Table of Contents
1
Introduction
If you’re applying for jobs as a merchandiser, you’ll want to approach the process of crafting your resume with the same meticulousness that you reserve for choosing and evaluating manufacturers.
A good tactic is to review multiple merchandiser resume samples to compare different approaches and styles. Another good idea is to think of creating a resume like planning a product range or designing a store layout. You’ll need to pick out the skills and experiences that will best interest the hiring manager and then choose a format that will enhance your selling points.
Apart from providing you with resume samples to peruse, this guide will help you choose the best information to include and the best format to use. You’ll also learn about common resume pitfalls and how to avoid them in your own document.
2
What to Include in a Merchandiser Resume
As a merchandiser, you know that the first step in many processes is to plan. Building a resume is no different. You can start planning what to include in your document by looking for ideas in merchandiser resume samples. You’ll see that each one varies because no one person shares the same professional history.
What you ultimately decide to include will depend on your experience, skill sets, and career path. It’s also important to note that while there are multiple ways you can craft this important document, you should be sure to include the following essential sections.
- Summary Statement
- Work Experience
- Skills
- Education
There are also a couple of different ways to format your resume according to your career level and experience.
You’ll notice that some merchandiser resume samples are mainly centered on the work experience section. This style is the chronological resume, and it is ideal for experienced merchandisers who have been involved in the same field or industry for years.
Another format you could use is the functional resume, which highlights skill sets as opposed to work experience. This type is preferred for recent graduates and professionals who are changing careers.
3
How to Write the Merchandiser Resume Summary Statement
You will introduce yourself to the potential employer at the top of your resume in the summary statement. As opposed to talking about your career objectives, you will discuss your experience, skills, and strongest qualifications.
Read a few summary statements in merchandiser resume samples to get a feel for the wording, phrasing, and style of this introductory section. You’ll want to avoid using personal pronouns in order to keep it brief and professional.
Start by giving yourself a title in your industry, such as retail sales merchandiser or apparel merchandiser. Go on to summarize how your career history and areas of expertise can add value to the company.
If you need ideas, reference the job description of the position you’re applying for. The company will tell you exactly what they’re looking for in a candidate, and you can use that information to craft this part of your resume.
Get ideas from the summary statements of merchandiser resume samples and from the examples given below.
- Experienced retail sales merchandiser with a strong focus on product planning, interfacing with vendors and sales. Expert in organizing and arranging visual product displays to optimize sales and attract higher traffic volumes. Demonstrates ability to analyze sales and forecast future trends.
- Dedicated product merchandiser with over 10 years of experience in the retail industry. Produces comprehensive product layout plans for storefront locations. Oversees the development of product lines based on report analysis, sales, and trend forecasts.
4
How to Write the Merchandiser Education Section
Anything that falls under the category of academic or formal training that prepared you for your career would go under the education section.
If you’re writing a chronological resume, this section will be a simple list of your education entries.
On the other hand, a functional resume may feature an expanded education section with more details and descriptions of each entry. Compare merchandiser resume samples written in different formats to see how the education section is portrayed in each type.
The main information you want to include is the name and location of the school or organization where you trained as well as the diploma, degree or certificate you earned. If you are a recent graduate, you may also include your graduation date and GPA. Students who are still enrolled in school may put an anticipated date of graduation.
Start with your most recent education entry and work backward from there. For instance, if your highest level of education is a bachelor’s degree, then start with that. Also, you do not need to include a high school diploma if your education exceeds that level.
For functional resumes with an expanded education section, you may include specific courses that pertain to merchandising careers. You will also want to add internships, especially if you don’t have very many entries for the work experience section. Job training and work-related seminars you have attended are also perfectly acceptable to include under the education section.
5
How to Write the Merchandiser Work Experience Section
The most important positions you’ve held leading up to your career as a merchandiser will go under the work experience section. This area is the most prominent area of a chronological resume, but it will be far more concise in the functional format.
If you’ve been building a career for a while, take a look at merchandiser resume samples written in chronological format. You will see the layout of this section and how to phrase your descriptions.
In each job entry, be sure to include your previous title, the company you worked for as well as its location and your dates of employment. You may choose to include the month and the year or just the year, but be consistent throughout your resume while listing your jobs in reverse-chronological order.
Below each entry, you will list descriptions of the position in bullet-point format. Include a combination of job responsibilities, skills you exercised, and quantifiable achievements. It is also important to begin each point with an action verb.
If, on the other hand, you’re just starting your career as a merchandiser or you’re changing careers, you might want to focus on writing a functional resume. If this is the case, you’ll want to list your most recent positions that relate to the job you’re applying for. You do not need to include dates of employment or go into detail about what you did at each job since you will cover this last bit in an expanded skills section.
Functional merchandiser resume samples are great reference points when writing this section. You can see the basic information to include, where to place this section, and different styles to utilize.
6
Action Verbs to Include in Your Merchandiser Work Experience Section
Action verbs in the work experience section of your resume help show that you take a proactive role in your career and are willing to give the new position your best effort. Use action verbs found in merchandiser resume samples, and get some good ideas from the words listed here.
- Analyze
- Plan
- Report
- Forecast
- Predict
- Display
- Organize
- Communicate
- Manage
- Perform
- Present
- Prepare
- Design
- Develop
- Outperform
- Monitor
7
How to Write the Merchandiser Skills Section
If you decided to write a functional resume, the skills section is where you’ll focus most of your attention. Even if you lack the work experience of a merchandiser, you can still qualify for a position with your skill sets and talents.
Just like before, start by looking at the skills sections of merchandiser resume samples to see how this area should look. Many professionals use bullet points to list their skills and qualifications for the position.
A chronological resume will feature a brief listing of your most important skills that qualify you for the job you’re applying to.
Functional resumes may include more in-depth details about these skills as they relate to the position. You can pull talents from your educational background, previous jobs that required similar skills, and your personality traits that help you succeed as a merchandiser.
Here are a few examples of skills that would be appropriate for a merchandiser resume.
- Product Line Optimization
- Pricing Negotiation
- Forecasting Sales and Product Trends
- Report Analysis
If you’re starting off your career at the entry level, you can include soft skills that are essential to the position. Examples would be organization, creativity, and good communication skills. Think about skills you had to use in educational courses you took relating to merchandising and put those items on your resume. If you didn’t already include certifications under the education section, you can go ahead and place them under skills to appear well qualified.
8
Should I Include References in my Merchandiser Resume?
It is important to have professional relationships with people who are willing to speak highly of your skills and experience to potential employers. However, you do not need to include references on your resume.
There will be other opportunities within the hiring process to offer your references to the hiring manager, so you don’t need to waste space on your resume by including them. When you do get the chance to give out some contacts, consider previous supervisors, colleagues, and possibly vendors with whom you shared good work relationships.
9
Merchandiser Resume Fails: Mistakes to Avoid
- Keep your resume concise. For entry-level positions, one page is sufficient for a resume. Managerial resumes may be two to three pages depending on the professional’s experience. Only executive-level resumes should exceed three pages.
- Do not include hobbies or personal interests on your resume. This crucial document should be all about your professional life, so the hiring manager doesn’t need to know what you like to do on weekends unless it directly relates to merchandising.
- You do not need to include every single job you’ve ever held in your career. Whether you have an extensive work history or only a few jobs, just list the most recent positions you’ve held. If you’ve been employed in multiple industries, choose the positions that are most relevant to merchandising.
- Don’t forget to double-check your resume for spelling, grammatical and typographical errors. Even if you have impressive qualifications listed on your resume, they won’t look so good with careless mistakes.
10
Job Prospects in the Merchandiser Industry
Professionals in the merchandiser industry should see some positive growth between now and 2022. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that job seekers can expect a 4 percent increase in job opportunities on average. Employees in the wholesale and retail industries have slightly higher prospects at 7 percent.Despite the positive upswings, these numbers are still lower growth rates than the average of all occupations, so job seekers should do everything they can to improve their chances. Professionals with a bachelor’s degree or higher will have greater prospects. The BLS also indicates that purchasing agents and managers will have more job opportunities than other fields in the merchandising industry.
Merchandiser Resume Samples
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Highly dependable and meticulous Change Management Specialist with a superior customer service record. Adept at working independently, with little to no supervision, and as a team member. Comprehensive background in all areas of change management ideation and execution.
- Extensive experience in change management consulting
- High expertise in change management methodologies and principles
- Excellent familiarity with project life cycle approaches, phases, and tools
- Strong skills in identifying operational issues and recommending solution strategies
- Exceptional ability to deliver clear and accessible public presentations
- Outstanding proficiency in MS Office applications, including Outlook, Word, and Excel
- Superior ability to develop and maintain productive professional relationships
- Profound oral and written communication skills
- Good problem-solving and leadership skills
- Draft and submit proposals for change management plans.
- Create project timetable of phases and milestones.
- Tabulate and assess current and potential change management issues.
- Assist in developing operating model procedures, processes, and roles.
- Formulate key messages for DMS and operating models.
- Developed DMS training plan in coordination with deployment teams.
- Drafted and submitted change management guides for approval.
- Maintained and updated database input from multiple sources.
- Ensured accurate and complete asset information for all projects.
There are plenty of opportunities to land a Merchandiser job position, but it won’t just be handed to you. Crafting a Merchandiser resume that catches the attention of hiring managers is paramount to getting the job, and LiveCareer is here to help you stand out from the competition.
