
Do I Need a Cover Letter? Are Cover Letters Necessary in 2021
Do I need a cover letter? Is it important? What if the job offer doesn’t require a cover letter? Read this guide to find out all you need to know.
You’re a retail warrior, selling stuff and enriching lives one credit-card swipe at a time. Now prove it to your next store manager with your retail sales associate resume.
You need a retail sales associate resume sample that sells.
After all, you already know you can face a barrage of customers with fast feet and a bulletproof smile.
But hold the phone—
The store manager has a stack of retail resumes up to the skylights.
To prove you’re “the one,” your resume needs to jump out like a 90% off sign. It has to look like a gift certificate to the bank.
How can a single piece of paper do that?
It’s not that hard. It’s just a simple mix of past in-store successes and key traits.
Below, you’ll find a professional retail sales associate resume example you can tweak to fit any industry. You’ll also get easy steps to write a resume for retail sales associate jobs that’ll garner 10x more healthcare interviews than any other.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample retail sales associate—See more templates and create your resume here.
Want to see more retail sales associate resume samples? See these:
Ken Stuber
Retail Sales Associate
678-914-2620
kenzstuber@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/kenzstuber
twitter.com/kenzstuber
Personable retail sales associate with 4+ years of experience promoting in-store efficiency. Seeking to deliver excellent customer service at Sriz-Mart. At Rayes Stores, maintained a 20% cross-selling score, beating the store average by 25%.
Experience
Retail Sales Associate
Rayes Stores
Oct 2017 to Jan 2020
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
Retail Sales Associate
Stygymoloch Outdoors
May 2016 to Sept 2017
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Waiter
The Angry Cacomistle
June 2014 to June 2016
Education
BS in Business
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
2010–2014
Skills
Additional Activities
Volunteer Cashier, Goodwill
Organizer, Atlanta Road Spinners Cycling Group
Now let’s get you into Black Friday shape. Here’s how to write a job-getting retail associate resume:
Why worry about format in a retail associate resume? Well, because the store won’t hire Patrick from Spongebob. They want to know at a glance that you can handle a pre-Christmas rush or take an angry customer in stride. That begins with how you lay your resume out. So—
Here’s how to format a retail sales associate resume template:
Here are the key elements of a resume to include:
Did you know there are three resume formats that can work in a retail sales associate resume? See our guide: How to Pick the Perfect Resume Format
So where do you start?
Writing a good retail sales associate resume can seem endless. You write, delete, write, delete, and keep going until you feel yourself getting old. Meanwhile, you’re still not earning a paycheck. Every day adds more bad news to your credit card. I’m here to help!
For the quickest path to getting hired, start with your experience section.
Here’s how to do it well:
See these retail sales associate resume samples:
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Experience
Retail Sales Associate Rayes Stores Oct 2017 to Jan 2020
Key Achievement:
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Wrong |
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Retail Sales Associate Rayes Stores Oct 2017 to Jan 2020
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It should be obvious why the first of those retail sales associate resume examples wins.It shows you crossed the finish line repeatedly, with several measures of your success. Meanwhile, that bad resume example just lists your duties. “I did XYZ.” But were you bad at it? Or did you slay it?
But that works in a resume for retail sales associate with no experience too. Even if you’ve never had the job title.
These examples cover it:
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Waiter The Angry Cacomistle June 2014 to June 2016
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Wrong |
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Waiter The Angry Cacomistle June 2014 to June 2016
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No contest. Even without experience, you can show success that matters to the manager. Just focus on retail skills used in non-retail jobs.
Pro Tip: Retail is a tough career with a high burnout rate. If you’re worried about that, consider other high-paying careers that don’t need lots of training.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
What if you’ve been driving a register for 15 years? Is that good, or evidence of insanity? See: How Far Back Should a Resume Go?
Admit it. You don’t need much education in a retail associate resume.
But—
If you’ve got it, it’s like a gift certificate for getting hired. If you show it right.
First, of course list your degree and the name of your school. Add the dates you attended. But the real trick is to grab the store manager’s attention with something different you did. That means listing your biggest school success in there that fits the job. If you just graduated within the year, add more—extracurricular activities or relevant coursework.
The next of our retail sales associate resume examples shows how:
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Education
Emory University 2010–2014
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Can you see why that works? It’ll make the manager stop and think about you. The longer she thinks about you, the better your chances.
Pro Tip: Did you graduate more than ten years ago? Then don’t add achievements to your retail associate resume education unless you’ve got a massive one.
Want to knock your retail clothing sales associate resume education section out of the food court? See our guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples]
Decision time.
Which skills should you add to your retail associate resume? Where should you put them? How can you prove you really have them so the store calls you tomorrow?
There’s a trick to it.
See this list of skills for retail sales associate resumes:
But—
To pick the best ones from the list, look in the retail job description.
That’s where the employer gives a cheat sheet to get the interview.
Here’s how to pick the right retail skills:
The next retail associate resume example lights the way.
Say the job needs restocking, product knowledge, and POS operation.
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Sold!
Those numbers give it life. That's the right way to make your resume eye catching.
Pro Tip: Don’t have enough intel on the retail sales associate position you want? You can get some with 30 minutes of quick, fun, informational interviews.
If you need more skills suggestions for your retail sales associate resume—see our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume
Question:
Who would you hire?A retail employee who has experience and education?Or a team member who’s great to work with? Someone who goes above and beyond, shows up for their shifts, and actually cares?Get into that second group with your retail sales associate resume. How? By adding Kroger-level additional resume categories.
Choose from:
Have you helped out at Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill? Even a little volunteering shows you’ve got energy and competence to spare, especially if you’re new to retail.
If you speak Spanish or Chinese, that can help your resume for retail sales associate jobs. That goes double if it’s a language many of the clientele speak, too.
Are you part of a group or club that could show leadership or communication skills? List your group accomplishments on your resume to show added bandwidth.
Do you have additional licenses or certifications that would make the store manager or GM think good thoughts about you? Here are some that work:
The sample retail associate resume sections below show the plan.
Right |
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Additional Activities
Volunteer Cashier, Goodwill
Organizer, Atlanta Road Spinners Cycling Group
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Wrong |
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Wow.
The first of those retail sales associate resume examples telegraphs key skills.
The second? It’s empty shelf-space.
Pro Tip: How long should your resume be for retail sales associate jobs? A single-page resume template is plenty, but don’t make it less. Fill it like a shopping cart with your best successes.
Can you put hobbies and interests in a retail associate resume? Damn straight. See our guide: List of Hobbies & Interests for a Resume or CV
It’s sad:
Most store managers don’t read resumes. They glance, and judge you in an eye blink. Judge ‘em back—by putting all your best successes right up top. That works best in a resume objective or resume summary. Which one should you use?
Well, a resume summary is for retail workers with more experience than Sam Walton. It wraps up your key info like years of experience and top skills and achievements. Use a resume objective if you’re a fledgeling store employee. That can use accomplishments from non-retail jobs.
The idea with either is to tell your story in six seconds.
These two retail sales associate resume examples give directions:
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Personable retail sales associate with 4+ years of experience promoting in-store efficiency. Seeking to deliver excellent customer service at Sriz-Mart. At Rayes Stores, maintained a 20% cross-selling score, beating the store average by 25%. |
Wrong |
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Retail sales associate who is exceptionally skilled in POS operation, customer service, and cross-selling. Able to pitch in and do the hard work of keeping a store’s customers satisfied and keeping the store up and running all day or night. |
The difference?
The first of those retail sales associate resume samples sells. It calls out the store by name, then uses a magnetic fact.
But—
How do you start an entry-level resume?
See these entry-level retail clothing sales associate resume examples:
right |
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Engaged retail sales associate with skills in POS operation and stocking merchandise. Seeking to enliven the customer experience at Rayes Stores. As waiter at The Angry Cacomistle, scored 94%+ in customer service on my quarterly reviews. |
Wrong |
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Entry-level retail sales associate skilled in stocking merchandise and POS operation, as well as facing products and maintaining product knowledge. While I don’t yet have any on-the-job experience in the retail world, I’m happy to start soon and learn fast. |
The last of those retail sales associate resume examples is damaged goods. It could be anyone, including Alan from The Hangover.
Pro Tip: Are you pulling your hair out trying to write a convincing associate resume objective or summary? Don’t. Circle back to it after you write your resume.
To write an in-demand resume objective or resume summary for retail sales associate jobs, see our guides:+20 Resume Objective Examples and Professional Resume Summary Examples
Does your retail sales associate resume need a cover letter?
Like air.
Almost half the store managers demand cover letters. And you never know which half you’re talking to.
In your letter, show:
Write your cover letter in three paragraphs.
Do it like this:
Pro Tip: Add salary requirements to your cover letter only when you are asked to. Otherwise, it’s not a safe move.
Finally, here’s how to write a retail sales associate cover letter that flies off the shelves: Retail Cover Letter Examples
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.
Here’s a rundown of how to write a retail sales associate resume:
That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you:
Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!
Do I need a cover letter? Is it important? What if the job offer doesn’t require a cover letter? Read this guide to find out all you need to know.
What is the best font for a resume? Which resume fonts to avoid? Serif or sans? What about bolding, italicizing, resume font size, and section heading titles? In this article, we take a look at over a dozen professional fonts so that you can choose the best font to use for your resume and cover letter.
Cover letter writing tips—sure to turn any boring letter into something employers want to read.