personal statement about retail

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A Guide to Drafting Key Personal Statement Examples for Retail

Table of Contents

Are you looking for personal statement examples for your retail job application? It’s important to put in the effort when crafting a personal statement, as it is usually one of the first things organizations look at. An excellent personal statement can make all the difference when landing a job in the competitive retail field.

Here’s your guide to drafting effective personal statement examples for retail that will grab recruiters’ attention.

What Are Personal Statement Examples for Retail?

A personal statement is a short document – usually around 500 words – that gives potential employers an insight into who you are . It tells them about your skills and experience, and why you’re the best fit for their job opening.

In retail, the candidate must demonstrate their understanding of customer service, knowledge of the product or industry, and skill in sales techniques.

Elements to Include in Your Personal Statement

When writing your personal statement for retail positions, make sure to include the following:

• Your strengths when it comes to customer service.
• Highlight any relevant experience you have with similar products or customers.
• Demonstrate how your communication skills can help drive sales.
• Showcase any previous successes and how you can apply them in the new job.
• Share examples of times when you have gone above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction.

Steps to Write Personal Statement Examples for Retail

1. research the job role, company and industry.

Before You Start Writing Your Statement, Research the Job Role and Company. This is to get a Clear Idea of What They’re Looking for in a Candidate. As Well As What You Can Bring to the Table.

2. Identify Your Unique Selling Points

The key to any successful personal statement is identifying your selling points. These are typically skills or experiences that set you apart from other candidates and make you an ideal fit for the job.

3. Outline Your Experience

In this section, list any past retail-related experiences that will help prove your qualifications for the job. Include examples such as past customer service roles or sales achievements that demonstrate your understanding of the industry.

4. Describe Your Skills

In this section, highlight any relevant retail-related skills you possess that make you an ideal fit for the job. Some examples can include product knowledge, customer service experience or sales techniques.

5. Explain How You’ll Contribute to the Company

This is where you explain what value you will bring to the company. State how your unique skills and experiences will help them achieve success.

6. Proofread and Edit

Once you’ve finished writing your personal statement, it’s important to take the time to proofread and edit it before submitting it with your application. Make sure it reads well and doesn’t contain any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tips for an Effective Personal Statement Examples for Retail

When writing your personal statement, keep these tips in mind:

• Keep it brief but informative. The goal is to show potential employers that you understand what they’re looking for without going overboard with too much information.
• Be sure to proofread and edit your statement before sending it off – grammar and spelling mistakes will not make a good impression.
• Make sure to be specific about your experiences; generic statements won’t stand out as much as stories and details.
• Include information matching the job description so that employers can connect the dots.

Personal Statement Examples for Retail

If you’re still unsure of how to write your statement, here are some examples for retail positions:

As a customer service representative in the fashion industry, I bring years of experience and excellent communication skills. My ability to empathize with customers and respond quickly to their needs makes me an asset in any retail setting. I increased sales by 25% in my previous job due to successful promotions and campaigns. I thrive in fast-paced environments where every day brings new challenges.

I am an experienced retail manager passionate about helping others find the perfect product for their needs. From developing effective sales strategies to training and motivating staff, I possess the skills to help your business succeed. In my previous role, I increased sales by 10% by focusing on customer satisfaction. I ensure that customers had a positive experience each time they visited the store.

How Do I Begin My Personal Statement?

Many, many people are having difficulty writing about themselves. If this is you, don’t worry. Make sure you can come up with a short statement (no more than a sentence) that describes you accurately. It may be one that highlights your previous work experience.

Who Do You Write in a Short Personal Statement?

Include your work experience and future plans in your resume. Job openings, placements, work experience, or voluntary work should be shared with others, particularly if they’re relevant to your course. Keep any experience in line with skills or qualities that will lead to success.

Can You Tell Me What Perfect Personal Statement Is?

In your personal statement you should outline the qualities, skills, and values. The ones you have cultivated over your lifetime and how those skills have prepared you for college.

No matter what kind of retail position you’re applying for, crafting a compelling personal statement is critical to standing out from the competition. Make sure your statement showcases your strengths and experiences in an engaging way that will make employers take notice. Following these guidelines and tips should help create a statement that stands out from the crowd! Good luck with your job search!

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Personal statement example - retail

Personal statement example.

View a personal statement example for a job to give you tips on how to write personal statements for jobs.

In this example, Alex is applying for the job of Retail Assistant at a large DIY store.

The job description is asking for:

• Teamwork skills
• Reliability
• Strong communication and people skills
• The ability to learn
• Someone who is passionate about giving outstanding customer service
• An interest in DIY
• Being flexible

A biography on Alex:

• Recently left school
• Has not had a paid job before
• Hobbies include playing sport and keeping fit

Below are example answers for the Personal Statement section of Alex's online application form.

These examples match Alex's skills and experience with the job description

Be specific. Look at the job description and use examples that are relevant.

• What do you do on a typical day in your work, work experience or volunteering ?
• What IT software, machinery or technical equipment have you used? How did you use them in your job?
• What new skills have you learned to do from your work, work experience or volunteering?

Customer Service and Communication experience

I really enjoy working with people. I play rugby for a local team and we needed to raise money to buy new kits and for the rugby club.  The club decided to organise and hold a fayre. My team decided to set up a stall to sell sweets and cakes. My job was to work on the stall during the fayre. I greeted the people coming to the stall, and answered questions about the prices and the products. It was great to be able to talk with the customers. I asked people who were passing by if they wanted to buy some cakes. I decided to cut up one cake and offered tastings to people at the fayre. More people then bought the cakes and we raised more money. I was proud to help raise money for my club. This experience made me realise that working with people is a job I would like to do.

Money handling experience

In the fayre I also handled the money and gave the correct change to customers. I was careful to keep the money safe, and counted it up at the end of the fayre. I wrote down the amount of money the stall had made and gave it all to the coach. I wanted to make sure that I had counted the money we raised correctly, so I counted it twice to make sure.

DIY experience

During the summer holidays my grandfather asked me to help him with DIY around his house. He used to be a carpenter, and so I learned a lot of DIY skills from him. I learned to hang a door, to put up shelves, and also how to hang wallpaper. I used electric drills and a sander. I enjoyed learning new skills and my grandfather was pleased at how quickly I picked up the skills he taught me. I would like to learn more DIY skills, and also to help other people who don’t know much about DIY to buy the right products.

• When have you spoken to other people to explain something to them, and they have clearly understood?
• When have you stayed polite even in a difficult situation?
• When have you listened well and had a caring attitude?

Explaining information clearly

Because I go to the gym every day to train, I know a lot about all the equipment there. Quite often new people come in to the gym and don’t know how to use the equipment. I explain to them how to use the different machines and have helped them to be able to get started. Because of this I have gotten to know people in the gym, and they still ask me questions because they say that I explain it clearly.

Keeping calm and staying polite

On a rugby tournament I was in, I had scored a try but it wasn’t allowed by the referee. Everyone in my team was angry about it and some of them wanted to talk to the referee after the match. I kept calm and said we should all stay calm. I said it was ok and that we should concentrate on the next match. Everyone calmed down and we started to motivate ourselves for the next match instead. We won the next match and came 3rd in the tournament overall. If the team had argued with the ref we could have been banned, lost our focus and lost the next match.

Listening and caring

Through school we went on a day trip which involved rock climbing. My friend is scared of heights and froze on the climb. I listened to them and encouraged them to keep going and that they could do it. I said I would stay with them all the way up the climb and I helped them right to the top.

• Have you been in a sports team, or in a group where you have had to work together?
• How did you feel about working in a team?
• What did you do in the team?
• What contribution did you make to the team?

Being part of a team - listening and contributing

I attend a youth club, and the leaders asked us if we would get involved in a project to make flower beds and plant borders around our local area. I like working in a team and work in a team in sports as well. In a team of 5 we talked about what we would need to buy to make the flower beds and borders.

Working for the team

I volunteered to go and price up plants and flowers after school, so we would know how much it would cost. At the garden centre I got help from the store assistant to find the right plants. I brought back a list of the plants and costs to the team. We decided on what to buy with the money we had been given, and went back to buy them.

Achieving goals as a team

We spent a Saturday digging borders and planting the flowers. It was fun working together and seeing the result of our work. People even stopped to ask us what we were doing and thanked us for improving the local area.

• What can you tell us about the times when you made sure you were on time, and attended regularly?
• Have you got an example of when you stayed working at something until you got it right?

I am reliable and make sure I am always on time to rugby practice. I have never missed a match and turn up to all the practices. Sometimes I would stay after the rugby training to keep practising until I improved my skills. At school I achieved the COMPACT award for good attendance.

• What do you work hard at to achieve?
• What goal have you set for yourself and achieved?

Fitness Levels - I work hard to keep my fitness levels up, and even keep training when the rugby season is over.

Running a half marathon for charity - Because someone I know has cancer, I decided to train for a half marathon and set myself a goal of raising £200 for a cancer charity. I set up a Just Giving page online and told as many people as possible that I was going to run for charity. I started running or training regularly. I ran the half marathon and raised nearly £300 for charity.

• What new skill have you learned?
• What do you enjoy about learning new skills?
• When have you motivated yourself to learn something new?

I am keen to learn new skills and quick to learn. Since doing DIY with my grandfather, I asked him to teach me more carpentry skills. I have now made a bird box for the garden. My next project is to make a storage box. I like learning new skills because then I can do more things for myself and it will help me to progress.

• When were you flexible in helping someone out even when it was inconvenient?

I am flexible to help out other people. For example, at school my teacher asked my friend and I if we would mind staying behind at lunchtime to put up some displays of work we did in class. We put the displays up, and also tidied the classroom before we left. We missed some of our lunch hour but it was good to see all of our work on the classroom wall.

• When did you plan and prepare for something that worked out well?
• How did you organise things?

Planning and preparing for the half marathon and setting up the giving page online all had to be done by the time of the marathon. I planned out my nutrition for the days leading up to the run, and researched online what I needed to eat.

I organised my runs around school and rugby training times.

I also got the giving page set up quickly so more people could give online.

It was great when all my planning and organisation paid off, when I completed the half marathon and raised more money than my target.

• When have you come across a problem and been successful in working out a solution?
• How did it feel to find a solution to a problem you faced?

I wasn’t sure how to make a bird box, so I asked my grandfather for help and I also looked online and found a video tutorial. I bought all the wood and asked my grandfather if I could use his shed and tools. I measured and cut the wood and worked out how to put it together. It felt great to have the satisfaction of seeing something I have made myself.

• Think about times in your life that show your skills and experience
• Use the questions to write your own answers
• Be honest and use examples from your own life. Do not use these answers or made up answers
• Show employers your skills and experience and get that interview!

Get in touch for careers advice and support.

Retail CV examples

Build your CV on this template 

If you want to land a top job in retail, you need an eye-catching CV.

Check out these 7 retail CV examples for all job-types and experience levels, to give you a helping hand in creating your own interview-winning CV.

Retail sales assistant CV

CV templates 

See full sales assistant guide

Build your CV now 

Retail manager CV

See full retail manager CV guide

Supervisor CV

See full supervisor CV guide

Customer service CV

See full customer service CV guide

Jewellery sales assistant CV

See full Jewellery sales assistant CV guide

Shop assistant CV

See full Shop assistant CV guide

Sales advisor CV

See full Sales advisor CV guide

Before you start writing your own CV, take a look at the example retail CVs above to give yourself a basic understanding of the style and format that recruiters and hiring managers prefer to see.

Also, take note of the type of content that is included to impress recruiters, and how the most relevant information is made prominent.

Retail CV structure and format

Think your CV is just about words? Think again.

Your CV needs to look professional and be easy for recruiters to read, meaning the structure and format of your CV are equally as important as the content within it.

Facilitate ease of reading by working to a simple structure which allows recruiters to easily navigate your experience.

Formatting Tips

• Length: While there’s no ‘official’ CV length rule, the majority of recruiters agree that less is more. Aim for two pages of A4 or less. This is just enough room to showcase your suitability to the role, without overwhelming recruiters with irrelevant or excessive content.
• Readability : Recruiters appreciate CVs that they can quickly scan through without trouble. Ensure yours makes the cut by formatting your headings for attention (bold or coloured fonts should do the trick) and breaking up long paragraphs into smaller chunks or short, snappy bullet points.
• Design: Your CV needs to look professional, sleek and easy to read. A subtle colour palette, clear font and simple design are generally best for this, as fancy designs are often harder to navigate.
• Avoid photos: Recruiters can’t factor in appearance, gender or race into the recruitment process, so a profile photo is totally unnecessary. Additionally, company logos or images won’t add any value to your application, so you’re better off saving the space to showcase your experience instead.

Structuring your CV

As you write your CV , work to the simple but effective structure below:

• Name and contact details – Pop them at the top of your CV, so it’s easy for recruiters to contact you.
• CV profile – Write a snappy overview of what makes you a good fit for the role; discussing your key experience, skills and accomplishments.
• Core skills section – Add a short but snappy list of your relevant retail skills and knowledge.
• Work experience – A list of your relevant work experience, starting with your current role.
• Education – A summary of your relevant qualifications and professional/vocational training.
• Hobbies and interests – An optional sections, which you could use to write a short description of any relevant hobbies or interests.

Now I’ll guide you through exactly what you should include in each CV section.

CV Contact Details

Begin by sharing your contact details, so it’s easy for employers to give you a call. Keep to the basics, such as:

• Mobile number
• Email address – It should sound professional, with no slang or nicknames. Make a new one for your job applications if necessary.
• Location – Simply share your vague location, for example ‘Manchester’, rather than a full address.
• LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL – Remember to update them before you send your application.

Retail CV Profile

Your CV profile is the first thing recruiters will read – so your goal is to give them a reason to read onto the end of the document!

Create a short and snappy paragraph that showcases your key skills, relevant experience and impressive accomplishments.

Ultimately, it should prove to the reader that you’ve got what it takes to carry out the job.

Tips for creating an impactful CV profile:

• Keep it brief: It might be tempting to submit a page-long CV profile, but recruiters won’t have the time to read it. To ensure every word gets read, it’s best to include high-level information only; sticking to a length of 3-5 lines.
• Tailor it: Recruiters can spot a generic, mass-produced CV at a glance – and they certainly won’t be impressed! Before you write your profile (and CV as a whole), read through the job advert and make a list of any skills, knowledge and experience required. You should then incorporate your findings throughout your profile and the rest of your CV.
• Don’t add an objective: Want to talk about your career goals and objectives? While the profile may seem like a good space to do so, they’re actually much better suited to your cover letter .
• Avoid cliches: Focus on fact, not fluff. Phrases like “Committed and enthusiastic thought-leader” and “Dynamic problem solver” might sound fancy, but they’ll do nothing for your application. Not only do they sound cheesy, but they have no substance – stick to real skills and facts

What to include in your Retail CV profile?

• Summary of experience: Recruiters will want to know what type of companies you’ve worked for, industries you have knowledge of, and the type of work you’ve carried out in the past, so give them a summary of this in your profile.
• Relevant skills: Make your most relevant Retail key skills clear in your profile. These should be tailored to the specific role you’re applying for – so make sure to check the job description first, and aim to match their requirements as closely as you can.
• Essential qualifications: Be sure to outline your relevant Retail qualifications, so that anyone reading the CV can instantly see you are qualified for the jobs you are applying to.

Quick tip: If spelling and grammar are not a strong point of yours, Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to add pre-written content that has been created by recruitment experts, and proofread by our team.

Core skills section

In addition to your CV profile, your core skills section provides an easily digestible snapshot of your skills – perfect for grabbing the attention of busy hiring managers.

As Retail jobs might receive a huge pile of applications, this is a great way to stand out and show off your suitability for the role.

It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points and be made up of skills that are highly relevant to the jobs you are targeting.

Work experience/Career history

By this point, employers will be keen to know more detail about you career history.

Starting with your most recent role and working backwards, create a snappy list of any relevant roles you’ve held.

This could be freelance, voluntary, part-time or temporary jobs too. Anything that’s relevant to your target role is well-worth listing!

Structuring your roles

Lengthy, unbroken chunks of text is a recruiters worst nightmare, but your work experience section can easily end up looking like that if you are not careful.

To avoid this, use my tried-and-tested 3-step structure, as illustrated below:

Firstly, give the reader some context by creating a punchy summary of the job as a whole.

You should mention what the purpose or goal of your role was, what team you were part of and who you reported to.

Key responsibilities

Use bullet points to detail the key responsibilities of your role, highlighting hard skills, software and knowledge wherever you can.

Keep them short and sharp to make them easily digestible by readers.

Key achievements

Lastly, add impact by highlight 1-3 key achievements  that you made within the role.

Struggling to think of an achievement? If it had a positive impact on your company, it counts.

For example, you might increased company profits, improved processes, or something simpler, such as going above and beyond to solve a customer’s problem.

At the bottom of your CV is your full education section. You can list your formal academic qualifications, such as:

• GCSE’s

As well as any specific Retail qualifications that are essential to the jobs you are applying for. Note down the name of the qualification, the organisation at which you studied, and the date of completion.

Interests and hobbies

This section is entirely optional, so you’ll have to use your own judgement to figure out if it’s worth including.

If your hobbies and interests could make you appear more suitable for your dream job, then they are definitely worth adding.

Interests which are related to the industry, or hobbies like sports teams or volunteering, which display valuable transferable skills might be worth including.

Essential skills for your Retail CV

Tailoring your CV to the roles you are applying for is key to success, so make sure to read through the job descriptions and tailor your skills accordingly.

However, commonly desired  Retail skills include:

• Customer service
• Complaint resolution 
• Stock management
• Rota creation
• People management
• Retail knowledge
• Product or service knowledge 
• Transaction handling
• Refunds and returns
• PoS systems
• Customer databases 

Writing your Retail CV

When putting together your Retail CV, there are a few key points to remember

Always tailor your CV to the target role, even if it means creating several versions for different roles.

Additionally, remember that the structure and format of your CV needs just as much attention as the content.

Remember to triple-check for spelling and grammar errors before hitting send. If you’re unsure, use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to add pre-written expert content with one click.

Good luck with your job search!