The advantages of working in retail are many and are not well known by the general public. Sure, the work can be fast paced, but worth it when the great career opportunities are taken into consideration. Professional development, versatility, flexibility, training, diversity—all these and more are certain to please all types of profiles.
VARIETY
Candidates are not always well acquainted with the variety of jobs available in retail. Far from being limited to salespeople, the jobs related to this sector are many and require all kinds of backgrounds: store managers, buyers, merchandisers, sales associates, production coordinators, loss prevention specialists, and the list goes on.
We all know about jobs in stores, but are less familiar with support functions, whether in marketing, purchasing, computers or human resources, which deserve our attention because they are particularly fast-growing fields.
In addition, most retail jobs offer a wide variety of tasks. Store managers, for example, don’t just sell, they organize the activities, find merchandise, determine prices, manage their teams, plan budgets and develop marketing strategies.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Retail has a strong tradition of promoting from within and of professional training. Thus, career paths are particularly interesting in all branches of the retail sector. It is not uncommon to start at the bottom of the ladder and to become store manager a few years later, if you are motivated and take the many professional training courses available to you.
“In contrast to the 80s and 90s, experience is no longer the sole criteria for moving up the ladder: nowadays, training is also very important,” emphasizes Andrew Siegwart, Director of Education and Events for Retail Council of Canada. “But it’s very possible to learn on the job, whether with the company or via outside bodies.” Most retail professionals do take regular training courses and employers incite their employees to gain expertise.
MOBILITY
Another advantage of the sector is the possibility of transferring skills. Required aptitudes in retail trade—e.g. customer service, management, sales—come in handy in many other fields, and career recycling is relatively common. A retail professional can therefore quite easily change fields, and conversely, many have come from other sectors, such as tourism or other industries.
FLEXIBILITY
Finally, since business hours are increasingly longer, you can pick a schedule that suits your needs, e.g. evening, morning or weekend work. À la carte work is a reality in many stores.
Nevertheless, very business periods, like the holidays, require greater availability and involve a heavier work load.