Retail Resume Examples & Writing Tips for 2025

Working in retail is no easy feat. It involves much more than just smiling at customers and guiding them to the right products. Mastering stock management, navigating POS systems, and skillfully upselling are all part of the job. But how do you capture all that on your retail resume?

It’s not only about showcasing your talents, either. You also need to tailor your resume to the store, consider the applicant tracking system (ATS), and show the impact you had on sales.

Neatly packaging all of the above into a one or two-page document can be tough.

Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll take you through the steps to create a retail resume that gets real results. Read on to learn how you can get started.

How to use this retail resume guide

The following guide has everything you need to craft an interview-winning retail resume. But how can you make sure that you get the most out of it? Making the most of our advice is easier than you might think. You simply need to know where to start.

Follow the steps below to get the most possible out of this guide:

What to focus on when writing your retail resume

Let’s kick things off with what you should focus on. A retail resume should showcase your customer service excellence, sales achievements, and product knowledge.

You’ve got to show that you have what it takes to hit the ground running in this role. The aim is to highlight your ability to connect with customers and drive sales growth.

If you’re ready to get started, let’s take a look at some of the main points to cover:

Awards and recognition

Have you previously won any awards at work? If so, this could be the thing that sets you apart from the crowd. You’ll be up against a sea of retail applicants, so you need to have a USP (Unique Selling Point).

Mention any awards or recognition you’ve received at the top of your resume. For example, you could include this in your summary—the short and sweet personal statement.

Highlight any awards right away. Be specific and provide details such as who gave you the award and the year that you received it, too.

Let’s take a look at an example:

Specific sales figures and results

Recruiters need to know that you can sell. That’s always going to be their number one priority. The best way to prove it to them is by sharing specific sales figures and results. Don’t be humble! If you smashed your targets month on month, now’s the time to shout about it.

You can include your sales results in your work experience section. Add them as bullet points below the main details of your role.

Here’s how that may look:

Teamwork and leadership

No retail worker is an island. Whether you’re down on the shop floor or overseeing everything in the office, you’re an integral part of the team. Highlight this talent when writing your retail resume. Be clear about how you worked with and, of course, motivated others around you.

If you’ve ever taken on leadership duties, spell them out for the recruiter. Let them know you have what it takes to teach and inspire the team to excel.

Here’s an example:

Easy-to-read structure

It doesn’t matter what you put on your resume. If the recruiter can’t read it quickly or easily, it could end up in the trash. When designing this document, keep that firmly in mind.

Choose a straightforward resume layout that they can skim in mere seconds. You can also use a selection of bullet points to convey a load of information in a jiffy.

How to choose the right resume format

Your resume format is the structure—i.e. the order of sections on the page.

We recommend using the reverse-chronological format in most cases. That means starting with your most recent job and education then working your way back in time. Recruiters expect to see this structure and can easily get the information they need.

But what if you have no direct work experience? Plenty of people get retail roles as their first “real jobs.” That’s okay. In that case, you can use a functional format. This commonly used structure places your skills over your work history.

Ready to get to work? In the next section, we’ll take a look at how to write your resume header.

What to include in your resume header

When writing your resume, your resume header is the first thing you should tackle. It’s pretty easy. This section boasts your basic information and contact details.

Here’s what you should have:

• Your name: Start with your first and last name. If you have a nickname that you use professionally, you can use that here.
• Job title: Write the job title (i.e. “Retail Worker”).
• Contact details: List an email address and a phone number you use.
• Location: Finally, you should include your general location—for example, your city and state. Avoid revealing your whole address.

How to write a resume summary

What would you say to a recruiter about why they should hire you? Save it for your resume summary. This short statement is your chance to eloquently state your case to the reader and give them a reason to hire you. What is it that makes you perfect for this job?

If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got your back. Here are some of the things you may want to include in your resume summary:

• How many years of experience you have.
• The certificates, awards, and training you’ve completed.
• Your sales records (and how you’ve beaten them!).
• Your customer service style.

The language you use here matters more than you might expect. You need to grab the recruiter’s attention and keep it. Use powerful action words to do just that.

If you don’t know what to say, go back to the original job advert. This trick will give you a sneak peek of what the recruiter expects from candidates.

What lessons can you learn from this example? There’s a whole lot to love here. First up, by mentioning notable retailers, this summary immediately looks trustworthy. Next, including details of awards and sales records are the cherries on top.

How to write a quantifiable resume experience section

Recruiters are always hunting for candidates they can rely on. Adding work experience to your resume shows them you have what it takes. Only provide retail jobs or—in a pinch—roles that are retail adjacent, such as hospitality positions.

When it comes to how far back to go on a resume, the answer is 10-15 years. If you’ve been working for longer than that, just choose your most recent positions for this section.

It’s not hard to write your work experience section. Begin with the company name, location, your title, and the dates you were employed for each position. Below that, you can use bullet points to cover your most notable accomplishments (with quantifiable metrics!) in each position.

Take a look at our example below:

Featuring hard numbers, notable awards, and leadership skills, this work experience example packs a real punch. Showing evidence of real sales growth is a quick way to let the recruiter know you’re worth your weight in gold.

Retail resume work experience samples

Not sure what angle to go with? There are plenty of approaches you can use when writing your work experience section. Let’s take a quick look at three popular options:

Sales-focused

If you’re all about selling—and then upselling—you’re speaking the recruiter’s language. Use this as the core of your work experience section and include a load of statistics to back up your claims.

Skills-focused

What talents do you have? Are you a whiz at customer service? Are you the brains behind stock management? Whatever the case, you can use this as a talking point.

Leadership focused

Have you taken on managerial duties? Have you become a retail supervisor? If you have your sights set on the career ladder, let the reader know you’re a natural-born leader.

How to write a resume if you have little to no experience

Looking for your first job? Everyone has to start somewhere. We recommend using the functional resume format to emphasize your key skills over your work history.

Start with an eye-catching resume objective. Explain why you want this particular job and how it fits into your long-term career plans. Throw in some of your top skills for good measure.

Bolster your resume with extra sections, such as a volunteer section, hobbies and interests, and a language section. Show that you have something to bring to the position.

Listing your skills on your resume

Do you know what skills to put on a resume? If it’s been a while since you last applied for work, you may be left scratching your head.

Don’t panic. The first thing you want to do is head back to the job advert. It should have a list of criteria. Use this as the basis for the skills you include on your retail resume.

You’ll need a list of both hard and soft skills to wow the recruiter. Hard skills show you have the technical ability to do the job, while soft skills prove you have the personality for it.

Check out our example below:

Best hard skills to feature on your retail resume

Want to focus on your hard skills? Chances are, you’ve learned most of these while working in retail.

Consider your most in-demand resume competencies first. You might include any software you use (such as POS systems), industry-specific knowledge, and selling frameworks.

Best soft skills to feature on your retail resume

Retail work is highly social—especially if you’re customer-facing. That’s where your soft skills come into play. These include everything from your people and communication skills to your ability to manage your time and organize yourself well.

Check if any of these are mentioned in the job advert first. For example, if the recruiter is looking for a retail worker with “Excellent Communication,” you’ll want to mention that.

Education on resume

Writing your education on your resume is common practice. Adopt the reverse-chronological order when you’re working on this resume section. That means putting your most recent training and qualifications at the top.

There are two main things to include:

1. Formal education

You don’t need a college degree to work in retail. However, if you have one, you should absolutely display it here. You’ll also want to detail your high school education. Only add your GPA if it’s above 3.5, otherwise it may work against you.

2. Training and certificates

Have you completed any professional retail certifications? You can slot these into your education section, too. These extras show that you’re serious about pursuing a career in the buzzing retail sector.

Examples include the Retail Industry Fundamentals Certificate from the NRF Foundation and the Customer Service Certification from the International Customer Service Association (ICSA).

Here’s how that could look:

Extra sections to include in your retail resume

Now that you’ve covered all the main resume sections, why not take things up a level? If you’ve got some space left over, there are some additional sections you may want to add.

Language section

Speaking a second language is often not needed in the world of retail. However, if you’re working internationally, you might want to slide in a small language section. Be honest about the languages you speak and your proficiency level, too.

Hobbies and interests section

Thinking about putting some hobbies on your resume? If you want to show the hiring manager your real character, talk about your main hobbies and interests.

Think about what these pastimes say about you as a candidate. How do they add to your application? Consider listing hobbies that show off your people skills, for example.

Volunteer work section

If you lack experience, highlighting your volunteer work could be the answer. Lay this out the same way you would a work experience section—boasting positions that illustrate your transferable skills.

Conclusion

Writing your retail resume doesn’t have to be a challenge. First, figure out what your biggest achievements are and then write about them with confidence. Get started with our resume builder now. This drag-and-drop tool means you can create your document in minutes.