Top Skills for Store Managers

• Project management excellence: To ensure successful execution of all of your tasks and performing them at an optimal level, you should always know what’s going on in the store, who is involved in which project, what is selling, what is not selling, what is making people happy to be at the store, and what needs to be changed. This requires personal experience doing this type of job, a sense of confidence to do it based on that experience, and knowledge of specific tools to deal with it all. Using software like Zenput, Repsly and Workzone, for example, will help you streamline all these tasks. So, if you have hands-on experience as a manager and specific experience with those types of tools, list them in your resume to grab recruiters’ attention.
• Sales acumen: You are accountable for generating profits. Thus, sound sales experience is required. You should be able to assess, or learn how to evaluate, the best way that product merchandising and promotional plans boost your company’s profits. For example, there are reports that Apple store managers use “consultative selling” methods like getting customers to download the Apple Store app to push products that are lagging, like accessories or specific versions of iPhones, resulting in bonus payments. Good sales acumen also keeps the team motivated and focused. Managers use email marketing tools like MailChimp and HubSpot for customer reinforcement or social media tools like Instagram to publicize their brand.
• Adept at policy development: To keep up with the competition, you will need to be updated and perceptive of changing customer needs. You can use software like NetSuite to analyze merchandising activities, purchasing trends, and even your budgeting level. You can effectively develop policies for the store using these tools. Still, you should also be in pursuit of constant personal management development, whether from internal management training if you’re in a more prominent company or privately by trying to find official educational opportunities like external management courses.
• Collaborative: A store manager’s job will require you to focus on your department and work closely with others, such as the HR department. Along with the HR professionals, you will be responsible for recruiting workers, conducting training programs, and developing strategies (like coming up with the income bonus incentives) to boost employee morale. To fulfill these duties, it is paramount that you are an exceptional team worker who listens and values others’ opinions.
• Adaptive: The retail industry is racing, where the rise of mobile technology is making shoppers as knowledgeable as any retail manager, and a customer’s personal opinion can drive in or drive away business. So you should adapt to industry changes, act resourcefully on behalf and alongside your employees, and always be reasonably flexible to customers’ demands. An excellent example of this is updating point-of-sale (POS) systems to simplify cash management and payment processing to the latest and most popular tools used by customers, such as debit, phone, or app-based payments like Venmo or Google Pay.
• Customer-oriented mindset: Ninety-six percent of consumers leave a store due to poor customer service. So, recruiters require customer-centric store managers. To gain a good understanding of your customer needs, you should be in the customer’s shoes most of the time. Exhibiting empathy and actively listening are two of the most important “soft skills” needed in a store manager.
• Organized: This one is obvious. If you can’t keep your own life together and don’t know what you’re doing day-to-day, you have no business running any type of store. As a store manager, there is a flood of responsibilities, including interviewing and negotiating with significant vendors. If you do not stick to a definite schedule, you may lose track of … everything. Managers in retail stores often use Trello and nTask to organize the life of the business they manage. Learn about them and get good at them.

Educational Requirements for Store Managers

• Degree

  If you are a high-school graduate and are looking to enter the retail field, any business management course will be preferred. But for a managerial position like this, retail industries are more inclined to hire university graduates with a specialization in retail management or business administration. While doing so, always check for the relevant courses to have accreditation from the Department of Education or the Council of Higher Education Accreditation.

• Certificate and programs

  The more certificates you have, the more it is obvious you are a knowledgeable person in your field. This is also the case for store managers. If you gain any one of the certifications mentioned below, it will positively affect how your future retail employer sees you.
  
  
  • University and colleges: The College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management at the University of South Carolina offers an extensive retailing program, which can take your store management career to a whole new level. From store management to customer management and fashion merchandising to e-commerce, you will come across every task you need to know about in the industry. You will also get the opportunity to try your hand at the latest software solutions for logistics, online sales, customer relationship management, and social media marketing. Many other colleges offer similar programs, including the College of San Mateo and Fresno City College.
  • Member associations: You can go for the Retail Management Certificate. Under the flagship of the WAFC (Western Association of Food Chains), this certificate is available online and in many community colleges. To get started, you first need to select a community college. Next, contact the certificate representative, who will guide you in the application and enrollment process. While doing so, inform your HR manager as some companies can assist you with tuition support. Although the program’s duration may vary depending on the student, it generally takes one to two years.
  • Industry-related certifications: Store managers take charge of project management and exhibit strong leadership and business acumen. The Project Management Certification from the Project Management Institute can be a stepping stone to this by equipping you with critical project management skills. You can also opt for the Business Relationship Management Professional certification, offered by the Business Relationship Management Institute (BRM Institute), to foster your collaborative and customer service skills.
  • For-profit organizations or companies: The store manager’s position calls for individuals who can smoothly delegate tasks among employees and create an amicable working atmosphere. Organizations like Pluralsight will help you acquire crucial leadership and management skills through its dedicated course curriculum. Regular assessments and other hands-on learning methods like working on real projects will help you become a pro in this field. edX and Coursera also offer good diploma programs.

Store Managers resume-writing tips

• Include not a dash of experience, but a whole load of it! If you wore different hats, why not flaunt them? Showcase the various distinct roles you handled. As a customer aide, as your employee’s voice, you’ve done good work. Create a resume, understanding what the job requires you to do for employees, customers and management.
  
  
  • If the job description mentions a larger team or more extended working hours, managing such a team would be challenging. You should describe any team-building workshop you conducted. Even play the numbers card if you managed a larger group.
  • If it’s a retail outlet, knowing the store’s location or customer demographics, you can exhibit desirable customer focus or retention attributes. If you are currently or previously employed in the construction supply industry, retention is key to sustained sales. Thus you can showcase higher retention skills.
  • Don’t forget to mention if you’ve implemented successful campaigns or software installations that helped your employees or customers.
• Remember: Numbers have power! Employers want to know how you can be an asset to their company and why they should hire you over others. So sell your specific sales achievements. But don’t forget to back such statements with real numbers. For instance, “Increased profits by 20% after executing effective product merchandising and promotional plans” will make a more considerable impact than “Increased profits by executing effective product merchandising and promotional plans.”
  
  If your work is not in direct sales, mention the initiatives or changes you brought that impacted company profit.
• Insert skills that kick butt! Depending on the job description, stick to the relevant skills. Hard-working, resourceful, or analytical skills are the most desirable qualities in any worker. But as a store manager, teamwork, budgeting and accountability are even more desirable skills. So when penning your skills, stay true to the job description.

Looking for Cover Letter ideas? See our sample for Grocery Manager cover letter.