Retail CV Examples, Templates and Writing Guide for 2023

Careers in retail are not for the faint of heart.

But you don’t lack courage.

You lack a job-winning retail CV.

And that’s OK—

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

From an inexperienced retail newbie to retail sales associate to retail manager.

This guide will show you:

• Great retail CV examples that get jobs.
• How to ace your retail CV job description on a CV.
• How to write CV for retail that get the interview.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing retail jobs.

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Considering other positions? See our dedicated CV guides:

• Barista CV
• Bartender CV
• Call Centre CV
• Cashier CV
• Customer Service CV
• Delivery Driver CV
• Lifeguard CV
• Retail Manager CV
• Sales Associate CV
• Sales Representative CV
• Server CV
• Store Manager CV
• Waiter & Waitress CV

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

CV Example for Retail

1. Choose the Best Retail CV Format

Some behaviours 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 CV headings.

So, you must format your CV to achieve maximum impact

Retail CV format

• Lay out your retail CV in the reverse-chronological format. This way you highlight your achievements and retail experience on the CV.
• Go for simple and readable CV fonts in the range between 10 and 14pt. Write simple headings. Don’t clutter your retail CV 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 CV.
• Start with a retail CV objective or summary. Follow it up with the experience and education sections.
• Put retail CV 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 CV 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 CV Objective for Retail That Turns Heads

A professional retail CV summary (or objective) is a short paragraph about your retail experience, achievements and skills. A retail CV summary should include actual numbers and figures to achieve additional 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 CV 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 CV 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 CV, though.

No.

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

Here’s how to get it right—

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

What’s the difference between the two?

Retail CV 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 CV objectives below:

CV Objective for Retail—Examples

CV Objective for Retail Sales Associate

CV 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 CV objective or summary last. The idea behind the CV intro is to summarise everything that follows and bring out the best bits. Without the actual CV ready, it may be hard to summarise anything.

3. Write the Perfect Retail CV Skills and Job Description Sections

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

If your retail CV 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 CV skills the employer needs.
3. Describe your experience with retail CV keywords from the job ad.

Retail Job Description for CV

Retail Sales Associate CV Job Description

Here’s the thing:

If you’re applying to a large company, your retail CV 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 CVs they receive. In fact, about 75% of recruiters rely on such systems.

In short—

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

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

This is why your retail CV 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 CV 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 CV 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 CV bullet.

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

Retail CV—Key Achievements

Retail CV Example—Key Achievements

Remember:

Responsibilities + Numbers = Achievements

And one more thing.

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

A word of caution:

Make sure the skills you put on a CV 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 CV.

Top Retail Skills

Soft Skills

• Customer service
• Oral and written communication
• Collaboration
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving
• Interpersonal skills
• Sales techniques
• Customer service
• 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 CV. 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.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your CV in our CV builder now.

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4. Turn Boring Education Into a Reason to Hire You

Education matters.

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

So—

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

Entry-Level Retail CV—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 CV, limit the education section to the graduation date, school name, and degree.

5. Sprinkle Your Retail CV With These Extra Sections

BOGOF is the way to go.

So—

Throw in a couple of extras to your retail CV.

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 CV—they prove you’re serious about your professional development.
• Interests on a CV—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 CV—Certifications

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

Retail Associate CV—Interests

• Consumer electronics
• Postmodern architecture

Retail Salesman CV—Languages

• Spanish (Bilingual)
• French (Advanced)

Expert Hint: Make your application twice as effective with a retail CV cover letter. Less than 50% of the candidates write retail CV cover letters. Yet, more than 50% of the hiring managers would like to read one.

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

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

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

• Choose the best retail CV template. A retail sales associate CV doesn’t need to have such a spacious experience section as a retail manager CV.
• Make your retail sales CV 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 CV skills you put on your CV must target a specific job opening.
• Make the most of your education. Use this section to your advantage on a retail CV 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 CV? Want to share advice on how to prepare a CV for retail jobs (store clerk CV or sales associate CV)? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below.