4 Year Retail Drone looking to get into new markets, please take 1 minute to tell me why my resume sucks.

well, I've been stressing out over this for a bit now, have tried several different formats to try and cut down the bulk but I can never get it to just one page. mainly, I'm wondering if it'd be better to start wit most recent job first and move backwards (how it is now but feels weird) or starting with my first job. should i even include my first job? the position I've set this hypothetical up for is a direct sales position with a corporate company (not my field, really, but their requisites line up) and so I'm guessing I shouldn't include it for lengths' sake? I also just want it to be shown how hard of a worker and loyal I am (several years at 2+ companies).

also: as for education, my issue is that I'm only a HS grad, just a little college, not currently attending so it's not really worth including an education field in the body of the resume, amiright? but is it super tacky to include it like I did up next to my personal info? kinda lost here, any and all suggestions welcome.

oh! and i'm looking to apply for server positions as well, so wondering if in that case it's worth sacrificing the 1 page rule in order to include my first job (fast food-although a nicer place)

thanks so much in advance. here it is: take a look

Posted Nov 29, 2012, 11:15 PM UTC

07
[deleted]•

I love Seattle!

Offering my combined 4 years of Retail Sales and Customer Service experience with 3 high-volume, high-profile companies. Seeking a new company to grow with while continuing to strengthen my exceptional customer service and attention to detail with a personal, professional touch.

Don't say 3 companies; 3 in 4 years might make you look flighty. You don't want to say what YOU want; you want to highlight what you can offer the employer. Try this:

  • Retail Sales and Customer Service Associate with four years of experience with high-volume, high-profile companies. Looking to continue to combine attention to detail with a personal, professional touch in order to provide an exceptional customer service (and you might want to say something specific to the company here like you can promote their name or increase sales or something).

Your layout's a little bland and hard to read. Rename 'Sales Representative' with 'Career profile' and have a line running underneath it extending to the right margin so each section stands out. Then have a blank line between sections (i.e., before 'professional experience') and again, underline that header. Put your dates over on the right so they are easier to read.

After accepting the offer to help open Store’s first Corporate-owned store in Washington State, I’ve had the unique experience of not only helping build the store, but also assist the Corporate Visuals Manager in the functionality of the display placement. In the 9 months since the successful grand opening of our Pike Street store in March, we’ve seen a brand new market be tapped for Clothing Store 1, and I’ve personally gained a new confidence and pride in working as a Brand Ambassador for my company(a personal first). Meeting Daily Sales/Customer Service and Metrics Goals in a “new market” environment. Providing Organizational Support in the back stockroom, receiving regular freight shipments during store hours and processing them quickly and efficiently to not inconvenience the customer. Volunteering for promotional events, such as three Seattle Seahawks games I worked with a team of 3 representing our store at a local level.

This is waaay too verbose. Remove any reference to "I" to sound more professional.

  • Opened Store’s first Corporate-owned store in Washington State
  • Increased functionality of the store by liaising with the Corporate Visuals Manager
  • Tapped a brand new market as Brand Ambassador

(remove personal confidence - they want to know what you can do for them and it makes you sound like a wet blanket)

This essentially highlights all of your achievements succinctly but if you want to add more:

  • Met Daily Sales/Customer Service and Metrics Goals in a “new market” environment
  • Provided Organizational Support in the back stockroom, processing shipments quickly (can you say something about how quickly? Or what effect that had?)
  • Promoted XXX at the local level by working with 3 other people, resulting in....

In California, I took the position of Store Associate at Clothing Store 2, hoping to transfer to a higher profile location within 6 months. I ended up receiving an offer to return to Seattle and continue as a Store Associate for Clothing store 2. In my time with the company, my responsibilities included: Cashiering/Customer Service at the front register, prioritizing sales, returns, and restocking in fast-paced retail. Providing personal, professional customer service in the fitting rooms, and processing apparel for the floor. Unloading morning freight shipments, making my zone of sales floor customer-ready by store open.

should =

  • Prioritized sales, returns, and restocking in fast-paced retail.
  • Provided personal, professional customer service in the fitting rooms, and processing apparel for the floor.
  • Responsible for unloading shipments and ensuring the area was reading for customers

After moving to Seattle in 2008, I took a Concierge position at the Tech Store managing customer's appointments on the sales floor. I soon moved into the role of Operator/Back-of-House Specialist where I spent half my time working the customer phone queue and the other half receiving/processing freight and shipping-out products and repairs. My roles there included: Concierge, helping match our customers with technicians at our busy tech support bar. Being present and attentive by aligning with each customer to make them feel comfortable and welcomed as I got them in touch with the help they needed. Operator, taking hundreds of customer calls a day and effectively fielding them to their best channels. Balancing my roles, I worked between 2-8 hours per shift managing the main phone line. Back-of-House Specialist, handling the receiving/shipping out of customer product and time-sensitive materials with both FedEx and UPS, as well as the stocking of the sales floor and organization of stored product in the Back-of-House. As part of my development with Tech Store, I took on the department of In-Store-Use(ISU) product management which included biannual store audits, and managing our store's mobile pay devices; both their updates and maintenance as well as their systematic tracking for preventing theft or loss. Previous to the ISU role, I had already taken a vested interest in my team and our performance, from organizing the Back-of-House storage racks to being on the Mentor team for our retail training program. My time on the team at Tech Store remains to be the most impacting to my professional development, and it’s the drive for results as well as interpersonal savvy that have gained me success in multiple retail environments.

should =

"Operator/Back-of-House Specialist" (job title)

  • Communicated with customers via telephone (insert numbers if you can)
  • Processed freight and shipping-out products and repairs.
  • Directed customers to xxx (best channels? What?)
  • Matched customers with technicians at the technical support bar.
  • Increased customer satisfaction by making them feel comfortable and welcomed
  • Organised stored products
  • Managed the department of In-Store-Use (ISU) products, including biannual store audits, and managing mobile pay devices;
  • Tracked products for prevention of theft or loss by (say how you tracked 'em).

(again, remove all personal and nostalgia stuff. You need to sound like you can get the job done).

Level 4 Associate, Fast Food; Auburn, CA — June 2006-July 2008 In the 2 years I spent with Fast Food I was promoted three times, to the following roles: Cleanup/Prep where I learned day-to-day operations from the ground level. Customer Order taking in the dining room and drive-through, working big weekend rushes while using a headset and handheld device to take orders on the go. Fry Cook, which required a disciplined awareness for timing and a focus on my surroundings.

should =

  • Promoted three times in two years
  • Gained experience with day-to-day operational procedures
  • Multitasked in the dining room and drive-through using a headset and handheld device to take (insert approx. number of) orders daily

Skills Accrued Developing clear, effective communication between coworkers as well as pleasant, professional service to customers. Prioritizing and multi-tasking under demanding, high-volume customer scenarios. Providing exceptional Customer Service in both Sales and Non-Sales settings. Shipping/Receiving Internationally with both FedEx and UPS. Managing inventory and performing internal audits. Following employee guidelines for punctuality and integrity.

Honestly, I don't think you need this, as you've (or I have, haha) basically stated exactly this in your bullet points above.

Tl;dr bullet points, cut it down, it's not an autobiography. ;)

4
whenmattsattackOP•

hey thanks a ton! I really appreciate the input. totally agree, and kinda saw that coming, oddly enough I had already cut a ton of fluff out but it seems there's still a lot more.

thanks for the tip about not using "I", that actually made a lot of sense, don't know why I hadn't thought of that.

now a question: I hear what you're saying about the first section, Sales Representative etc, But I was actually using that as my "branding statement" that I keep reading about on here. but this forum's also made me fear using terms like "objective" and "profile" but if you think that's the way to go I'll consider it.

thanks again for your time! any other takers?

0
[deleted]•

I see why you used it, but the way your formatting went, it looked like a header, and 'sales representative' is a weird header.

2
babbysloth•

Tried to take a look, but it said I don't have permission to access it

2
whenmattsattackOP•

changed permissions, sorry about that

0
[deleted]•

Needs permission to access.

2
whenmattsattackOP•

shoot! sorry, attempting to fix now

0