Retail CV Examples + How to Write a CV for Retail Jobs

How to write a retail CV that gets as much attention as this season's hottest must-have item?

Creating a well-written retail assistant CV can seem challenging, but fear not—you're about to learn exactly how to do it. In less time than it takes to print a receipt, you'll have a CV as good as the retail sales assistant's CV example below.

This guide will show you: 

• A retail CV example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a retail CV that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a retail assistant CV.
• How to describe your experience on a CV for retail jobs to get any job you want.

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Sample CV made with our builder—See more templates and create your CV here.

Looking for specific CV samples for sales and retail? Read more here:

• Customer Service CV & Writing Guide
• Shop Assistant CV Example & Writing Guide
• Retail Manager CV Sample
• Sales CV Example & Tips

You can also check all our professional CV samples for different job types.

Sample sales assistant CV template

Now, here’s the job-winning retail CV formula:

1. Use the best format for your retail CV

Sales assistants work for retail companies and are responsible for communicating with customers and ensuring their needs are met. The purpose of your retail CV is to prove you have the customer service skills and product knowledge to serve customers and help your employer maximise sales efficiently.

The retail industry is the UK’s largest private-sector employer, with almost three million workers. There’s a lot of competition out there for retail jobs, so how can you stand out in the 8 seconds it takes a hiring manager to read your CV?

Start with the right retail CV format—here’s how:

• Choose the right type of CV format. The best choice for a retail CV is the chronological format. It’s the one hiring managers are most familiar with and shines a spotlight on the most important thing—work experience.
• Make a good first impression with your CV layout. Set your page margins to one inch on each side, left align the text (don’t use justification) and double space between each section. This creates plenty of white space, which makes your CV for retail jobs easy to read and navigate.
• Choose a professional CV font. Arial, Helvetica, and Cambria are three solid choices.
• Keep it short and sweet. The best CV length is no more than two pages. In fact, a one-page CV is the preferred length.
• Save your CV as a PDF to keep your formatting intact.
• Don’t include a photo or personal info like your marital status or date of birth. Too many personal details on a CV can ruin your job prospects.

You can save some time creating your retail CV using ready-made templates. Some are a real bargain, like these free CV templates. Need something more unique? Check creative CV templates from our collection.

Read more about CV Layout: How to Layout a Professional CV

2. Write a retail CV personal statement

A well-merchandised shop window catches the eye and entices customers inside to browse further. Your retail CV personal statement or personal profile must do the same thing. It should only be 3–4 sentences long and needs to answer these three questions:

1. Who are you? 
2. What can you offer to the employer? 
3. What are your career goals? 

Answer the questions differently depending on how much retail experience you’ve got. If you’re an experienced retail worker, follow these tips to write your CV summary:

• Make a master list of all your strengths as a retail assistant. Think of it as your own product features list, promoting your professional experience, skills, and abilities.
• Then refer back to the job advert, check the job description, list the skills and experience it requires, and match the results with 3–4 points from your own list. 
• Use these points to write a personal profile targeted to the retail job you’re applying for.

If you’re writing a student CV or a CV for a retail assistant with no experience, here’s how you can craft your CV introduction

• Again, make a master list of skills and experience. Think of your education and any other jobs you’ve had. Then, list those that are transferable to being a sales assistant, like customer service and numeracy.
• Then choose 3–4 items from your list that are relevant to the job and combine them with passion for the role and knowledge about the employer to prove that you’ll be a good fit.
• Put this all together into a personal profile targeted to the job.

Whatever your experience, you’ll find this section easier to write if you leave it until last. It’s much easier when you’ve got your experience, skills, and education ready to refer to.

Check out this guide for even more tips on how to write your personal profile: How to Write a CV Personal Statement [20+ Examples]

3. Stock up an impressive retail work experience section

Your CV work experience is the most important part of your job application, no matter if you’re pursuing a permanent position or writing a CV for a part-time job. Here’s how to write about retail experience on a CV:

• List your most recent retail gig first and work back from there. For each entry, include your job title, the name of your employer and place of work, dates of employment (use “present” as the end date if you work there now), and then up to six bullet points describing the job.
• Begin your bullet points with a snappy CV action word like undertook, operated or created, to give them added impact.
• Include numbered achievements—don’t just list your duties. In other words, don’t just say what you did. Prove how well you did it.
• Use the PAR (Problem Action Result) formula and accomplishment statements to structure your bullet points. 
• Target your CV work experience section to the job description. Note the skills and experience the employer is looking for, and match your experience to what’s required.

Want even more good CV advice? Check out our guide: 20+ CV Tips and Advice for Job Application Success

4. Include an education section in your CV for retail jobs

I admit it, for a retail CV, this section carries less weight than your work experience. However, hiring managers still expect to see a correctly formatted CV education section that contains certain essential information:

• If you’re a school-leaver or writing a graduate CV, include the school's name, location, and years you attended. Include individual subjects for your A-levels. But for your GCSEs, you only need to list Maths and English—many employers look for passes in these subjects as a minimum requirement.
• If you went to uni or you’re still studying, include the university name, years attended, and the name of your degree. Put an expected graduation date if you haven’t graduated yet.
• If you’re still studying or just finished and don’t have much experience, then change the order of your CV and put your education before your work experience section.

Read more: How to Create a Perfect CV Structure?

5. Show off your retail CV skills

Product knowledge, patience, POS systems. Just a few of the skills you need for a retail sales assistant CV. There’s not enough space on your CV to list them all, so how do you choose the ones that’ll get you hired? Just follow these tips:

• Refer back to the job advert, read the job description, and list which skills are needed. 
• Make a list of your own skills. Check out your work experience and education sections for guidance.
• Compare the two lists, see what matches, and put 5–10 of those on your CV.
• Include a mix of soft skills, hard skills, and technical skills. 
• For each skill, add a single sentence showing how you demonstrate it. Don’t just show, tell. E.g. POS Systems: Mobile and static POS systems knowledge, including processing online payments and end-of-shift reconciliation.

These skills would look great on a retail sales assistant CV:

Retail CV skills

• POS systems
• Visual merchandising
• Loss prevention
• Product knowledge
• Numeracy
• Customer service skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Leadership skills
• Active listening skills
• Complaint resolution
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Working under pressure

Read More: Best List of Skills to Put on a CV [Top Skills & Examples]

When making a CV in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional CV template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add extra sections to your retail CV

Here are some scary sales figures. There are 118 people applying for every job, and only 20% of those land an interview. If you want to be one of them, you’ve got to outshine the competition. And a great way of doing that is by adding extra sections to your CV for retail jobs. Here are some ideas:

• Add a CV languages section. Foreign language skills are needed at all workforce levels and make a great addition to a retail CV.
• Volunteering is also a powerful addition. 82% of managers prefer to hire people with volunteering experience.
• You could also include projects, achievements, awards, and hobbies. Just make sure it’s relevant and helps to make you stand out as a candidate.

Read more: What to Include in a CV?

7. Consider a cover letter to complement your retail CV

Writing a cover letter can seem like more work than it’s worth. But they’re still a great way of improving your chances of success. In fact, more than half of employers say they’re a must-have.

This is how to write a cover letter:

• Use the correct cover letter format.
• Start your cover letter with a ‘hook’. Show passion for the job and the employer, and include an impressive work-based achievement. 
• Show how your skills and experience will make you a high-performing retail sales assistant, and make sure you tailor this to the job you’re applying for.
• Include a cover letter ending with a call to action asking to meet in person or have a phone call to discuss the role further.
• Stick to the right cover letter length. 

Follow up on your job application. If you haven’t heard back within a week, get in touch with the employer by email or phone. It can make all the difference.

Want a more detailed checklist for your cover letter? Read more: What to Include in a Cover Letter for a Job?

And that’s it. You’re ready to take your pick of the best retail and sales assistant jobs going.

Need more in-depth information about CVs? Check these helpful guides:

• How to Write a CV From Scratch
• What’s a Skill-Based CV?

Seeking other entry-level jobs? Check these CV examples:

• Waitress CV Sample
• Receptionist CV Sample
• Model CV Example
• Cleaner CV Sample

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Thanks for reading. Got any job-hunting tips and tricks you’d like to share? Is there anything you’d like me to explain in more detail? Are you trying to write a retail CV with no experience If you’ve got any questions at all, please use the comments section below. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

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Sources

• https://www.great.gov.uk/international/content/investment/sectors/retail/
• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/employers-sifting-through-applications-likened-to-swiping-through-tinder-as-research-shows-people-spend-8-8-seconds-looking-at-a-cv-9988512.html
• https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1461&context=stu_hon_theses
• https://www.pcc.edu/staff/tmaldona/wp-content/uploads/sites/114/2018/08/Samples-of-a-PAR-formula-statements.pdf
• https://www.ubalt.edu/campus-life/career-center/career-services-online/career-cycle/documents/Writing%20Accomplishment%20Statements.pdf
• https://legaljobs.io/blog/interview-statistics/
• https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/us-deloitte-impact-survey.pdf