Career Advice for a Retail Store Manager

Working as a Retail Store Manager, you will recruit, train, and manage sales staff, ensuring excellent customer service.

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How to Become a Retail Store Manager

Choosing your career path and learning how to become the person you aspire to be is not always straight forward; getting a job in your chosen industry will take dedication, focus and the right qualifications.

When you have chosen the career path you wish to follow, you will need to learn how to become a Retail Store Manager

Should you wish to work as a Retail Store Manager you will need to evaluate what courses are required, their cost and what qualifications you need. It is important that you also assess whether you have the right credentials from a personality point of view, what the demands of the job are and whether they complement the lifestyle that you desire.

Another factor to consider, should you wish to fulfil your career aspirations, is the number of jobs you will need to have to reach your ultimate job, and the length of time it will take to reach this goal.

Common Qualifications for a Retail Store Manager

  • Proficiency using Microsoft Office.
  • Four GCSEs.
  • At least one A Level.
  • A Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management or Retail Marketing.
  • Level 3 Diploma in Retail Skills Management.
  • Level 4 Diploma in Retail Management.

Key Responsibilities for a Retail Store Manager

  • Training, supervising, and coaching sales staff.
  • Conducting performance reviews and encouraging staff to hit sales targets.
  • Developing business strategies to encourage high store traffic.
  • Performing administrative tasks such as audits, creating staff schedules, and reporting.
  • Ensuring the store is clean and merchandise is presentable.
  • Resolving customer complaints and staff disputes.

What to expect as a Retail Store Manager

When you become a Retail Store Manager, you will work in a store or back office. Depending on the size of the store, you may be customer facing and perform salesperson or cashier tasks. Successful Retail Store Managers have great interpersonal skills, are motivational, and able to resolve problems and disputes.

Recommended Retail Store Manager Jobs

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How to get Retail Store Manager Jobs

Our advice on how to get a Retail Store Manager job is to focus on preparation and personalisation.

Preparation

This occurs before you write a CV cover letter or complete a Retail Store Manager application. If you have not held a Retail Store Manager position before, it will help to research the industry and review what a typical career path might look like. If you have held a Retail Store Manager role, focus your research on the company where you are seeking employment.

Valuable resources that will help you learn about the employer include the company’s career page, social media page, blog, job ad, and job description. Helpful information will consist of the company’s mission statement, values, and vision. You could also use an employer review site to gain insights on average salaries, what current employees say about the company culture, and what it is like to work for the organisation.

Personalisation

You are now in a position to use what you have learned in your Retail Store Manager CV, cover letter, and application. You should personalise each Retail Store Manager application, cover letter, and CV; prioritising job skills and relevant experience and providing examples that show you have similar values and goals.

This pre-application stage is a crucial step in how to become a Retail Store Manager in the UK. It puts you in a superbly informed state, ready for forthcoming telephone, video, or in-person interviews.

Students: How to Become a Retail Store Manager 

As with all professions, choose your study topics carefully. Review the qualifications needed to be a Retail Store Manager and the subjects you will need to enrol in certification courses, higher education, or online courses. 

Aligning your study subjects

The more closely you align your study subjects with your career path, the more likely you will be to have projects and modules that you can refer to and show a prospective employer that you have practical or theoretical Retail Store Manager experience.

How to get Retail Store Manager Experience

What does it take to be a Retail Store Manager? The best way to find out is to get work experience, which will be invaluable when applying for Retail Store Manager jobs. You can learn how to be a successful Retail Store Manager through internships, apprenticeships, or volunteering for a local business.

How to be a Retail Store Manager Part-Time 

If you are wondering how to get into Retail Store Manager part-time, there are several possibilities. You might find a new employer looking for a part-time Retail Store Manager or find your existing employer is amenable. Often companies recognise the value of flexible hours and having more staff at work during busy times of the day. 

Retail Store Manager freelance work

If you have impressive Retail Store Manager qualifications and experience, you could take on the challenges of working freelance with control over your schedule.

Making a Career Change

How to start a career in this profession if you work in another industry may require studying for qualifications online and focusing on transferable skills when writing your CV and attending job interviews.