Merchandiser Resume Sample, Job Description & Writing Guide for 2024

Creating the perfect merchandiser resume is no simple feat. With so many applicants vying for the same position you are, it’s more crucial than ever to provide employers with an impressively curated resume that showcases why you’re the best applicant. Does this intimidate you? If so, you’re not alone.

As a merchandiser, your expertise focuses on handling products, promotions, and organization. The last thing on your mind is writing a resume. However, a tailored resume is the best way to land your next position. If you aren’t getting calls back when you apply for jobs, it’s probably because your resume isn’t impressing the hiring team. This guide is here to fix that and land you the interview you’ve set your sights on.

Merchandiser resume writing guide: Where to start?

Your merchandiser resume sells you as the right candidate for the job you’re applying for. With such a big responsibility, you must develop a document that is eye-catching, informative, and focused on the position you’re hoping to get hired for. The goal is to send the message to anyone who reads your resume that you’re confident in your merchandiser skills and have researched to prepare for what the open position entails.

So, how do you accomplish that? A decent amount of prep work should be done to curate the best resume possible. You need to be able to easily detail the skills you bring to the table, research what the company you’re applying to does, and curate your resume to reflect a perfect combination of the information you’ve gathered.

Master merchandising resume

The first step to the perfect merchandising resume is creating your master resume. This master resume will be a complete document of all your merchandising skills, experiences, and achievements. If you’re making a senior merchandiser resume, your master resume will likely be longer than the one for an entry-level merchandiser resume.

It’s essential to make your master resume as detailed and complete as possible. This dedication will allow you to use only one document as you create your job-specific resume. Include any education you’ve completed, previous jobs, and a detailed list of your merchandising skills.

The great thing about your master merchandiser resume is you can format it however you’d like. Just ensure you can easily navigate the document to find the information you need when applying for jobs. No one but you will see this version of your resume, so don’t worry about impressing anyone just yet.

If you have a lot of experience in the merchandising field, expect your master resume to be a few pages long. While the resume you send should only be about a page long, it’s okay for this version to be more extended. When you create your job-specific resumes, you’ll cherry-pick information from your master resume to develop the document you send to the recruiter.

Job-specific merchandise resume

Now for the fun part: applying for new jobs. You should use the merchandiser job description for resume information when you find the job you want to apply for. What does this mean? The job description that employers post will include the desired skills and experience they’re looking for in a candidate. You can use this information to your advantage by highlighting only the most relevant information from your resume.

As you read the job description, list all the skills and experiences expressly listed in the posting. It can also be helpful to list those that aren’t explicitly mentioned but can be used to perform the duties mentioned in the posting. Once you have these lists, compare them to your master merchandiser resume. Include your relevant experience, achievements, and skills in your single-page resume.

This approach is proven to get more callbacks and interviews than providing a general resume. A job-specific resume showcases your attention to detail and motivation to do the necessary work to achieve the best results. Both of these traits can be useful in the merchandising career field and can impress your future employer.

As you create your job-specific resume, focusing on the resume format for merchandiser applications is vital. The rest of this guide will walk you through every required section of your resume to ensure you format it correctly and provide the correct information. First, look at the sample merchandiser resume below to understand how your job-specific resume should come together.

Merchandiser resume example

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Looking at merchandiser resume examples is an excellent way to understand what your resume should look like. Our sample resume for merchandiser above was curated to provide simple and easy-to-follow documentation of the applicant’s experience. Use this as a starting point as you build your resume. 

What should be included in a resume for a merchandiser? Tips and examples

You’ve seen a merchandising resume sample and learned why job-specific resumes are the way to go. Now it’s time to build your merchandiser resume and get it ready to send off to the hiring team at your future company. A complete resume will include all of the following sections: a header with contact information, a personal profile, a skills list, work history, and education. The header is self-explanatory: it has your name and contact information. We’ll focus on the other sections in the merchandiser resume description sections below.

How do you write a personal profile on a merchandiser resume?

Your personal profile on your merchandiser resume is a short paragraph summarizing your most impressive achievements in the field. With your retail background, think of these three to four sentences as a sales pitch where you’re selling yourself as the perfect candidate for the open position.

A personal profile comes in two forms. A merchandiser resume summary is the most common form and works for those with more than two years of professional experience. The summary should include the following information:

• The word merchandiser
• Your experience in the field
• A few of your most impressive skills
• A couple of eye-catching achievements

Ensure that all the information you provide is relevant to the job you’re applying for so it makes the impact you’re hoping to achieve. Use numbers or data to back up your information in this section if possible.

The other version of a personal profile is a merchandiser resume objective. This version is reserved for those with little to no experience as a merchandiser. Follow the same guidelines as a summary, but focus on your transferable soft skills since you don’t have many hard skills in the field. Then, explain your passion for merchandising and what you hope to achieve in your career.

For the best personal profile, write the paragraph at the end of your resume-building. This approach will let you highlight the most impressive information from the rest of your resume in this blurb. Even though it goes at the top of your resume and is the first impression the recruiter will have, this approach will make it easier to write the section.

Skills to list on a merchandiser resume?

A curated list of merchandising skills on a resume will catch the hiring manager’s attention. This section is where reading the job posting comes in handy. The list of skills you made from the posting will tell you the best skills to include in your list. For example, if you’re applying for a food service merchandiser position, you’ll want to highlight your restaurant-specific skills, not your clothing retail merchandising skills.

The skills you list in this section should be tied into your work experience and other sections on your resume to prove your professional experience. However, this bulleted list will give the recruiter a dedicated section to scan and see if you have the skillset they’re looking for.

Plus, many employers are using resume-vetting technology. If your resume doesn’t include the right keywords (usually specific skills in the job description), the hiring team may never even lay eyes on your document.

You should include a mix of hard and soft skills for a well-rounded resume. Hard skills are technical skills that are specific to merchandising. Soft skills are transferable skills that can be used in almost any career. The skills you include on your resume will depend on the type of company you’ll do merchandising for.

Here’s a list of some of the most common skills listed on merchandiser resumes in all fields:

• Commercial awareness
• Forecasting
• Mathematics
• Store display setup
• Implementing brand resets
• Computer skills
• Customer service
• Stocking
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Communication

How do you write work experience on a merchandiser resume?

The work experience section of your merchandiser resume is where you can best highlight your previous accomplishments in the field. This section should be in reverse chronological order. This means you’ll start with your most recent position and work backward.

Each entry in your work section should include the following information:

• Your job title
• The name and location of the company
• The dates you worked there
• A few bullet points that highlight relevant experiences and achievement

The bullet points for each job are where you can mention the skills listed on your resume, providing practical examples of how you use those skills in merchandising. Keep the merchandising duties and responsibilities the resume readers look for in mind while you write this section, which are likely mentioned in the job posting.

Be as specific as possible with the information you provide in this section. Use percentages and numbers to detail the achievements you had in a position. For example, saying you exceeded sales targets is okay, but saying you exceeded sales targets by 19 percent is more impressive.

How do you list education on a merchandiser resume?

The education section of your resume is pretty simple. As with the work history, this section will be in reverse chronological order. You don’t need to include your high school diploma on your merchandiser resume if you’ve earned a higher-education degree.

The more work experience you have, the more concise your education section will likely be. However, for every experience in this section, include the following information:

• Degree name or type
• Your major and minor
• The school’s name and location
• Your graduation year

If you have limited professional experience in merchandising, you can expand the education section to make up for it. In this case, you can include information like your impressive GPA, Latin honors, extracurriculars, or relevant coursework. Again, this information is optional but can help fill the gaps when you have little to no work experience.

If you haven’t graduated yet, you can include your expected graduation date for the employer to reference. If you only completed part of a degree program, but it was relevant to the position you’re applying for, you should include it. Simply provide the dates you attended instead of a graduation date.

How do you put your certifications on a merchandiser resume?

Certifications aren’t always a required section of your merchandiser resume. However, many merchandisers have earned certificates that have expanded their skills in the field. If you have relevant certifications, you should include them in a section below your education section.

If you include any certifications on your resume, you need to provide only a few details. Include the certification’s name, the awarding organization’s name, and the year you earned it. If your certification has an expiration date, you can include that as well.

Again, the certifications that you include will depend on the type of merchandiser you’re applying to be. For example, a food merchandiser will use different certifications than a warehouse merchandiser.

To give you an idea, here are some common certifications that merchandisers in various areas mention in their resumes:

• Certified Purchasing Manager
• Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM)
• Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM)
• Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)
• Food Handler
• Forklift Certification
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• ServSafe

Formatting your resume for a merchandiser job is easy when you use the CVMaker resume builder. This tool allows you to input your resume information, choose one of more than 30 templates, and download a professional resume ready to accompany your application.

Key takeaways on writing a resume for merchandiser positions

Your merchandiser resume is as unique as your experience in the field. Create a job-specific resume highlighting your most relevant skills and accomplishments to make the best impression on the hiring team. This approach makes you more likely to land the interview of your dreams.

When building your merchandiser resume, remember these tips:

• Creating your resume is about selling your skills, experience, and education to an employer in a concise and detailed document.
• Don’t include too much information on your resume. Stick to the main point and focus on what value you bring to the table.
• Tailor your resume to what the employer is looking for. Research the company, read the job posting, and keep the information gathered in mind as you curate your resume.
• Proofread your resume before you send it out to remove any spelling or grammar errors.

Next steps?

Take the guesswork out of creating your merchandising resume by using the CVMaker resume writing service. Available in three tiers, this service utilizes professional resume writers to give you an editable, professional resume in just four days. Simply provide the information you want included in your resume, and the writers will handle the rest. 

FAQs

How do you write a merchandiser resume with little to no experience?

Are you looking to get started in the merchandising field? The good news is your resume will be formatted similarly as the guide above has explained, with a few tweaks. Your personal profile should be a resume objective instead of a summary, highlighting your transferable soft skills.

If you have relevant education, put your education section above your work history. This approach puts your most relevant experience higher on the document. With this format, include more information about your education history. You can mention all pertinent coursework, extracurriculars, internships, or awards and achievements you earned while in school.

Are there other sections you should include in your merchandiser resume?

Our guide walks you through the most requested sections of a merchandiser resume. However, sometimes employers will ask for additional information to be included. If you come across a request for specific information, have a section for it in your job-specific resume.

You may also include other relevant sections on your resume if you have limited work experience. This can help fill the gaps in your professional work and provide a better insight into the experience you’ve earned in other areas of your life.

Some standard sections that an employer may ask for include:

• References
• Hobbies and Interests
• Publications
• Business Associations
• Language Skills

Do you need a cover letter for your merchandiser resume?

Many applicants decide to forgo the cover letter because they think it’s an outdated practice. However, a cover letter can be the difference between getting called for an interview and hearing nothing. Almost half of all recruiters say they only consider resumes with a cover letter attached.

With this kind of importance connected to your cover letter, sending a great one is essential. Follow these tips when developing your merchandiser cover letter:

• Write a cover letter with three paragraphs: a catchy introduction, an explanation of your qualifications, and a call to action in the closing.
• Your cover letter should be between 300 and 400 words from beginning to end.
• Highlight your most important achievements as a merchandiser.
• Express your passion for your career and what makes you the perfect fit for the position.
• Keep a professional tone throughout the letter, but allow your personality to shine through.

Do you need to use specific keywords in your merchandiser resume?

With the influx of employers using resume-vetting software, including keywords in your merchandiser resume is a good idea. The keywords you use will depend on the job you’re applying for. To get a good idea of the keywords you should include, read the job posting and look for specific skills, duties, and experience mentioned. Use the exact wording of the job posting to ensure you use the keywords the employer seeks.

While the keywords you include will differ from one job to the next, here’s a quick rundown of the most common keywords found on merchandising resumes:

• Relationship Management
• Hand Cart
• Interpersonal Skills
• Stockroom
• Problem-Solving Skills
• Merchandising Reset
• Planogram
• Personal Shopping
• Detail Oriented
• Accuracy
• Assembly Line

How do you format your merchandiser resume?

The format of your resume is as crucial as the formatting of the individual sections. Your resume should be professional in appearance and not be too overwhelming. On average, hiring managers will spend only six or seven seconds looking at your resume, so you must quickly make a great impression.

Put the most crucial information at the top of your resume, including your contact information and personal profile. The following section will typically be your work experience, and then work your way down the page.

Here are some quick formatting tips for your resume:

• Keep your resume to only one page.
• Include your first and last name and current job title in your heading. Personal information in the header can include social media (LinkedIn), phone number, email address, and your current city.
• Choose an easy-to-read font in size 10 or 12. The most common fonts are Cambria, Arial, and Helvetica.
• Use only one or two accent colors, and don’t include distracting designs.
• Save your resume as a PDF to make it easily accessible across all devices.

To make formatting as easy as possible, use the CVMaker resume-building tool. This resource will handle all the formatting and give you a professional and eye-catching PDF resume to send with your job application.