Retail is a tough business and everyone needs to try hard in order to be able to do well at it.
Retail involves talking to a lot of people, communicating and making sure one is able to have a sound and able communication with others.
It is a very necessary and required field where one cannot expect that things will be given or taken for granted. It is a tough job.
Retail involves everything from planning to communication to deciding things. It is important and equally necessary.
14 Skills that Retail Employers want from Job Seekers:
1. Wear an eagle eye to cross the deep insights:
Retail as whole is a widespread business. One needs to be sure that when one is working in retail it is his or her preferred form of business. He or she is not doing any kind of time pass or leading to any kind of problems.
In this business, one needs to communicate with a lot of people and lot of tradesmen dealing with clothes business as such.
The kind of clothes they sell, the quality, the roughness everything needs to be discussed. In the retail business, one needs to also get into the details of distribution and packaging.
On what basis do people distribute clothes and on what basis do they package the products and sell them. Everything needs to come in order with the kind of product sale that has to be done.
Thus Retail employers do need an eagle’s eye when they are hiring employees. They will not take any employee for granted. They have to do their business and they also have got to promote it.
Thus, it is very much required and necessary beat where all employers need to come together and have a discussion. They not only require an employee who can talk fast. They need someone who is good at marketing as well as promotion.
They need people who are a combination of various basic employee skills needed for a job .
Thus, retail employers look at such particular things in general.
2. Excellent communication skills:
Retail employers need better and faster communication skills. It is a necessary skill and requirement.
They need it because without that nothing proves good enough. They need to be able to convince the person standing ahead that they mean what they say and they say what they mean.
When the employers stand to talk about the variety of products that they have, the employers must have a clear idea of what is going on.
Thus, if you are in retail they essentially look for this quality that you are able to convince the person standing ahead that a product can effectively be your product.
3. Business Focus:
You need to have a business minded set up. In no way can you juggle and talk about things not working out for you.
If there is a loss you should be in position to make profit out of it. If there are profits, you should know where to utilize them.
There should also be money going in the development section. Business should always be on your mind. You should have that ultimate craving to be the best in what you do.
4. Personal Efficiency:
Retail business will not function if you do not show them how much the business sales mean to you.
Higher and always higher must be your goal. For that you need to show them you are personally efficient to conduct clients.
Talking to them properly, being punctual and dressing up well yourself are some pre requisites in a retail business which everyone needs to follow. You need to follow them and follow them well so that you can outstand others.
5. Relationship Management:
When in Retail, you are the boss of everything. You have to be a journalist, a PR professional, a marketing agent, an associate , a commercial manger and a finance guru.
Any company that deals with your company will look out how you are able to handle relationship with the other person.
You have to be smart and quick wit about things. You need to be able to handle all negative thinking and happening and make them turn into good. Only your charm will be able to do it.
6. Critical Thinking:
What is required in retail management except for the ability to critically think about yourself and others. You need to be smart and you need to be on your toes always. That does not mean you only see the good side about yourself.
You will need to also see the bad side. You will need to also see that things are not going any great with your team and you need to boost up the sale. You have to see that profits don’t fall and you are the manager who needs to take an action.
These are the various competencies that include a range of some more or less typical job skills employers look for in applicants. Apart from those mentioned above have an eye for these too always.
7. Good standard of IT and good numeric skills:
Though any profession requires this, employers will check how comfortable you are within dealing with IT.
Whether you are good with technology or whether you are struggling. They will keep in mind all of these before they assign you any assignment. They will need people to be sharp and powerful.
They will need everyone to take faster and easy steps towards this cause. You cannot afford to be lazy or weak in this segment.
As far as maths is concerned, it is business. Numerics should continuously play in your mind, when you deal with this beat. What they say, what they desire to process is a thing which you must always remember. Whether the business is hinting at profits or going down in loss must be your concern always.
8. Effective influencing as well as negotiation skills:
You are in retail, the clothes industry and you cannot be an expert at it if you do not bargain.
Bargaining, keeping the prices low always hinting at achieving things better are some of the skills for a job which you must always remember.
Influence and negotiation are two skills that employers look for and which must always be in your mind.
You cannot let go off these and you must know what can cast a good influence on your people. Whether talking sweetly and politely can do things for you or is it influencing your authorities and other segments responsible.
Just remember anything and everything matters in Retail. Thus try and put our forte into it as much as possible.
9. Strong customer focus:
Know your target audience. Customers and buyers are the two main people you will be meeting always in this sector.
When employers hire you they will see how quick and fast you are with this segment of hiring and taking in people.
When people hire you they will see you are able to convince the customer that that particular piece of shirt or t shirt which they brought is good or not for them. If it is not good you need to tell them what is good instead.
10. Ability to work under solid pressure at times and also stick to tight deadlines:
Pressure, pressure and a lot of pressure are some areas or clichés that people may need to specialize in.
People need to be smart at analyzing various things. They need to have that hawker’s eye in getting to see what is good for them and what is not.
There are times when it would not be possible of you to even go home. At such times, you need to show your mettle. You cannot slide away.
By sticking to deadlines and by following routine well, you will be able to show your charm to one and all
11. Commercial awareness:
How can the retailers take you in retail industry if you do not tell them how much you know retail?
You need to be able to convince them you are fit for the industry. You need to be passionate about this business.
You need to be aware of ‘what is in fashion‘ and ‘what is not‘, ‘who is doing well‘ and ‘who is going down‘.
You need to be able to tell your customer that buy this product and stay away from that. You need to be properly skilled and efficient in this. Otherwise it is a waste of time and energy.
12. Strong time-management skills:
You are in business where time is not going to wait for you. If you do not think fast and crazy, the order is gone and just snatch by someone else.
When retailers hire you they will judge you on mainly two things one being if you are are ready to forsake longer timings for these and second whether you are happily convinced about whatever you are doing.
If you are not, then maybe they can get a hint that you are not being able to manage time properly and smartly. This can go heavily against you.
13. Attention to detail:
In retail you are going to be the boss. If you can convince your employer and tell him that “listen I did this and this was the result”, he or she will be happy.
Convince and let them know who you are and your mettle for sure. There should be solid attention given to all the kinds of detail.You must be ready to answer all the questions which come at your side.
If a single error is cause from your side, you are gone because there is no space for errors in retail industry.
14. Demonstrable effective leadership and management qualities:
Retail is business ad management and time consuming. Employers will see everything in detail and then if they like that they will hire you.
You should be able to boss over a team of five or fifty and make sure they do the work. You should be able to make managers do the work and do the talking.
You should be able to let everyone do the business and not be able to cry for it, instead work upon it. You should be the leader in times of crisis.
Thus, retailers will look for all these qualities and ability to handle people well is one of them.
Buyers and Merchandisers actually need people who show some skills of being analytical, good with numerical and are also commercially astute.
When on one hand you may expect Store Managers to be perfect and sturdy all-rounder, there are separate sales people or team leaders and also some distribution people who are target driven in the retail job.
However employers love it when you show them your ability to juggle different tasks simultaneously without compromising on any.
Luckily, most of the skills for work that have been listed are required for each position. As always, it will be learnt on the job but, you may need to have some more requisites like communication and talking off during the period of your career or work placements.
Education does not matter so much in this business. Regardless of whether you have entered your career being a graduate or a non-graduate, the retail industry will always keep an eye for these above work related skills and will make a decision to hire you.
You need to show them that you are pretty much serious about carving out a career for yourself in this sector and will also excel in it with flying colors.
