How to climb the ladder in the retail industry? Here’s how to do it.
Climb the ladder in the retail industry? Yes it’s possible! “In the retail trade, you can make a career with or without training – the main thing is to have the passion,” Félix Bégin, CHRP, starts off, a human resources manager for Potvin & Bouchard, the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean hardware store chain.
While some people think that working in the retail industry means holding a job as a clerk or salesperson throughout your career, the reality can be quite different. “Those who want to climb the ladder in the retail industry and have the necessary motivation can do it”, Mr. Bégin believes. In addition, according to Retail Quebec, it takes an average of 3.8 years for a new employee to reach a position… of management!
Required Aptitudes
Close to one employee out of two does in the industry not have a degree or holds a high school diploma, according to Retail Quebec. According to Mr. Bégin, although employees with education can have a head start on others, not having a degree is not necessarily an obstacle to developing. To be successful, it’s most important to have the love of work and the sense of commerce. “We prefer good selling aptitudes and the ability to have a good contact with the customer,” he comments.
In the same breath, he adds that a good employee is ready to find solutions to satisfy the customer. It’s also essential that the clerk shows that he enjoys teamwork. “This proves that the person will be able to manage employees, if he climbs the ladder in the retail industry,” explains Félix Bégin.
Training and internal promotion
To develop within a retail business, the worker must follow the training offered by his company. “If the person wants to learn, the training offered will let him climb the ladder in the retail industry,” Mr. Bégin comments. In addition, establishments use several human resources management tools to develop their employees: annual performance appraisals, salary scales or training plans for each employee. “We do internal tracking and evaluate those who seem more motivated to make progress within the organization,” adds the HR manager.
For Félix Bégin, one thing is certain – the best manager is the one who started out as a clerk. “This person will know the reality on the floor, and that guarantees us that it’s someone who is really interested and passionate,” he concludes.