Retail Resume Examples with Skills & Job Description

Careers in retail are not for the faint of heart.

But you don’t lack courage.

You lack a job-winning retail resume.

And that’s OK—

Because you’re about to learn how to make a resume for any retail career level.

From an inexperienced retail newbie to a retail master.

This guide will show you:

• Great retail resume examples that get jobs.
• How to ace your retail job description for resume.
• How to write resumes for retail that get the interview.
• How to list your retail skills for resume. 

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Looking for other jobs in retail or sales? Check these guides:

• Call Center Resume
• Cashier Resume
• Retail Manager Resume
• Sales Associate Resume
• Sales Representative Resume
• Sales Resume
• Store Manager Resume
• Walmart Resume

Considering other positions? See our dedicated resume guides:

• Barista Resume
• Bartender Resume
• Budtender Resume
• Customer Service Resume
• Delivery Driver Resume
• General Resume That’s Not Generic
• Lifeguard Resume
• McDonald's Resume
• Receptionist Resume
• Resume with No Experience
• Security Officer Resume
• Server Resume
• Teen Resume
• US Resume Format
• Waiter & Waitress Resume

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Professional Resume Examples.

Retail Resume Example You Can Use

1. Choose the Best Retail Resume Format

Some behaviors are highly predictable:

90% of people turn right when they enter a store.

So, stores are laid out accordingly.

Hiring managers also act in a predictable way—

They spend only 6 seconds scanning resume headings.

So, you must format your resume to achieve maximum impact:

• Lay out your retail resume in the reverse-chronological order. This way you highlight your achievements and retail experience on the resume.
• Go for simple and readable resume fonts in the range between 10 and 14pt. Write simple headings. Don’t clutter your retail resume and use white space to your advantage.
• Make it reasonably long. A good rule of thumb is one page for up to 10 years of retail experience on a resume.
• Start with a retail resume objective or summary. Follow it up with the experience and education sections.
• Put retail resume skillsin a key skills section to make them more visible. List your professional certifications, add sections on your interests and knowledge of foreign languages.

Expert Hint Want to be sure your retail resume looks just as good on the hiring manager’s device as on yours? Save it as a PDF file—its formatting will stay intact, and it will remain machine-readable.

2. Start with a Resume Summary or Objective&for Retail That Turns Heads

A professional retail resume summary (or objective) is a short paragraph about your retail experience, achievements, and skills. A retail resume summary should include actual numbers and figures you achieved for the highest impact.

So—

Put your best foot forward and show off what you have to offer right from the start.

Here’s how to write an effective intro that commands the recruiter’s attention:

1. An adjective
2. Job title
3. Years of experience
4. What you can offer and how it will help
5. Your biggest achievement

Retail Resume Summary—Examples

The good example is more than a simple attention grabber. It shows what the candidate has to offer. And proves this with numbers.

Now, take another look at the bad example. It’s clear what the candidate wants.

But—

What do they have to offer?

What About Retail Resume with No Experience?

Listen:

If you’re looking for your very first retail job, a simple conversation with the store manager might turn out to be enough.

It doesn’t mean you can simply ignore writing your retail resume, though.

No.

Your retail sales associate resume for an entry-level position must deliver right off the bat, regardless.

Here’s how to get it right—

Start with a resume objective for retail. Not a summary.

What’s the difference between the two?

Retail resume objectives bring forward your skills and relevant achievements, rather than your professional experience. You’re free to mention your educational wins, volunteer experience, and the like.

Take a look at the examples of retail resume objectives below:

Resume Objective for Retail—Examples

Resume Objective for Retail

Resume Objective Retail—No Experience

Remember:

Focus on what you can give, not what you want in return.

Such an attitude will take you much further.

Expert Hint: Write your retail resume objective or summary last. The idea behind the resume intro is to summarize everything that follows and bring out the best bits. Without the actual resume ready, it may be hard to summarize anything.

3. Write the Perfect Retail Skills and Job Description for Your Resume

It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned retail pro or a newbie.

If your retail resume job description underdelivers—

You stand no chance.

So, follow this three-step formula to nail it every time:

1. Go back to the job ad.
2. Fish out for retail resume skills the employer needs.
3. Describe your experience with retail resume keywords from the job ad.

Retail Job Description for Resume

Retail Resume Job Description

Here’s the thing:

If you’re applying to a large company, your retail resume is likely to have a hurdle to clear before a hiring manager has a chance to read it.

The ATS.

The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) helps recruiters sift through the deluge of retail resumes they receive. In fact, about 75% of recruiters rely on such systems.

In short—

ATSs look for retail resume keywords to divide the candidates into the qualified and unqualified ones.

If the relevant keywords are absent from your retail resume, well, guess what the ATS will think of your application.

This is why your retail resume must answer a specific job ad, and use the phrases from the ad.

Simple.

Or is it?

Nope. If it was that easy, mindless copy-pasting would land you any retail job in the world.

The next step for your retail resume is to impress the recruiter.

Here’s how—

First off, use strong action words.

Strong verbs, such as guided, inspired, monitored, collaborated, created, fostered, or reduced not onlytell the recruiter what you did but also reflect your retail skills.

In contrast, if your retail resume job description falls back on the “responsible for” cliché, well, you can’t be expecting much.

Second of all, quantify your retail duties. Numbers speak louder than words and show how well you performed your responsibilities.

Mind you, though—

You don’t need need to quantify every single resume bullet.

Focus on up to 2-3 achievements that you’re proud of and put them in a key achievements subsection.

Retail Resume Example—Key Achievements

Retail Sales Associate Resume Example—Key Achievements

Remember:

Responsibilities + Numbers = Achievements

And one more thing.

Put your retail skills for a resume in a separate section to give them the visibility they deserve.

A word of caution:

Make sure the skills you put on a resume for retail are the right ones. So, revisit the job listing to see what retail skills are mentioned.

Have those skills?

Put them on your retail resume.

Retail Resume Skills List

Soft Skills

• Customer service
• Oral and written communication
• Collaboration
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving
• Interpersonal skills
• Sales techniques
• Relationship building
• Leadership
• Adaptability

Hard Skills

• Product knowledge
• Inventory management
• Merchandising
• POS (Shopify, Quickbooks, Loyverse)
• Conflict resolution
• MS Office
• Team management
• Budgeting
• Negotiating
• Conflict resolution
• Strategic planning
• Sales techniques

Expert Hint: Don’t put too many skills on your retail resume. Limit yourself to up to ten, and stick to the ones you’re really good at. This way you’ll avoid the so-called presenter’s paradox.

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4. Turn Boring Education Into a Reason to Hire You

Education matters.

Especially on an entry-level retail resume whose experience section looks like it’s awaiting a major delivery.

So—

Make sure your resume education section lists the relevant coursework, extracurricular activities, and show off your GPA if it’s higher than 3.5.

Entry-Level Retail Resume—Education

Expert Hint: As your career progresses, the recruiter’s attention will naturally turn to your professional experience. If you’re making a retail manager resume, limit the education section to the graduation date, school name, and degree.

5. Sprinkle Your Retail Resume With These Extra Sections

BOGOF is the way to go.

So—

Throw in a couple of extras to your retail resume.

But don’t just add anything.

Pick out the relevant things that show you’re a well-rounded candidate, and a cool person to hang around.

Consider the following sections:

• Certifications on a resume—they prove you’re serious about your professional development.
• Interests on a resume—you’ll be spending a lot of time at work, it’s nice to have interesting people around.
• Knowledge of foreign languages—this always comes in handy. Always.

Retail Resume—Certifications

• SPIN® Selling Certification
• PMP—Project Management Professional
• WHY Discovery Course

Retail Resume—Interests

• Consumer electronics
• Postmodern architecture

Retail Resume—Languages

• Spanish (Bilingual)
• French (Advanced)

Expert Hint: Make your application twice as effective with a retail cover letter. Less than 50% of the candidates write retail resume cover letters. Yet, more than 50% of the hiring managers would like to read one. So your best bet is to learn how to write a good cover letter.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

To write a retail resume that lands you an interview, make sure to:

• Choose the best retail resume template. A retail sales associate resume doesn’t need to have such a spacious experience section as a retail manager resume.
• Make your retail sales resume look great. Keep it short and sweet. Use white space to your advantage. Include only your relevant retail experience.
• Reply to a particular job ad. The retail resume skills you put on your resume must target a specific job opening.
• Make the most of your education. Use this section to your advantage on a retail resume with no (or little) experience.
• Throw in something extra. Prove to the recruiter you’re a candidate to be reckoned with. Your professional certifications, interests, and knowledge of foreign languages testify to your professionalism and growth mindset

Questions on how to write the best retail resume? Want to share advice on how to prepare a resume for retail jobs (store clerk resume or sales associate resume)? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below.