Valuable Skills Gained from Retail Sales Representative Jobs

retail sales representative job skillsA job as a retail sales representative can go a long way in preparing you for your future, regardless of what career you are looking to pursue.   Working in retail sales is a challenging job, and having the ability to thrive in such an environment should never go unnoticed.   Whether you realize it or no, your job as a retail sales representative is giving you valuable skills that will come in handy for the rest of your life, including the following:

1)  The ability to stay calm in high pressure situations

When working as a retail sales representative, there will be times that the store is incredibly busy, lines are long, customers are angry or you are running low on merchandise.  Being able to remain calm and clearly decide on the best way to resolve the situation is an important skill that you can bring to any job.   Whenever you find yourself fearful of the pressures of a job in your future, just look back on your time as a retail sales representative and you will gain more faith in yourself.

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2)  Communication skills

There are so many different types of people you will encounter in your job as a retail sales representative, among both customers and co-workers.  Over time you will learn how to effectively communicate in a way each person will understand, and remain polite and pleasant at all times.

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3)  Sales experience

An important skill that is gained in a retail sales representative job is the ability to find effective ways to coax potential customers into making purchases.  Also, you will develop a keen eye for noticing when a customer can be upsold if there are other items that will complement their current purchase.  This is a particularly important skill if your job as a retail sales representative allows you to earn commissions for sales you make.

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4)  Flexibility and Adaptability

Since most work schedules of retail sales representatives vary, this will teach you be comfortable with variation in your schedule, and to fit your other life responsibilities in whenever your work schedule allows you to that day.  This is an extremely important skill in any career and in life, since there will always be unexpected situations and events that come up, and you want to be able to easily adapt so the rest of your life is as unaffected as possible when this happens.

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5)  Numerical skills

Being good with numbers can bring you very far in the world today, and working as a retail sales representative will help keep your math skills strong, quick and accurate.    Working with a cash register and handling money, processing returns, taking inventory and being aware of sales discounts are all tasks that require excellent numerical skills.

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6)  Trustworthiness

Being trusted to handle cash and give change shows that you are responsible and trustworthy.  And if you become a key holder or manager at any point during your time as a retail sales representative, it shows that you can be trusted to open and close a store, and lead other team members.

For help finding the most effective way to include your retail sales representative experience in your resume, take advantage of Jobdiagnosis.com’s resume writing service.

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Jessica Cody

Jessica Cody, a native of Fairfield County, Connecticut, has a background in online marketing and public relations. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she studied Journalism and Political Science. She is also an avid runner with a passion for the outdoors.

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