | Recommended |
| Raised | Resolved |
| Restocked | Served |
| Sold | Strengthened |
| Supervised | Supported |
| Trained | Upsold |
| Won | |
How do you align your resume with a job description?+
Between now and 2031, retailers will need to fill nearly 600,000 sales positions per year on average, according to forecasts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
You can get more retail job interviews if you tailor your resume to details in each job posting. For example, if the retailer seeks someone collaborative, you may want to call out that aspect of your experience in your Profile and Key Skills sections. Or say the facility has many non-English speaking customers — you may want to highlight your foreign language skills both in your Profile and as a separate section farther down the document. If the job post mentions that the role requires processing payments, you might add a related bullet point to your experience section, such as “Processed ~50 customer payments per day using Square.” With adjustments like these, you can make your resume that much more relevant to each job opportunity.
What is the best retail resume format?+
Generally, the best retail resumes follow the combination format. This format lets hiring managers easily see what retail roles you’ve had and how many years’ experience you’ve gained. It also leaves you room for a profile and key skills section, which can help you show your strengths and perform better on ATS scans.
Expert Advice: Include a cover letter with your resume
While a cover letter may not be required (especially for entry-level retail positions), you can’t go wrong by including one unless the job posting specifically asks you not to. Think of the cover letter as a chance to give more details on your top achievements and skills for the retail job in question. If you’re not sure how to get started, our retail cover letter guide can help.
