Retail Jobs
Working on a shop floor usually springs to mind when considering what types of job are on offer in retail. But this is simply scratching the surface of a sector which, in reality, provides countless opportunities.
Sustained economic growth in the UK today means people are spending more money, meaning there is still a great demand for workers in the retail sector, which already provides jobs for over 10% of our workforce.
The choice the consumer has as to how they purchase their products has heavily influenced employment patterns in the retail sector. With more and more big companies investing in online retail, mail order purchasing and TV shopping, a wide variety of jobs are available in order to meet customer demand.
The bottom line is, however, that retailers simply must sell their product, and the majority of posts available are geared towards this. Types of jobs include the design, manufacture and marketing of the product, as well as analysis of the competition. Other departments are responsible for quality control and the monitoring of cost efficiency. As always with such a big sector, human resources posts are also available.
In terms of what retail employers are looking for, candidates should demonstrate a strong customer focus, with good communication skills. They should be persuasive as well as creative. Many essential skills such as money management and visual merchandising can be developed on the job.
There are always opportunities to progress within the retail sector given its large number of management roles, and good leadership qualities promote this. Qualifications are less important in retail than in other sectors, although more specialised roles, such as IT or fashion design, for example, require specific qualifications.