Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Retail job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. So try to include them on your resume where possible. Go to the Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.
Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all these keywords on your resume, identify the keywords most relevant to the job you're applying to and include those. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.
Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.
Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.
Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.
Retail salespeople need a big dose of people skills alongside an awareness of sales and marketing strategies, business trends, and basic software and point of sale (POS) hardware. Retail salespeople need to demonstrate their ability to make a sale and may even work on commission, so make sure to emphasize the times you exceeded sales goals or provided excellent customer service.
When it comes to sales, numbers are key. In other words, quantify your achievements! “Exceeded sales goals” sounds okay, but “exceeded commission goals each week by at least 15%” makes the scope of your accomplishment much clearer. If you have numbers for the amount of revenue you generated, sales you processed, or promotions you upsold — use them.
A longer list of skills isn’t always more impressive. Keep your skills section easy for hiring managers to digest by listing only the most relevant hard skills you possess. For retail sales, this means things like POS and operating systems and data entry software. Soft skills, like communication and customer service, should go in your bullet points where you can quantify them.
A retail sales associate, typically a sales associate working specifically in a brick-and-mortar store, must have excellent interpersonal skills and the emotional intelligence to interact with a variety of different customers daily. When crafting your retail sales associate resume, make sure to emphasize the relevant skills and experience you have developed in your past retail roles.
Retail sales involves extensive face-to-face interaction with customers on a daily basis, and hiring managers are looking for candidates who can effectively handle the unique challenges that come up in this environment. Make sure to include as much relevant experience you have for the role -- even outside of just retail. For example, if you worked as a receptionist, you were often working face-to-face with an office’s clients. If you think outside the box like this, you can probably come up with more relevant experiences than you realize!
Focus on including retail-oriented skills in your skills section. Showing hiring managers that you have applicable experience in working a cash register, improving operations, or troubleshooting credit card issues can be the difference between landing a job or getting passed over. In addition, make sure you read through the job posting to see what skills they list, and emphasize the skills they’ve highlighted throughout your resume.
As a sales associate or retail salesperson, your role is all about connecting with customers and providing exceptional service while also driving sales. In recent years, the retail industry has become more competitive, placing a higher emphasis on customer experience and personalized service. When hiring for this role, companies are looking for candidates who can demonstrate their ability to engage with customers and contribute to the store's overall success. A well-crafted resume is essential for showcasing your skills and experience in these areas, making you stand out from other applicants. In the ever-changing world of retail, it's crucial for sales associates to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. Your resume should highlight your adaptability and willingness to learn, as well as your ability to build lasting relationships with customers. Demonstrating these skills on your resume will show potential employers that you're a valuable addition to their team.
On your resume, emphasize any customer service experience you have, whether in retail or other industries. Showcase specific examples of how you provided exceptional service, resolved customer issues, or went above and beyond to meet client needs, making you an excellent fit for a sales associate role.
Include concrete examples of your sales achievements, such as meeting or exceeding sales targets, maintaining a high average transaction value, or generating repeat business from customers. Providing quantifiable results gives potential employers a clear picture of your ability to contribute positively to their sales goals.
As a Sales Associate or Retail Salesperson, you're not just a cashier. You're a frontline ambassador for the company, the face shoppers see when they walk in. In many ways, your ability to charm customers and provide excellent service determines a store's success. Therefore, showcasing your people skills and sales abilities on your resume is critical. With the retail industry becoming more tech-savvy, highlighting experience with point-of-sale systems and e-commerce platforms will set you apart. Your resume should communicate how you can demonstrate product knowledge, drive sales, and provide outstanding customer service.
Numbers speak louder than words. Saying you're great at selling isn't enough, you need to prove it. If you've consistently met or exceeded sales goals, put it on your resume. Mention the percentage increase in sales you've achieved or the increase in customer loyalty members you've signed up.
Being tech-savvy isn't exclusive to IT roles; it's increasingly important in retail too. If you've used point-of-sale systems, inventory management software, or any e-commerce platforms, make sure to mention these. Your comfort with technology indicates you can adapt to new retail tools and processes quickly.
This resume template is suitable for experienced hires or mid-level hires. The education contains two examples of an education experiences, but only include one (your most recent one) if you're a senior level employee.
It strikes the right balance between white space and content, and doesn't waste space on unnecessary images and icons. Remember, recruiters aren't looking at how creative you are when it comes to your template. Your content is core and should be the focus.
This job seeker uses resume bullet points that uses strong action verbs, and most importantly, contain numbers that demonstrate the significance of their accomplishments.
This template is clean, readable by resume screeners, and is effective at calling out key accomplishments and projects from specific work experiences. This would be useful if you have been at a company for a while, or been in a consulting-type of role, and want to point hiring managers to your most impressive accomplishments.
Action verbs are important on your resume are vital. They evoke strong imagery to your reader, and this resume does an excellent job by using words such as “spearheaded,” “managed,” and “drove.” These words will help you to put your achievements in perspective, in conjunction with measurable results. Use action verbs relating to the skills you want to highlight.
Many of your accomplishments will involve your responsibilities in your employer's high-level projects. Recruiters want to see what you’ve completed in previous roles -- such as the Operations Improvement Project and new iPhone app launch highlighted in this resume. The numbers make your experience real, rather than a vague “oversaw several teams for a project.” What did you do specifically? Be specific.
The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Retail job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.
Some popular Retail hard skills are Customer Service, Teamwork, Sales, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Experience, Problem Solving, Microsoft Access and Recruiting.
Depending on the job you apply to, skills like Adobe InDesign, Forklift Operation, Forecasting, Inventory Accuracy and Account Management can also be good to include on your resume.
If you are writing a Retail Operations Manager resume, try to emphasize skills like Retail, Store Management, Sales Management, Sales, Inventory Management, Merchandising, Visual Merchandising and Retail Sales.
Similarly, if you are writing a Retail Analyst resume, emphasize skills like Forecasting, Data Analysis, Tableau, Financial Analysis, Pivot Tables, Trend Analysis and Business Analysis.
Depending on the specific role you apply to, you may need to emphasize different skill sets. Here are a few examples:
While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.
It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
