1. Excellent customer service and communication abilities.
Consumer service refers to the attention a customer gets before, during, and after making a transaction. Client service that is courteous and polite puts the customer first. It is critical in many graduate jobs, such as management consulting and financial services, for developing loyal consumers. A retail banking company, for example, may not demand you to have a financial degree but may put a high value on customer-related job experience. This need may be stated as 'strong client management abilities' or 'the capacity to create constructive connections with customers' in graduate job descriptions, but it really comes down to customer service.
Experience dealing with client complaints and enquiries may provide helpful examples of your problem-solving and communication abilities, both of which are highly sought after by graduate recruiters. However, since communication is such a wide phrase, employers may want you to specify your talents in this area more specifically, for as by mentioning persuasion, negotiating, or persuading.
2. Business awareness
This is also known as customer or business awareness, and any retail job experience is a wonderful way to develop it.
Working in retail has given you firsthand knowledge of how a fast-paced company runs and how commercial choices are made. What factors contributed to the profitability of the company for which you worked, and what part did you play in its success? Did you come up with any suggestions to help the company succeed? Were they executed, and if so, what were the outcomes?
3. Working under duress
Have you ever had to remain cool and smile as a long line formed at your checkout? What actions did you take to ensure that consumers were not kept waiting? Were you working in a store during the coronavirus and having to deal with customers who ignored the social distance advice? You'll have instances of how you handled stressful situations and how your attitude and approach made a difference.
4. Working in a fast-paced team.
A supportive team mentality on the shop floor contributes to a pleasant experience for clients. Successful retail firms rely on diverse teams working effectively together, so consider your position in your team as well as how others in other teams rely on your work. Did you participate in team meetings, and if yes, what did you bring to the table?
5. Time administration.
Good time management is a key skill for the majority of graduate employment, and it is one that recruiters value. They want individuals who can work effectively and prioritize duties to ensure that things get done. Fitting your part-time retail work around other responsibilities is a fantastic illustration of your time management abilities, especially if you can go into detail about times when you had to be extra cautious with your time, such as around exam season.
6. Problem-solving abilities and initiative
What did you do when difficulties arose? What if the items were broken before they were paid for, or if a client or coworker became ill? Consider how you handled unexpected events and what you learnt from them. If you make any recommendations for how things may be improved, this will demonstrate that you are a self-starter. If your suggestions were implemented and functioned successfully, all the better.
7. Pay close attention to detail.
When stocktaking, paying up, and taking notes on a customer's complaint, you'll need to pay close attention to detail. Many graduate positions need attention to detail; being able to describe how you paid attention to detail in a hectic business setting can impress recruiters.
8. Accountability.
Being accountable, dependable, and trustworthy are all aspects of self-management, as defined by graduate recruiters. Working shifts for a store will strengthen your ability to be prompt, adaptable, get your task done on time, and be eager to improve your own performance. Employers often complain that grads fall short in this area, so if you can utilize your retail experience to demonstrate that you can be trusted to get the job done, you'll place yourself in an excellent position to be employed.
9. Cultural sensitivity.
If you dealt with individuals from many backgrounds in your retail career, this may be an advantage. Many large graduate companies are global and want applicants who can establish relationships with colleagues or clients from all around the globe. Smaller businesses will see cultural knowledge as an advantage as well.
10. numeracy
Numeracy abilities are used by retail employees in a variety of ways, from giving consumers the exact change to stock taking. Did you have a role in estimating the stock required based on knowledge about sales patterns and promotions? Then you've seen an excellent example of how to put your numeracy abilities to use.