Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Buyers
Buyers will often move into management, marketing or store
management positions after five or more years of experience, with
many opening their own retail business when they have found a
niche specialism.
Store Managers
Managers can determine their own career path but must be
prepared to relocate if looking to manage a larger store or move
higher up the career ladder to area or national management
positions.
Marketing
Progression within marketing is not as rapid as with other retail
positions. Promotion to management tends to take between three
and ten years and job-hopping is usually seen as a faster way of
advancing your career.
If you already know what direction you would like to progress your
career, then take the initiative to find out what skills will be required
for the next step up, the one after that, and the next one after that.
Find out what relevant skills training courses are available through
your employer, online or at your local college.
By being proactive in acquiring new skills you will be best prepared
to take on the challenge of your next role and be considered a more
attractive proposition to your boss.
Job Searches
Assistant Buyer Assistant Manager
Buyer Department Manager
Human Resources Marketing
Merchandiser Senior Buyer
Sales Assistant Store Manager
Here are a few examples you can adapt for your CV:
“Boosted sales of Product X by £250k, representing a 35%
increase year-on-year.”
“Set up a complaint handling procedure that reduced response
times by 10% and increased customer satisfaction by 15%”.
“Negotiated lower rates with suppliers which enabled the
company to purchase more stock and increase its volume of
sales by an additional £1.5m.”
“Devised and implemented a new customer loyalty scheme
which saw an uptake of more than 200,000 new customers and
new orders worth over £2m.”
“Successfully negotiated lower media advertising rates which
resulted in the company being able to extend its new brand
launch by a further two weeks.”
“Developed a direct marketing campaign and new brochure
that cleared end-of-season stock with a 15% profit margin”.
Make sure you include many instances when you have exceeded
expectations, gone beyond your job remit and gained recognition
from your colleagues and peers.
Further Reading
- How should I list my previous jobs on my CV?
- What makes a good CV design and layout?
- How can I make my CV more effective?
By taking the initiative to acquire these new skills in advance you will
make your CV stand out from the rest and employers will be more
likely to want to interview you.
You have demonstrated your passion for retail, your commitment to
personal development, and your determination to make yourself an
invaluable asset to the company – three of the most important
attributes that are admired in the retail industry.
Most employers will run a number of training courses and workshops
that will enable you to develop the skills that you will need to
succeed in your next role.
Failing that, contact your local college or look on the internet for a list
of night-school or distance learning courses such as those run by the
Open University.
The CIM also offer an excellent range of post graduate courses for
those who are involved in the marketing and sales areas of the retail
industry at various stages of their career, from newly qualified
graduates to senior managers.
To make sure you get noticed in your workplace and get the
recognition you deserve, there are a few key things you need to do.
You may also want to acknowledge the part they played in any
successful project. By praising your boss for overseeing the project,
they will be more likely to remember it. There is a fine balancing act
between telling your boss about the great work you're doing, and
making it look like you're pitching for their job.
Too often senior managers lose contact with the very things that
made them succeed in the first place. This is good news for you.
Keep abreast with industry trends and position yourself as the
person who knows what is happening within your field.
www.monster.co.uk
Further Reading
- How can I secure a pay rise?
- What can I do to ensure a promotion?
- How can I improve as a manager?
The retail industry arms you with a skill set that can be applied to
virtually any business environment, such as commercial awareness,
relationship management, sales, marketing, analysis and problem-
solving skills.
And given the wide range of sectors within the industry, there is
scope for you to switch from one job role to another relatively easily.
So if you are bored with working at store level, for example, and feel
that your options for progression are limited, you might consider
making a move to Head Office.
Conversely, perhaps you have been creating marketing plans for a
number of years and would like to see how your initiatives are
implemented in practice at the coal face, then you could take up a
store-related position or a wider commercial role.
The retail sector offers the opportunity for employees to switch from
store to head office roles and the other way round, and from head
office roles such as buying and quality control into entirely different
industries such as manufacturing and logistics.
If you're not happy, be bold and make the switch.
What Next?
If you’re still looking for advice on finding the right job, creating a
great CV or tips on job interview, career-advice.monster.co.uk
contains everything you ever wanted to know, and more!
Retail Glossary
Anchor store - one of the larger stores in a shopping centre,
usually a department store or a major retail chain, that
attracts more footfall and benefits smaller retailers within the
outlet
Kiosk - any small structure that stands alone, usually for the
purpose of supplying a product or service.
Next - Next plc is a British clothes retailer, with its head office
in Enderby, Leicestershire. It is one of the United Kingdom's
largest clothing retailers.
Retail Week - the UK’s leading news magazine for the retail
industry, covering food, fashion, property, technology and
stores.
They say that the grass isn’t greener on the other side, but
often it is. Our series of eBooks brings together expert advice
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