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Business

29th Mar 2018

Here’s what you need you need to know if you’re looking for a career in retail

JOE

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Looking for a job in retail?

If you’re new to the job world or looking to make a career change, we want to help. Over the next few months and weeks, we’re going to be interviewing experts from major companies to get their thoughts on the hiring process. We’ll talk about things like what companies look for in a candidate, the perfect application and interview tips.

Starting off, we chat to talent recruiter Stephanie Brennan from Life Style Sports. She discusses Life Style Sports jobs and some general advice for anyone seeking a career in retail.

As you probably know, Life Style Sports are the biggest sports retailer in the country so when it comes to retail, they’re at the very top of the game.

What advice would you have for someone looking to start a career in the retail industry?

During college, get a part-time job in retail. This will give you a feel for the industry to see if it’s for you or not. There is a lot of progression within our brand and a number of our managers and brand centre team members first started out in part-time roles.

Are there particular times of the year that your industry looks to take on more staff?

We’re always looking for new talent to join our brand. If you’re looking for a part-time job, Christmas and summer are when we ramp up our recruitment to hire new talent.

If someone doesn’t have experience in the retail industry, what qualities can they demonstrate to increase their chances of getting the job?

Being social is really important as customer service is key in retail. You need to be able to interact and engage with customers. If you have the motivation, the drive to learn and the passion is evident, it really helps.

Have you got any interview tips?

Prepare and have examples for your answers. It’s really important to demonstrate and talk about your experience and how you can apply that to your role in our brand. Research the company. This often lets candidates down. Know what the brand is about from their values and culture, events they were involved in and why you would like to be a part of it.

Which do you value more, qualifications or experience?

In retail, the experience is valued more as you learn from each role which helps you adapt to a new brand. Each retailer operates differently but the fundamentals of working in retail remain the same – commerciality, visual merchandising, leading a team and customer service.

What’s the biggest misconception that people have about working in the retail industry?

That the public (customers) are awful to deal with – most times it’s quite the opposite. It’s the customers that brighten up your day, either by getting them sorted with the latest trainer or fitness gear they are looking for or just having the craic. Not many days are the same when you were dealing with all the different types of people.

Find your perfect job from the thousands available on Jobs.ie right now. You’ll find vacancies from companies of all sizes and sectors in every part of Ireland.  Your next job is waiting for you. Start your job hunt now. 

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