How to Write a Retail Assistant Resume (with Example)

Updated 12 September 2023

A retail assistant is a professional who helps deliver retail goods and services by assisting customers with their purchases, processing sales transactions, organising stock supplies and restocking shelves. To secure a position as a retail assistant, employers often require job candidates to supply a professional resume that outlines their relevant experience and capabilities. Learning how to write an effective resume can help you showcase your retail knowledge and abilities and convince hiring managers to consider you for your desired position. In this article, we outline how to write a retail assistant resume and provide a resume template and example.

How to write a retail assistant resume

Here's a step-by-step guide outlining how you can write an effective retail assistant resume:

1. Select an appropriate resume format

First, consider whether a chronological or functional resume format is better suited for communicating your level of retail experience. The chronological resume is an appropriate choice for retail assistants who've accumulated multiple years of industry experience. This is because it allows you to focus on showcasing the relevant roles you've had and the responsibilities you've performed. Hiring managers may prefer this format, as it enables them to skim your resume and quickly identify your career trajectory and assess whether you're qualified for the role.

If you're entering the workforce for the first time or you're new to the retail industry, you may find greater benefits from using a functional resume. This is because a functional format focuses on highlighting a candidate's applicable skills rather than their work history. For example, with this format, you can list any relevant abilities you have, such as communication or time management skills, and provide bullet points detailing how you used your chosen skill in a previous job role or during a training course.

2. List your contact details

Begin formatting your resume by listing your contact details at the top of your document. Start with your full name in a large and bold font. The purpose of this is to make your name the largest feature on your resume so that hiring managers can remember your application. Underneath your name, provide your phone number, email address and the city and state in which you live. Here's an example of how this might appear on your resume:

Adam Miller

0466 001 889 | a.miller@email.com | Perth, Western Australia

3. Add a professional summary

Underneath your contact details, write a professional summary. A professional summary is a brief paragraph, typically between two and three sentences long, that highlights your years of professional experience, skills and accomplishments. Because hiring managers often have many candidate applications to review, they may skim through resumes and look for the most noteworthy information. This can cause them to miss some important details. With a good resume summary, you can immediately attract their interest by stating your salient credentials and describing straight away why you're well-suited for the role.

4. Detail your work experience

Writing a work experience section is an essential part of a retail resume, as it shows prospective employers what relevant roles you've had and what tasks you performed in those positions. Retail assistant positions typically involve providing customers with assistance, operating cash registers and opening and closing a shop, so be sure to list these or similar duties you may have performed in a previous job.

Format this section by writing the title of the job you had, followed by your dates of employment in that position. Underneath this, list the name of the company you worked for and the city and state in which you worked. Once you've written your employment information, add several bullet points describing what tasks you executed in the role. If you undertook many relevant retail responsibilities and you're unsure about which ones to prioritise, consider reviewing the job description of your desired vacancy. You can find here exactly what experiences the employer is searching for from a successful candidate.

5. Outline your hard skills

Hard skills refer to any technical knowledge or abilities you possess that enable you to perform specific retail tasks. For example, having product knowledge can allow you to explain a store's merchandise to customers. Having skills in stock control can help you maintain and process stock orders. Listing your relevant hard skills can convince a hiring manager that you're capable of performing the job's required duties. It's also beneficial because it can differentiate you from other candidates who might not have the specific hard skills that you can bring to the position.

6. Describe your soft skills

Soft skills are your personal traits and characteristics that enable you to interact with others and form strong relationships. These are essential in retail, as the job involves regularly greeting customers, answering their questions and creating a positive impression to induce them to return. If you possess them, some soft abilities you could list on your resume to attract an employer's attention include:

interpersonal communication
empathy
leadership
organisation
attention to detail
relationship building
resilience
adaptability
critical-thinking
time management.

7. State your relevant certifications

Create an education section where you list any degrees or certificates you have that apply to your desired position. While formal qualifications may not be required for a retail assistant role, stating any you possess can help show you're a competent individual who's capable of performing in the position. Some relevant qualifications you might list include a certificate or diploma in retail services and a first aid certificate.

If you're currently undertaking coursework at university, you can list the degree you're pursuing. This can be particularly beneficial if you're undergoing a degree in business, retail management or communication, as it can show prospective employers you're familiar with communication techniques and business practices, which could help you perform in the role.

8. Proofread your resume

Once you've completed your resume, before you send it to an employer, consider proofreading your document to ensure it's free of any grammatical or punctuation errors. Having a resume that doesn't have any typographic or spelling mistakes can convey your attention to detail skills. You can also download spell checker software programs online. These can scan your document and underline any unintended errors and provide suggestions for how you can correct a misspelled word or improve a complicated sentence.

Template for retail assistants

Here's a helpful template you can use for guidance when formatting your resume:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification, if applicable]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State]

Professional Summary

[Two to three sentences that highlight years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications and achievements as a professional.]

Experience

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results.
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results.
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

Skills

Education

[Degree and major], [Name of school or university]

Resume example for retail assistants

Here's an example resume using the above template:

Susan Desmond
0422 300 900 | susan.desmond@email.com | Perth, Western Australia

Professional Summary

Passionate and enthusiastic retail assistant with three years of experience assisting customers and performing administrative duties for a department store and a boutique fashion shop. Recognised by former employers for having excellent communication skills and product knowledge. Eager to apply my retail experience and knowledge to help Helena Fashion Club provide its customers with outstanding professional service.

Experience

Retail Assistant | May 2020–Current
Alexander Forrest's Boutique Fashion | Perth, Western Australia

Offer assistance to all potential customers by answering questions and providing suggestions
Work within a team of five sales professionals and provide them with assistance to achieve daily sales goals
Maintain the shop's cleanliness and presentation by cleaning the entire store at the end of each day
Operate the cash register and point of sale (POS) systems to process and record customer purchases
Received employee of the month for continuously working extended hours and providing excellent customer service

Retail Assistant | January 2019–March 2020
Darlington Warehouse | Perth, Western Australia

Operated cashier POS systems to process customers' payments and settle refunds
Assessed stock supplies and wrote stock orders when required
Maintained a positive attitude, greeted customers and answered any of their purchasing queries

Skills

Education

Certificate III in Retail, Patterson Institute of Training

Certificate II in Retail Services, Patterson Institute of Training

How to Write a Retail Assistant Resume (with Example)