Retail Associate Job Description
Finding qualified, reliable individuals to join your staff is an essential step in growing your business. We’re here to make the hiring process as easy as possible for you. In this guide, we’ll cover all of the following:
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN A JOB DESCRIPTION
A good job description should include a company overview and job overview, as well as an explanation of the associated responsibilities, skills & qualifications, and work environment. Below are some general guidelines for writing each of these sections effectively.
1. COMPANY OVERVIEW
Providing an accurate, concise description of your business is a great way to attract the right employees. Think of this section as an advertisement for your company -- why should prospective employees want to join your team?
Some useful things to include here are:
- Core company values
- Mission statement
- Brief history of your organization
- Anticipated growth
- Business goals
2. JOB OVERVIEW
In a few sentences, describe the purpose, importance, and fundamental qualities of the position being offered. No need to be too specific or comprehensive here -- the idea is to provide a zoomed-out image of the role the applicant would be filling in your company.
3. RESPONSIBILITIES
This is where you’ll outline the specific day-to-day responsibilities of the job. Bullet-point format is typically the most practical way to present this information.
4. NECESSARY SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
List in bulleted format the skills & qualifications that are absolutely essential to this position. Consider as many specific conditions of the job as possible in order to create a complete list of qualifications an applicant must have in order to succeed.
5. PREFERRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
List in bulleted format the skills & qualifications that are not essential, but would make an applicant more eligible for the position being offered.
6. WORK ENVIRONMENT
Describe the environment in which the applicant would be spending most of their time. In this description, include information about:
- Company culture
- Pace of work
- Amount of collaborative vs. independent activity
- Who the employee will report to (or vice versa)
Retail Associate Job Description
Below is our retail associate job description. You can post it as-is to an online job board like ZipRecruiter, or download and customize it to match the unique aspects of your business. Keep in mind that adding a custom company overview and description of the work environment (outlined above) will help you draw in the right applicants.
Retail Associate Job Description
Job Overview:
Our retail associates are the first people our customers see when they walk through the door. We need our team to be extremely friendly, highly knowledgeable, and ready to help. Customer service is key to being a successful retail associate. Whether you’re working with someone who has a lot of questions or someone who’s in a hurry, we expect our retail associates to be able to quickly adapt to different situations and manage their time accordingly. They should be willing to go the extra mile to show customers that they are valued without sacrificing the needs of other guests. Finally, our retail associates need to be able to work under pressure, handling long lines and rushes with confidence and grace.
Responsibilities:
- Greeting customers and assisting with any questions
- Learning store layout and inventory
- Ringing up customers on POS
- Straightening and restocking inventory as needed
- Performing general maintenance of displays to ensure a professional presentation
- Working with customers who have a problem or dispute
- Setting up new displays according to store expectations
- Selling retail goods and promoting new items
Necessary Skills & Qualifications:
- Excellent attitude and customer service skills
- Superior verbal and written communication
- Ability to make decisions in a fast-paced environment
- Team player: ability to take direction and work well with others
- Flexible schedule (availability to work weekends and holidays)
Preferred Skills & Qualifications:
- Prior experience in retail sales
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Official awards or formal recognition in sales
Create a free account with ZipRecruiter to post this job description to their online job board.
3 STEPS TO TAKE WHEN HIRING EMPLOYEES
ENSURE LEGAL COMPLIANCE
Hiring employees can be an intimidating and time-consuming process, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve created a hiring compliance checklist to help you get over the legal hurdles with ease. From obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to confirming work eligibility, our guide covers everything you need to know.
SET UP PAYROLL
Even if your business only has a few employees, setting up a payroll service can save you time for running your business and also ensure that your company is compliant with important federal requirements, such as employee withholding.
We recommend Gusto, a user-friendly payroll platform for small businesses.
ACQUIRE WORKERS' COMP INSURANCE
Workers’ compensation insurance provides financial and legal protection for your business and its employees.
Whether or not you need workers’ comp insurance for your company depends on the nature of the job, the employer-employee relationship, and the unique regulations of your state.
Find out how much the right insurance will cost you.
