Experienced, proactive Retail Assistant, with a friendly, positive and helpful attitude. Proven ability to work well independently or on a team, readily taking the initiative to ensure all store operations run smoothly and customer needs are met. Committed to delivering exceptional customer service and meeting sales goals. Seeking a new role with opportunities to progress at Yourstore.
06/2015 - 08/2021, Retail Assistant, TRT Sports, City of London
- Work in a fast-paced environment at TRT’s busiest location, serving 350+ customers daily and dealing with dozens of telephone or online enquiries.
- Consistently meet or beat my own personal performance goals, as well as company sales targets, on a monthly and quarterly basis .
- Support the recruitment process and training of new hires.
- Allocate time daily to learn about new products and provide information to customers.
03/2012 - 06/2015, Retail Assistant, World of Stationery, City of London
- Served 35 to 50 customers per shift, making suggestions to those whose needs were unclear or who felt overwhelmed by the vast selection of merchandise.
- Managed the store inventory and ensured shelves were replenished.
- Developed protocol for handling telephone calls and online queries to promote a higher standard of professionalism, and implemented customer feedback tools to measure success.
- Helped recruit and trained new staff as required.
01/2011 - 01/2012, Administration Assistant, BT Law Ltd, City of London
- Answered telephone calls and emails, forwarding those requiring follow-up to the appropriate legal staff.
- Managed all office files and ensured records were kept up-to-date and compliant with GDPR.
- Delivered office administration training sessions to new staff.
06/2012 - 09/2013, Diploma in Business, College of northwest london, City of London
- Ability to Multitask
- Ability to Work in a Team
- Customer Service
- Communication
Retail CV example & writing guide
Just as you would browse through a selection of products before making a final decision on your purchase in a store, hiring managers will browse through many retail CVs before they shortlist. Your retail CV, therefore, needs to make an impact from the outset.
Related CV Examples
Sales Assistant CV example
Configured for customer-focused roles, this clean, approachable layout highlights your communication skills and retail expertise. Its balanced structure showcases your achievements and teamwork abilities, helping you connect with hiring managers in dynamic sales environments.
Sales CV example
Targeted at sales professionals, this clean, results-driven layout spotlights your achievements with bold headers and strategic spacing. Its modern structure highlights your sales expertise and relationship-building skills, ensuring you stand out to hiring managers.
Warehouse Operative CV example
Geared toward fast-paced, hands-on roles, this clean, structured layout highlights precision and efficiency—perfect for a Warehouse Operative. Its clear sections showcase your organizational skills and safety expertise, impressing employers in logistics-driven industries.
Customer Service CV example
Specialized for customer service roles, this clean, approachable layout highlights your people skills and problem-solving expertise. Its balanced structure and subtle design elements showcase your experience, making you stand out to hiring managers.
Shop Assistant CV example
Engineered for retail professionals, this clean, organized layout highlights customer service expertise and adaptability. Its clear structure showcases your skills, experience, and POS proficiency, helping you connect with hiring managers in dynamic shop environments.
Retail Manager CV example
Geared toward retail leaders, this clean, organized layout spotlights your management expertise and operational skills. Its bold section headers and streamlined structure highlight your achievements, helping you connect with hiring teams in fast-paced retail environments.
Sales Manager CV example
Perfectly suited to dynamic sales leadership roles, this sleek, results-driven layout spotlights your achievements and management expertise. Its bold headers and clean structure amplify your leadership skills, ensuring your value resonates with hiring managers.
Delivery Driver CV example
Tuned for efficiency and professionalism, this clean, structured layout highlights your logistical planning, driving expertise, and customer service skills. Its organized design helps delivery drivers showcase reliability and build trust with employers.
Customer Service Manager CV example
Geared toward showcasing leadership and customer-centric expertise, this clean, professional layout highlights your organizational skills and team management abilities as a Customer Service Manager. Its structured design emphasizes achievements, building trust with hiring managers.
There isn’t much time to make a first impression with your CV, so you need to get it right. It should leave the hiring manager with no reservations about taking you through to the next stage of the process.
At Resume.io we are your one-stop-shop for all your CV needs. We’ve created many CV examples to help ensure you secure your dream role. Our templates and CV builder help you get your skills and expertise across to the hiring manager in a succinct way.
In this guide, together with the CV retail example, you can expect to find out the following:
- What a role in retail means
- How to write your retail CV in a way that will entice the hiring manager
- What format you should use for your retail CV sample
- The sections you should have on your CV and where they should be placed
- The best layout and design to use for your CV sample
What does a retail professional do?
There are different roles you could be employed in within retail. You may work as a sales assistant, manager, assistant manager, buyer, merchandiser, etc. The most common would be sales assistant and management positions, as there are more of these required within retail.
A retail professional would be expected to have strong communication skills, with the ability to work under pressure. They would be a people person and may need specific industry experience too. For instance, if they are working with a fashion retailer, they might need previous experience in fashion, depending on the expectations of the organisation.
How much do retail professionals earn?
The average salary for a retail professional is £34,939. It will be variable depending on the type of role you are employed in and the location you are working.
Statistics have revealed that in the first quarter of 2021, 3.042 million people were employed in retail in the UK, an increase of 1,000 from the start of 2020. However, there are 533,000 fewer people employed in retail than before the coronavirus pandemic.
Supermarkets were the big profiteers in the retail sector during the pandemic with Tesco hiring an additional 50,000 temporary workers and 20,000 permanent workers to keep up with demands as restaurants closed and more people were working from home.
If you are looking to work in retail, there is likely to be competition for work, but that is not to say that the outlook isn’t positive. Although stores have closed, it inevitably means that new doors will open, and many retailers will also be operating online, even if the physical stores no longer exist. There will always be opportunities to work in retail, although your CV must set you apart from the competition.
How to write a retail CV
We would suggest that you work out a plan for your CV before you get started on writing your CV.
Your CV sample should contain the following:
- CV header – (contact details, including your telephone number and email address)
- CV summary – also known as the profile
- Employment history
- Skills
- Education
You should always consider who you are writing the CV for and tailor it to suit your audience. The style and tone of the CV will be different depending on the retail sector and the type of role you are applying for.
There is a tendency to dive straight into writing a CV without giving it much prior thought. We would suggest doing some research first and find out all you can about the company you are applying to, and the person who is likely to be screening your CV. It is vital that the company values are aligned to yours, as otherwise, it’s probably not a place you will thrive in. Make sure it’s somewhere you want to work before you waste your time applying.
Retail Job Market and Outlook
The coronavirus pandemic has affected many industries in the UK, but the biggest impact has been in the retail and hospitality sectors. With doors closing, reopening, and closing again over the last year, the uncertainty has been unsustainable for many business owners, who have sadly had to shut their doors for the final time. A staggering 17,500 British chain stores closed in 2020, as the pandemic took its grip.
Just like you would take your time going aisle to aisle when browsing a store, the same routine should apply to your CV. There are no quick ways to do it, you need to go through the process. This is the formula to follow when writing your CV sample:
- Tailor your CV to the audience. Make sure you research the values of the company and that you know as much as possible about them.
- Use a clear, concise CV template. Keep it simple.
- Optimise your CV with relevant keywords. You can find these in the job description.
Choosing the best CV format for retail
In most cases, it is best to use reverse chronological order, which means starting with your most recent experience or education and working your way back to the earliest. If you are new to the job market, you may consider a functional CV which starts with an “Experience” or “Skills” section that highlights your abilities without attributing them to a particular employer. Or, consider a combination format which combines elements of both structures.
CV summary example: the first impression
In retail, particularly if you are providing customer service, the first impression counts, and this is the philosophy to follow as you write your CV. Your summary should only be a few sentences long and should incorporate the key elements of your skill and experience that you want to showcase to the reader.
What can you do for the company and how have you reached this point in your career? What are your aspirations? How do these fit with the requirements of the role?
If you are struggling with ideas for writing your summary, we have some useful writing material you can use. You can have a browse through our retail CV examples. A good starting point is the shop assistant CV sample, or if you are looking for a more senior retail role, we also have a retail manager example and guide.
You can summarise your expertise in your summary by saying something like ‘supported and mentored teams of up to 20 retail assistants’ or ‘helped to improve profits by 50% by training and mentoring team members to exceed their daily goals.’ You will, of course, go into more detail throughout your CV but this will give the reader a quick insight into what you have, and can, achieve. You can find a retail CV example summary below.
An experienced, proactive Retail Assistant, with a friendly, and positive attitude. Able to work well in a team, as well as on own initiative. Committed to delivering an exceptional service to customers. Seeking a new role with opportunities to progress.
Employment history sample: career to date
For most hiring managers, your employment history will be the most significant part of your retail CV, unless you are applying for a graduate role. You would start writing your employment history by stating the most recent at the start and working back.
A good way to write your CV is by focusing on the action. We would advise refraining from stating ‘I’ or using your name before the responsibilities of each role. It is also much more enticing for a hiring manager if you talk about the outcomes, rather than just listing the duties of the roles. For instance: ‘Helped the company achieve savings of £50,000 by improving negotiations with suppliers.’
Tangible outcomes are always much more interesting to a reader than just listing the responsibilities, as these could be easily just lifted from your job description, and they don’t really give a proper insight into what you can achieve. Below is an employment history CV sample to give you some inspiration.
Retail Assistant at TRT Sports, City of London
Jun 2015 - Aug 2015
- Working in a fast paced environment, serving customers and dealing with any queries.
- Achieving personal targets, as well as those of the company.
- Helping support the recruitment process and training of new starts.
- Constantly learning about products and providing information to customers.
CV skills example: what you do best
The next section would usually be the CV skills, and this should incorporate both hard and soft skills. Working in retail usually involves working with a variety of people and being a strong communicator with good interpersonal skills is essential. A combination of hard and soft skills might include being good at budgeting, as well as being able to work as a team. See the adaptable CV sample below.
Use examples to show how you used your skills
It is a good idea to include how you used the skills. For instance, using communication skills for presentations and budgeting to help the company make savings. Skills are easy to list, but tangible evidence is much more enticing. This is the way you should think throughout the writing of your CV sample, always think of examples to back up what you are stating, as this is how the interview will be conducted.
Retail CV education example
The CV education section is simple. All you need to do is list your education, and particularly any achievements which are relevant to the role. Training and any professional development are also attractive to the hiring manager, so make sure you mention these. Show the hiring manager that you keep up with the industry.
If your education outweighs your employment, you may want to place the education section under the summary. See our education CV example below for more formatting ideas.
Diploma in Business at College of Northwest London
Jun 2012 - Sep 2013
CV layout and design: keep it clean
The visual impression you make is just as important as the content, so make sure your CV is easy to read with a clear, clean design. Your CV should make a good impression and get you through the door to the interview stage but avoid any gimmicks that might look like you’ve gone a bit too far with the design. Simple is always better.
It is not always easy to get the CV right the first time, but with the help of our tried and tested CV templates, you should be able to create your very own masterpiece.
- Choose a clear color and font scheme for your CV to give it a unique style
- Balance the ratio or white space to text to avoid visual fatigue for the reader
- Opt for a simple layout for a retail CV
- Clutter your CV with unnecessary icons or images
- Forget to proofread your CV before submitting it
- Use more than two font styles on one CV
Key takeaways for a retail CV
- Tailor your CV to suit the role, and make sure you conduct as much research as possible on the company and the potential interviewer.
- Use keywords throughout your CV, so that you won’t be missed if the company is using an ATS.
- Always check your CV for errors before you hit that send button.
- Use our online CV maker to make the job much easier.
