
Hobbies and Interests to Put on a Resume (List of 20+ Examples)
Should you put interests and hobbies on a resume? Learn the answer to this question, and pick up 5 tips that will help you do it right.
Not sure how to tweak your resume for a job in retail sales? Here’s a simple formula pulling in offers with your sales associate resume.
Retailers know that shopping isn’t just about fancy displays and a nice product.
Sales associates play an essential role in providing that perfect customer interaction and clinching that sale.
So what makes one an ideal candidate for a sales associate position? And how can you convince the store manager that you fit the bill?
Read on to see a professional sales associate resume sample that you can adjust to fit perfectly to your background and experience. Plus, I’ll show you an easy and fast way that will get you 10x more salesperson interviews than any other store resume you’ve written in the past.
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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume samples here.
Before we get going, here are a few more sales resume examples:
Vanessa Johnson
Sales Associate
113-802-2809
johnson.vanessa@yahoomail.com
linkedin.com/in/VanessaJohnson
Summary
Driven sales associate with over 3 years of sales experience in retail. Extensive knowledge of fashion and footwear, with experience checking out customers using most POS systems. Received the Consultative Sales Certification (CSC) from The Sales Association. Eager to contribute proven sales techniques and people skills to become a sales associate at Bald Eagle Outfitters.
Work Experience
Retail Sales Associate II
Reebok, Seattle, WA
August 2018–September 2020
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement
Seasonal Sales Associate
Circuit City, Seattle, WA
October 2017–January 2018
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Education
Associates Degree in Business Management
Bend Community College, Bend, OR
Graduated: May, 2017
Relevant Coursework: Project Management, Business Foundations, Digital Marketing, Retail Management, Supply Chain Management
Skills
Certifications
Just like people, resumes have a hierarchy of needs—
The most foundational requirement of a resume is to be easily readable by the recruiter or HR manager. The contents of your resume won’t matter if it’s poorly formatted. Format your resume layout correctly to create a nice and easy to read resume with clearly structured sections.
Afterall—You could be the best candidate of all, but if reading your resume feels like trying to find your way in a Black Friday crowd, your chances to get an interview are slim.
So—
Here are some tips on how you can format the template of your salesperson resume:
The content of your resume should include:
The simple trick that will get you the sales associate interview is to start from the bottom and work your way up. What does it mean exactly? Skip the resume intro paragraph for the time being and let’s start with your work history resume section.
There are a few guidelines that you need to know:
Now—
Let’s put those guidelines to the test.
Here are two sales associate resume examples of work history sections to follow:
Retail Sales Associate Resume Examples (Experienced)
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Retail Sales Associate II Reebok, Seattle, WA August 2018–September 2020 Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement
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Wrong |
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Junior Sales Associate June 2017–August 2020 Polaris Fashion Place, Columbus, OH Key Responsibilities
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That second resume example is as desirable as a rewards program from your dentist.
That first example, on the other hand, is as eye-catching as the newest iPhone.
Now—
Let’s walkthrough an example of a sales associate candidate with no experience.
In that case what you need to do is to include all job responsibilities you held that are the most applicable to the job description.
Right |
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Seasonal Sales Associate Circuit City, Seattle, WA October 2017–January 2018 Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
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Wrong |
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Retail Store Cashier June 2017–September 2020 The Florida Mall, Orlando, FL Responsibilities
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As this example shows, even experience as a cashier can be enough if you phrase the key responsibilities in a way that proves that your skills are relevant.
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.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Most sales associate jobs do not require education past a GED or a high school diploma unless you want to apply for a position of a store manager after a few years of experience.
But—It’s still important to include your education in a proper way.
How?
It all depends on your sales experience. If you have worked in retail already, it will be sufficient to mention basic information regarding your education.
Let’s look at this example:
Right |
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Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Sales & Marketing Management Major Southeast Missouri State University, Kennett, MO Completion: 2016 |
But—
If you have little or none experience working in a store, add more details to your education section and try to add some relevant coursework, academic awards, extracurriculars, or honors on a resume, for instance.
Here’s a practical example:
Right |
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Education
Associates Degree in Business Management Bend Community College, Bend, OR Graduated: May, 2017 Relevant Coursework: Project Management, Business Foundations, Digital Marketing, Retail Management, Supply Chain Management |
No need to put your high school diploma if you completed a degree at college, unless you’re working on a degree currently. This is also the place to list a major or minor.
The general rule is to always put the most impressive and relevant things at the top, so if your education section is stronger than previous job experience, put it as a first section.
Read up further: How to List Education on a Resume
Having retail skills are fundamental to getting hired as a sales associate.
That doesn’t mean you should over-exaggerate and list skills you don’t have.
You never know, the hiring manager just might ask for a demonstration of your skills in the interview.
Here’s what you need to know to put skills on your resume the right way:
Here are some common items to include in a sales associate skills resume section:
Now—
Watch how easy it is to create a salesperson resume skills list using our guidelines:
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Easier than you thought it might be?
Just one last tip. The only retail skills that you want on your resume are those that add a real value to it and help the manager imagine you as a perfect fit for the sales associate position.
Read more about putting additional skills on store resumes: Skills Employers Look For
Now that you have a solid foundation of skills and experience on your resume, let’s add some flair—No, not the kind from Office Space.
If your skills and experience are the retail store itself, then additional resume sections can be the flashy neon sign out front guiding customers to the entrance. the Retail can be a stressful environment, the store manager wants to know are Resume resume sections we’ve covered so far.
Extra resume sections really help set yourself apart from your competition. Here are some of the best additional sections to consider on resumes for retail sales associates:
If in your previous work experience you managed to get a retail license or sales certification that will certainly look great on your resume. It shows your future team leader or sales floor manager that you’ve got the know-how and the skills to help customers with their purchases like a pro.
Here are some of the leading certificates to add on resumes for wholesale and retail sales associates:
Not only does unpaid work make you look saintly, but it also further bolsters your job experience section. However, choose volunteer gigs which are most relevant to a job in a retail store environment.
Communication with people is the essence of your job as a sales associate. Being able to speak any foreign language will certainly add an incredible value to your resume and impress your future manager!
Mentioning your interests on a resume will let the store manager get to know you a bit better even before meeting you in person. Of course, keep in mind the general rule, whenever possible add passions and hobbies that might be the most related to the job you apply for.
Have you ever joined a sales or retail association? If so, adding it to your resume can show your experience in the field, and prove that sales isn’t a last-minute thought. Here are a couple examples:
For more additional section possibilities, see this guide:What to Put on a Resume [Examples Included]
And finally we can jump back to the beginning—
Located at the top of any sales associate resume, whether for a job at Best Buy, Target, or Walmart, is the resume profile.
You can choose one of the two variants: a resume summary or a resume objective.
Not sure which is best for you?
Choose the resume summary statement if you have the retail sales experience of Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street.
Resume summaries are a brief description which goes though your main retail experience, store achievements, and professional achievements. Try to use numbers whenever possible to make the statement more impactful.
If you’re just starting out in retail, the resume objective statement can make up for your lack of experience.
A sales associate resume objective is best when writing a first-time resume in retail sale. In this version of a resume introduction, you want to highlight your relevant retail skills and sales competencies you do have.
Here’s an example of a resume introduction statement.
Right |
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Driven sales associate with over 3 years of sales experience in retail. Extensive knowledge of fashion and footwear, with experience checking out customers using most POS systems. Received the Consultative Sales Certification (CSC) from The Sales Association. Eager to contribute proven sales techniques and people skills to become a sales associate at Bald Eagle Outfitters. |
Wrong |
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I have been working in retail sales for many years. Experience with POS systems, product stocking, and customer service. Looking for a new position in retail stores in the Chicago area. |
The second retail sales resume example starts off well, but it quickly becomes apparent to any store supervisor that it’s generic—a big no-no. Furthermore, there aren’t any skills with numbers to prove how well you handled salesperson duties.
The right retail resume example, however, gives them just what they want.
Now—
What should you do if you are applying for a sales associate position with no experience?
Use the objective resume statement.
A salesperson resume objective is best when writing a first-time resume in sales or when you have very little experience. In this variant you want to highlight your aspirational career goals and mention the relevant retail skills and sales competencies you do have.
Remember, the numbered achievements always look more specific and impressive so try to include them in the objective resume profile.
Let me show you two contrasting examples:
Right |
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Friendly and diligent store cashier with over 2.5 years of experience in fast-paced retail environment. Excellent customer service, communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. Achieved 102% of sales checkout time speed requirement during each of the last 18 months. Seeking to leverage retail knowledge to become the next retail sales associate at Branagan’s Big Box Store. |
Wrong |
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Having just completed my high school studies, I don’t have much work experience aside from a stint as a part-time cashier. However, I work well with others, I am a good communicator, and I can learn quickly. |
Just as in the summary, give relevant details on a resume objective for retail sales associate jobs. Add numbers to quantify your wins, as well!
To ensure your retail resume intro really gets the store manager to read further, check out this article: Cover Letter Opener [With Examples]
Is there anything else you can do to increase your chances of getting the interview?
Of course.
Always attach a cover letter. It’s much easier than you think if you just follow a few simple rules listed below.
How to write a sales associate cover letter:
Sounds like a lot, but the right template can make it a breeze.
A cover letter is also the perfect place to show enthusiasm, talk in details about your previous achievements, or explain a gap in your work history and will definitely give you an advantage over other candidates.
Read more: Sales Cover Letter [Complete Guide with Example]
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.
This article probably felt like the line on a Black Friday sale, you know, neverending.
But now you know everything to write a job-winning resume! Let’s sum up the key steps.
Here’s how to write a sales associate resume that'll get the job done:
Thanks for reading! Have any questions or comments? Let’s chat in the comments section!
Should you put interests and hobbies on a resume? Learn the answer to this question, and pick up 5 tips that will help you do it right.
You have ideas about which skills to put on a resume, but they seem out of place? Give this article a read to find the know-how with a list of skills for your job application.
How to write a resume that will get you the job you're looking for? This step-by-step guide will show you the best resume examples, and you can write a resume in a few easy steps.