Fashion Mode

Work in retail can be an extremely rewarding, varied and interesting job. There are many different types of retail work available, and many different roles. You could choose to work as a sales advisor, or a customer service advisor, or even in a back room role such as stock assistant or warehousing assistant. There are many different kinds of retail environment to work in too, from fashion stores, to electronics, cosmetics to groceries! Retail really isn't 'One size fits all' so if you decide retail is for you, here are some pieces of advice that can help.

Register with a Retail agency.

There are many employment agencies in the UK that deal exclusively with the retail sector and can help you find your ideal retail position. You should use a search engine such as Google to find one locally to you and end them your CV and a cover letter explaining what kind of retail work you are interested in. They can then put you forward for positions as they come available. Remember, with retail agencies, their job is to find you work, so they will work very hard to get you the dream position in a retail environment.

Visit the Job Centre.

The job centre usually has listings of all the available vacancies in the area within the retail sector. You can also ask an employee of the job centre to register you for alerts to such jobs. Look on the job point computers and use the "retail" filter and this will show you all retail jobs.

Look online.

There are several job sites that are good to use online. You can search using the term 'retail' and this will show you a list of available vacancies. You can also usually sign up for alerts, as well as registering CV online, so potential employers can look for you directly.

Go direct.

Visit stores with copies of your CV to see if they have any vacancies. Larger shopping centres or malls often have job boards available to view. Leave CVs with any stores you particularly want to work within and ask them to contact you if they have any vacancies available.

So now you know where to find vacancies, you can prepare yourself for work in the retail sector. The usual traits to have to work in retail are a nice friendly manner, a calm patient demeanour and to be helpful and willing to engage with the public. You may be expected to move stock around, so a degree of physical fitness may be expected. You might also have to have cash handling skills. Many retail environments expect you to work in uniform; others may only require you to dress smartly. Always ensure to gather as much information about the company that you are going to have an interview with so that you can show as much willing as possible. Ensure to listen as well as possible.

Be bright, confident and happy and good luck in your new career!