Dependability, sense of humor, leadership, persistence, analytic minded, adaptable, quick, results driven and organized are all skills. So are telemarketing, interviewing, fundraising, managing, blogging and researching.
But all of them cannot be written “as they are” on a resume. To be perfectly honest, the meaning of the work skill has changed somewhat over the years. Some time ago, it was absolutely acceptable to fill the skills section on your resume with a dozen or more one word soft descriptions stating how skilled you are. The same cannot be done anymore. Substantiating hard skills in powerful sentences has become very important now.
If you writing the following under the skills section on your merchandiser associate resume, without actually authenticating them, you might have a problem:
• Analyzing facts
• Allocating resources
• Desktop publishing
• Coordinating events
• Merchandise display
On their own, these are good. But when an employer looks at these small phrases, they will feel something is missing. What? Validation. You have simply stated your skills without validating them.
Skills are typically identifiable abilities or facts that employers value and will pay for. Skills are invaluable and need to be fitted into almost every section of a resume. However, the dedicated skills section is where the concentration needs to be the most.
No matter how much one reads up on skills, there is no better way to understand what they really are than to look at samples. So here is a list of skills for a merchandiser associate position:
Skills for a Merchandiser Associate Resume
• Documented success in generating sales by providing outstanding customer services and expanding and maintaining product knowledge
• Well-versed in setting up new displays in an aesthetic manner and according to the store’s policies
• Special talent for producing novel and unique concepts for merchandise presentation
• Exceptional knowledge of building, adjusting and removing product displays in accordance with company’s directives
• Adept at providing and maintaining positive work relationships with team members to ensure appropriate merchandising solutions
• Demonstrated expertise in smoothing out frontend and backend work processes to ensure a positive shopping experience for customers
• Particularly effective in upholding stock levels and handling pricing duties for multiple product lines
• Adept at organizing and handling inventory and communicating effectively with retail merchants
• Focused on reconciling orders with financial plans and forecasts
• Excellent ability to recommend merchandise based on customers’ needs and upselling associated products
• Competent at leading promotional activities and ensuring that store and warehouse security practices are appropriately placed