28.8.2008 Article Index / CV and Interview Tips

Getting Beyond the Counter: How to Write a Retail CV

Many retailing professionals are generalists, and their skills and experience can easily transfer into many different career options -- both in and out of retail. If you're thinking about a move soon or just want to update your CV here are some tips you can't afford to miss!

 

Skills that Will Get You Noticed
A retailer often performs many transferable functions. Some of these are career fields in themselves; others play major roles in different careers. These include:

 

administrative functions
advertising
budgeting
buying
customer service
design
display
hiring/firing
information technology skills
merchandising

 

 

planning
public relations
receiving
scheduling
selling
shipping
stock work
store management
supervising
training

 

 

The key is to pinpoint the desirable skills for your dream job, and then craft a CV that will market you to that new job.

 

Shaping Your CV for that Dream

Once you know the kind of job you want, you need to customise your CV to sell yourself to the employer.

 

Not all CVs look alike.
Functional CVs emphasise what you can do rather than what positions you have held. Choose this type if you're changing from sales clerk to buyer, for example, because this format shows off your transferable skills better and takes the focus off your old job titles. Chronological CVs summarise your work experience year by year. These are good if you're staying in the same field -- especially if you've been upwardly mobile. You can also use a combination of functional and chronological CVs.

 

 

 

 

Action verbs give your CV power and direction. Try to begin all statements with an action verb. Here are good ones for various retail skills:

 

 

Administrative Skills

 

 

Creative Skills

 

 

Financial Skills

 

 

Interpersonal Skills

 

 

·  catalogued

 

·  generated

 

·  organised

 

·  processed

 

·  systemised

 

 

 

 

 

 

·  conceptualised

 

·  created

 

·  designed

 

·  established

 

·  fashioned

 

·  invented

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·  analysed

 

·  balanced

 

·  budgeted

 

·  forecast

 

·  marketed

 

·  planned

 

·  projected

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·  assessed

 

·  coached

 

·  diagnosed

 

·  facilitated

 

·  persuaded

 

·  represented

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management Skills

 

 

Research Skills

 

 

Technical Skills

 

 

 

 

 

·  administered

 

·  improved

 

·  coordinated

 

·  analysed

 

·  evaluated

 

·  directed

 

·  developed

 

·  supervised

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·  evaluated

 

·  identified

 

·  organised

 

 

 

 

·  calculated

 

·  designed

 

·  programmed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yana Parker, author of 'The Damn Good Resume Guide', recommends, "Remove everything that starts with 'responsibilities included' in your CV. Replace that with on-the-job accomplishments.

 

Here's one good way to do this: Fill your CV with 'PAR' statements. PAR stands for Problem-Action-Results. Here's how it works:

 

  1. State the problem that existed in your workplace.

     

  2. Describe what you did about it.

     

  3. Specify the beneficial results.

     

Here's an example: 'Increased lagging department sales 17 percent to 23 percent each quarter in one year by redesigning displays, improving advertising, and enhancing customer service.'"

 

CVs are your way of advertising yourself to potential employers. Make sure that your impression is a positive one. CVs are designed to capture a potential employer's interest, so they will want to interview you. A good CV helps the employer predict how well you might perform in your desired future job, and how well you may fit within the company's style and philosophy.

 

 

 

There are three main buzzwords in retail: Service, Service, Service! Here are some other hot trends in retailing; if you have an understanding of or experience and accomplishments in any of these areas, employers will want to talk with you.

 

Transferable Skills for Cashiers/Sales Associates Who Want to Move Up