Retail Assistant Resume: Sample + Job Description & Skills

Who said retail assistants only have one job? Welcoming customers to the store? Okay, that’s a greeter. Helping people make a choice? Sales assistant/psychologist. But also:

Processing payments and refunds? Asset manager. Arranging displays? Stylist (Decorator? Designer?). Monitoring stores to prevent shoplifting? That’s a security guard!

Truly, there’s nothing you can’t do. And if you want a new, better job, you just need a good retail assistant resume that will put all your skills and talents under the correct lighting.

This guide will show you: 

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

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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume templates here.

Not quite what you’re after? Need more examples? Check these out: 

• Customer Service Resume Example
• Bartender Resume Example
• Administrative Assistant Resume Example
• Data Entry Resume Example

Retail Sales Assistant Resume Template

Impressive? Let’s see how you can write an equally good retail assistant resume:

1. Go With the Right Retail Assistant Resume Format

Retail assistants sell goods to the customers, providing help or advice with their purchases. The purpose of your retail assistant resume is to show the recruiters you have the right skills to keep people satisfied and make sure they come back. 

According to a recent study, over 70 million workers will be needed by 2025 to replace the retiring Baby Boomers. 

More jobs = more competition. 

You don’t have to wait till 2025 to learn the rules of writing a resume.

Stay ahead of the game now, with these tips for your retail assistant resume:

• Be brief, two pages will most likely cut it. 
• Use a professional font (like Arial), make sure it’s consistent throughout the document. 
• Go with standard font size (12 pts), with 1–1.15 line spacing.
• Set equal margins on all sides.
• Choose reverse-chronological order to make sure the most relevant positions go first (unless you want to shift focus to something else, then you might go with a different resume format). 
• Use headings/bold type to structure, but don’t overdo it to the point it loses the impact.

Pro Tip: Click and Collect your retail assistant resume in PDF to make sure the document stays intact, and the formatting is the way you designed it to be.

2. Add a Retail Assistant Resume Summary / Objective (No Experience Is Okay)

When you’re at a store and you’re going to the Produce aisle, you expect to see produce there, right?

Similarly, when a hiring manager looks at your resume, they expect to see a summary up top. They don’t have much time, and they need to be able to quickly understand what they’re looking at. 

Why not give them exactly that?

A resume for a retail assistant with some experience calls for a resume summary:

• Describe why you want this job, and what previous experience you have.
• Write 3–4 sentences that are brief and to the point. 
• Emphasize how the company would benefit from hiring you (support it with numbers, like “raised sales by 15%”).

For a retail assistant resume with no experience, write a resume objective: 

• Again, say why you’re choosing this position.
• Focus on soft skills. Give examples of how you acquired those. 
• Let the recruiter know you are well aware of the expectations and are able to meet the demands.

Pro Tip: Still wondering what to write in this section? Look at the job requirements. This is how you know exactly what they’re looking for in a candidate. Then, match your greatest accomplishments to that description. Voilà!

3. Enhance Your Retail Assistant Resume With a Great Job Description

It’s time to check your inventory and bring out the finest goods. 

In this section of your retail assistant resume, you have to showcase your professional experience.

According to statistics, the main skill that’s required for working in retail is customer and personal service. Even if you don’t have a vast list of previous jobs, don’t lose hope. Mention what you did (even outside retail) that allowed you to learn to understand customer needs, and provide high-quality service.

Here’s how you nail the retail assistant job description on your resume:

• Start with the most recent experience. 
• Include the job title and the name of the company, plus the time frame you spent there.
• Do talk about achievements on your resume. Look at the job description on the listing you’re applying for, then see how you can match your accomplishments with what the company is looking for.
• Support achievements with something measurable (“Exceeded sales targets by x%”), don’t just write “I did…”. 
• Use bullet points; you can also single out one key achievement if it makes sense.

If you don’t have any experience at all yet, don’t worry. Focus on the career objective and the skills (more on that below), plus add a retail assistant cover letter describing in more detail why you’d like to have the job.

Read more: Cover Letter: What It Is and Why You Should Write It

4. Cover Your Retail Assistant Resume Education Section

Not adding any education to your retail assistant resume is like leaving your shopping cart empty.

Something’s missing!

Yes, maybe there’s no expectation of a Ph.D., but still, you shouldn’t leave this section empty. Mention your most relevant/most recent education, years of studies, and the institution. If you’re still studying, mention the expected graduation date.

You might also mention some additional courses you’ve attended, like some training you’ve completed on sales or conflict resolution. 

See? As simple as scanning a bar code!

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

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

5. List Your Skills on a Resume For Retail Sales Assistants

A merchandiser makes sure the right products are displayed at the right time and in the right place to make sure they’re sold.

But you knew that already.

What’s the right place on your retail assistant resume to display your superpowers and stun the hiring managers with them? Well, you’ve just found it. 

List the right skills on your resume, and they’re sold.

Retail Assistant Skills for a Resume in Australia

• Customer service 
• Sales
• EPoS software/Cash handling
• Merchandising 
• Stock control 
• Inventory management
• Organizational skills
• Time management
• Good verbal skills
• Result-driven
• Self-motivated
• Team player
• Strong communication
• Styling
• Resilience
  
  

This is just an example of what could go on your retail sales assistant resume. 

To compile your own list, write down all the skills that you think could make sense for the job, then compare them with the job listing. Whatever matches should go onto the resume! Start with some technical skills (like using the required software), and then focus on soft skills that apply.

6. Add Other Retail Assistant Resume Sections

Pop-up stores are stores that appear and disappear within a short period of time.

It’s new, it’s unexpected, but most importantly—it generates buzz and gets a lot of attention.

Additional sections on your retail assistant resume can also work like pop-ups. They draw the recruiter’s focus, as they stand separately, and can deliver an important message.

So use that buzz wisely! 

Add something that makes you stand out from the crowd, like:

• A cool volunteering experience 
• Professional training
• A certification on soft skills you got from completing a course
• Languages you speak (which really can be a big deal)
• Relevant hobbies (like sports, which would hint at your endurance and physical fitness)

Want to make your life a bit easier? Read more: Simple Resume Templates to Fill In & Download 

7. Write a Retail Assistant Cover Letter

There are 4C's of Customer Care, but with job applications, there’s only one C to care about: the Cover letter.

Just like you can’t make a Vegemite sandwich without toast (or Vegemite), you can’t send out a resume without an accompanying assistant cover letter. 

I mean—you could, but why would you? You wouldn’t want to miss a chance to show the recruiter how personable and nice you actually are, would you?

So here’s how you approach writing it:

• Just as with your retail assistant resume, the cover letter formatting is important.
• Use a matching template for a stylish resume/cover letter package deal.
• It shouldn’t really be long, a one-pager will do, but make sure the most important info goes first.

As for the contents of your retail assistant cover letter, this is a winning strategy: 

• Address the hiring manager properly.
• Start with a key achievement. Mention your previous experience, provide specific examples demonstrating that you can handle the new job like a pro.
• Talk about why you’re interested in the position. Maybe you share the company values? Have been a devoted fan of the brand and know the product range inside out? Perfect. 
• End it with a call to action to make sure they don’t leave you hanging. 

Don’t be shy to follow up. Hiring managers have a lot on their hands, so do reach out after a week or so if you haven’t received an answer.

Need more tips on writing a good retail assistant cover letter? Read more: How to Write a Cover Letter: Templates, Samples & Tips

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume 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:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Writing a good retail sales assistant resume is almost as satisfying as popping bubble wrap.

But better, because it can land you that new job!

Now write it, send it, brew yourself a cuppa, and veg out!

Thanks for reading. Hope that you have all the info you need to write your retail assistant resume in Australia. Not sure about something? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll cover those retail assistant resume Q&As below.