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Writing a Personal Profile for a CV

A personal profile is your opportunity to set out your stall within seconds. When you first meet a recruiter, they’ll often ask, “Tell me about yourself” . Your CV’s personal profile is the paper version of this. Often regarded as one of the most difficult sections of your CV to prepare, you need to concentrate on extracting evidence from your career that matches the role you’re applying for.

What is a personal profile?

A CV’s personal profile (often referred to as a personal statement, or even just “introduction”) is a few brief lines at the top of your CV providing recruiters with a quick overview of you and your experience without having to read your entire CV. When reading a personal profile, recruiters essentially want to know:

• Who is this candidate?
• What have they done?
• What can they offer us?

Personal Profile Tips

Tweak the personal profile for every job application.

The more experience you have, the more this tip applies to you. Use your personal profile to showcase to the recruiter – in just a few lines – why they should contact you. Let’s say, for example, you’re applying for a Marketing Manager role. Go through the job description with a fine-toothed comb to extract the skills and keywords they use. Then, mention your experience of those areas within your profile – this shows the recruiter what you can and will do if they recruit you (and becomes even more useful when ATS scan your CV).

Avoid overused clichés

If we had a pound for each time we read “hardworking” and “works well in a team” in a CV, we’d be on a tropical island, rather than writing this article. A CV should be used to tell a recruiter what makes you different, so including cliché points will have the opposite effect. Instead, mention skills that promote you as a stand-out candidate. Besides, wouldn’t a recruiter will simply expect every candidate to be “hardworking”?

Avoid the use of pronouns in a profile (and the rest of your CV)

You can write your personal statement in the first person (“I have”) or the third person (“he/she has”). However, you do not need to use 'I', 'he' or 'she' in a CV because its use is implied. Try to start each line with a verb , such as “implemented” and cut out the pronoun (“I”). “Implemented a marketing campaign resulting in…” immediately attracts attention.

90% of personal statements are full of hot air. Avoid trying to overstate your skills and experience – a recruiter will see straight through them. Instead, include facts you’re able to back up. Include how many years’ experience you have and definitely mention figures relating to past achievements (such as sales increases and number of staff you’ve led).

Touch on your future ambitions

Although your CV’s personal profile is primarily needed to highlight what you’re bringing to the table, it’s also worth including a line about your future goals. For example, if you’re returning to the workplace after a career break, mention this. If you’ve recently completed a degree and looking for an entry level role, let the recruiter know.

Follow a consistent structure

As you probably already know, it’s a good idea to tailor your CV towards each role. An easy way of doing this in each personal profile is to follow a core structure, such as:

• Success in…
• Recognised for…
• Proven record for…

We’ve prepared a basic introduction using this structure:

“Sales Director with seven years’ success in fast-paced telecommunications companies. Recognised for expertise creating effective sales strategies and proven record increasing sales by up to 10% in competitive settings.”

Keep the tone natural

Once you’ve prepared the content, read your profile out loud to ensure it reads naturally.

Common questions

Is a cv profile the same as an objective.

No. Objective sections tend to be found in US-style resumes rather than CVs. However, as I mention further below, touching on your objectives is always a good idea (without including a separate “Objectives” section).

How long should a CV’s personal profile be?

There’s no set rule regarding the length of a personal profile. In general, aim for one paragraph. If your core “story” isn’t conveyed within five or six lines, the chances are it’s too complicated. Aim for 200-300 words as a maximum.

It’s 2021: do you even need a personal profile?

As with everything in a CV, there are no right or wrong answers and every CV writer / recruiter will have their own opinion on what makes a good CV . In my experience, a personal profile is one of the most important aspects of your CV; second only to the achievements within your employment. The majority of recruiters will expect one and find it strange to read a CV without a profile.

Example CV personal profiles:

Profile for a retail professional in customer service.

Profile for a recent Electrical Engineering graduate

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Retail manager CV template – free UK example in Word

CV template details:

• CV ref: #158
• File size: 28kb
• File format: Ms Word (.docx)
• File name: Highlights-CV-template.docx
• Fonts required: Open Sans Light, Cinzel Decorative
• Price: Free download

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An extremely elegant, professional CV template with a stylish layout and some nice style details. From the subtle font (we absolutely adore Cinzel Decorative!) to the soft grey background and neatly spaced boxes, this template is sure to make a good impression with prospective employers.

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Jack Jones | RETAIL MANAGER

123 The Street, The Town, The City NG1 234 (01959) 123456 | [email protected] | LinkedIn: @jackjones

I am an experienced retail manager with the proven ability to train and motivate a team, introduce new income-generating ideas, handle complex problems, cut costs, maximise profitability and above all, deliver exceptional customer service. I am looking for a full-time retail management role.

• Competent managing a fast-paced, high volume, retail service environment.
• Proven supervisory & leadership qualities.
• Excellent knowledge of health & safety, security and emergency systems.
• Proven ability to plan and implement shop merchandising, layout and customer traffic flow to successfully maximise sales, customer satisfaction, appearance, image and ergonomics.
• Proven ability to recruit and train the very best people, ensuring they have the capability to deliver above and beyond in their role by developing their operational skills.
• Track record of reducing costs and maximising profiles without sacrificing service.

Work history

Store Manager Costa Coffee, Arnold | May 2016 – date

As Store Manager, I have responsibility for every aspect of the store including the team, the stock, the way we serve, presentation, customer satisfaction and of course the coffee! It is my job to ensure we maximise profit through exceptional customer service and product.

I train and develop the team, control stock to minimise wastage, ensure we are properly staffed and the whole restaurant is gleaming, and make sure each customer leaves us so happy that they want to return. Standards are everything.

• When I took the role, the store was making a loss and about 25% under its targets.
• After 3 months we were achieving targets.
• After 6 months we were exceeding targets by 15%+ and we continue to do so.
• Our store’s customer satisfaction rating has gone from 3.5/5 to 4.7/5.

Assistant Store Manager Oxfam, Arnold | June 2015 – April 2016

Whilst looking for a full-time paid role, I volunteered at Oxfam for 4 days a week. The main goal of this role is to make as much money as possible to end poverty and suffering. My responsibilities included building, training, retaining and developing a team of volunteers, organising shifts and delegating work, maintaining successful retail processes and merchandising, and creating and interpreting basic financial reports.

Retail Store Manager B & M, Hucknall | May 2012 – May 2015

Working at this busy store, my responsibilities included:

• Ensuring that all procedures and processes were in place and adhered to, so that the store operated effectively and performed to its maximum potential.
• Training new members of staff and driving performance through monitoring and mentoring.
• Delivering the daily, monthly and annual strategy to the team and ensuring everyone was on board.
• Working with the Buyers and other key personnel to ensure stocks were correctly maintained and products were available, without filling warehouses.
• Ensuring all members of the team complied with health and safety and sustainability processes and procedures.

I was made redundant from this role.

Qualifications

BA Leadership & Management | University of Lincoln Completed 2012 (2:1)

A Levels | Lincoln College Maths (A), English (B) and Business Studies (B). Completed 2009.

GCSEs | Lincoln Comprehensive 9 GCSEs grade C and above including English (B), Maths (B) and Business Studies (B).

Memberships

Member (MCMI) Chartered Management Institute Since 2016

Leading Member The Institute of Retail Professionals Since 2017

Leader The Institute of Sales Management Since 2018

In my spare time I enjoy road cycling, hiking and mountaineering. I regularly visit the gym and love taking long walks in the countryside with my dog. I also like the occasional round of golf and travelling to sunny beaches when I get the chance.

John Stone – Supervisor Costa Coffee, 59 Front Street, Arnold, Nottingham NG5 7EA Phone: 0115 920 40 60 [email protected]

Lee Egbert – Manager Oxfam, 142 Front Street, Arnold, Nottingham NG5 7EG Phone: 0115 912 3456 [email protected]

Template details:

Here’s a full preview of page one of this retail manager CV template:

And here’s page two:

Fonts needed for this template:

• Open Sans Cinzel Decorative

Install these fonts before you open up the template and when you then open up the template, check that Word has applied them properly. To install the font, click SELECT THIS FONT (top right of the pages linked above). A window will appear. Hover over the download icon and click to download. A zip file will download. You can then double click on each font file that you want to install them. We recommend both Open Sans and Open Sans Light as we use both across a lot of our templates.

How to write a retail manager CV

Writing an effective retail manager CV is about understanding what employers are looking for when they hire for this role. The most important function of a retail manager is to maximise profits, while minimising costs. Everything else that you do as a retail manager is just a part of this over-arching responsibility. It’s therefore important to SHOW prospective employers on your CV that you are capable of achieving this!

Keep this number one task in mind when writing each section of your retail manager CV.

Name and contact information

It’s typical to give your name, address, phone number and email address as a minimum.

TIP: You might also like to add your LinkedIn and Twitter handles to the contact box, but only if these make a good impression. LinkedIn and Twitter are both seriously powerful ways to show a prospective employer that you’re actively involved in your field of expertise and you’re staying up-to-date with the latest industry news. If you’ve not yet set up your accounts or you haven’t been active for a while, it’s worth doing prior to a major job hunt. Spend some time each day looking over the latest stories for your industry, retweeting, sharing and commenting to involve yourself with the community. It’s also worth updating your LinkedIn profile with detailed information as there’s room for a lot more than you can fit on two pages of a CV (see more about creating a LinkedIn profile to complement your CV here).

TIP: If you don’t include Twitter and LinkedIn on your CV, remember that your prospective employer may check out your profile anyway. Whilst it’s not usually fatal to a job application that you’re not an avid user of these sites, it can be fatal if there are posts that reflect poorly on you. Carefully curate your profiles of these and any other social media sites you have used in the past to ensure there is nothing that might harm your chances of being awarded the position. Keep in mind also that a barebones profile can do more harm than no profile . Hint: photos of you getting trollied with your mates every weekend tell your employer you’ll be frequently hungover – or ‘sick’ – on a Monday. Employers DO make hiring decisions based on pictures like these so take care to make such images private.

TIP: This CV template has plenty of space for multiple contact details, so make sure you provide a contact number that you can actually answer and ensure any voicemail message is professional. Don’t give a landline unless you’re actually home to take the call – an employer really doesn’t want to speak to your mum and leave a message for a next-day callback.

TIP: Consider making a new gmail address for job applications rather than using an existing one, for a number of reasons. Firstly, you can choose an address that sounds professional, rather than [email protected]. Secondly, you can set up a forwarder from gmail to your current email address so you get instant notifications if an email lands in the new box (but do check it from time to time in case the notification goes to spam). Thirdly, any emails won’t get lost in amongst your Top Shop offers and Pizza Express coupons – so you’re less likely to make the mistake of missing out on that all-important communication. Finally, you can set up a custom email signature just to use for emails to prospective employers, adding a whole heap of professionalism.

TIP: What about your personal website – should you include a link to this? Again, this really depends whether the site paints a positive picture or not. If you’re updating it regularly with comments and posts about industry related news, it’s likely to leave a good impression with an employer – but if it’s old, stagnant and in need of a refresh, it’s best to leave it off. Again, having a personal website is a really powerful tool when it comes to job hunting as it gives you the opportunity to showcase your skills and tell the employer a lot more about you than you could otherwise include in a short CV document.

Personal statement

Your personal statement is a concise summary of why you’re right for the retail manager position that you’re applying to.

Before writing this statement, the starting point is always to review the job advert as this tells you what’s important to THIS particular employer. What qualifications, skills and experience are they looking for as a minimum? Try to confirm that you have these prerequisites in your statement.

If you claim in the statement that you have particular soft skills (such as communication and teamwork), try to back it up with evidence. For example, rather than writing

“I am excellent at leading and motivating a team,”

you could instead write:

“I have strong leadership skills, having lead a team of 5 that has successfully met and exceeded all its targets for the past 3 years.”

Your work history should go in reverse chronological order – i..e most recent first.

“This is the most common type of CV that you will probably be familiar with. Your employment and work experience is usually on the front page, listed in reverse chronological order (most recent experience first).” ~ Oxford Brookes University

For each position, give the:

• Employer name and location (not the full address – just the town or city)
• Date you started and finished, e.g. “March 2015 – April 2016” or “May 2016 to date”.

Then detail your responsibilities and any key achievements.

TIP: Achievements are EVERYTHING in this industry so don’t simply list off your duties without showing employers how you’ve carried them out successfully. For each thing you write, use the ‘so what’ format, i.e.

• What did I do?
• So what? What was the quantifiable result? (Source: International Hellenic University )

For example, if you’ve increased sales, say how you did it, and what was the tangible result (percentage increase).

TIP: Try to write your history with the job advert in mind. For example, if the role you’re applying for clearly has a large emphasis on training and mentoring, make sure you give plenty of examples of how you’ve done this successfully in your current or past roles.

TIP: If the job advert is a little short on detail, try viewing job profiles for inspiration (for example, Retail Manager Job Profile on Prospects.ac.uk ).

TIP: DO mention relevant voluntary experience, work experience placements, consulting/freelancing and casual work. If not directly relevant to the role, consider whether you acquired any transferable skills relevant to your target position.

TIP: DO use the job titles that the employer uses within their job ad. For example, if they’re looking for a ‘Senior Manager for Retail Store’, don’t use any fancy titles that past employers might have given you, such as ‘Director of First Impressions’.

Qualifications should be written from highest to lowest. If you have qualifications relevant to retail management, give a little more detail about these if you have room. For example, you might state which elective subjects you took or what topic you chose for your dissertation.

If you’re short of work experience, consider whether you acquired any skills during your studies that would be transferable to the role.

It’s not obligatory to include a skills section but it can help you to reemphasise that you have the skills this employer is looking for.

For hard skills , you can simply list the skill and optionally include your proficiency level (e.g. basic, intermediate, advanced).

Avoid simply listing off soft skills without providing evidence of how you’ve acquired or used them.

‘Memberships’ is another optional section that can add value if used properly. Consider joining a professional organisation and offering details on your CV, demonstrating standards and showing a passion for your industry. Retail managers might consider joining:

• Chartered Management Institute
• The Institute of International Retail
• The Institute of Sales Management

Your hobbies and interests section is another place where you can really add a lot of value to your CV. You might do this by:

• Detailing creative hobbies to show that you are a creative / ‘ideas’ person
• Detailing sports/teamwork hobbies and explaining that these have helped develop a range of transferable soft skills such as clear communication and teamwork
• Detailing health and fitness activities to show that you take care of yourself and therefore are less likely to have sick days

Many people these days leave off the references section as it adds little value. This is because an employer will ask for references once they are ready to offer a job anyway (in fact, most jobs are offered ‘subject to references’).

Final thoughts:

• Provide multiple contact points on their CV where they can be reached;
• Use Twitter to show industry integration, knowledge and participation;
• Use LinkedIn to expand on their CV and show industry integration, knowledge and participation;
• Have employer-ready social profiles; and
• Use their website to further showcase their skills and abilities.
• Do similarly tailor your cover letter to the exact role you’re applying for!

Happy job hunting!

You may also like: How to write a management CV

Originally published 26th November 2018.

More CV templates like this:

Store manager CV template (Free editable Microsoft Word download)

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General Manager CV template (triple bar design)

Team Leader CV template (with sample content)

Account manager CV (template + example content)

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Jen Wiss-Carline has been a Senior Manager and Consultant for several sizeable companies which included dealing with all aspects of staff management and recruitment. She is also a Solicitor and Chartered Legal Executive, having been admitted as a Fellow in February 2006.

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• CV writing /

The retail sector is rapidly growing, which means it attracts a large pool of job seekers. This industry has low barriers to entry and can employ people with minimal formal education as long as they can prove their skills. If you want to get your foot in the door, your application should leave a good impression. That means getting your CV wrong is not an option. Lucky for you, this guide can help you to format your resume to stand out and get an interview in the retail sector.

Create your professional CV now

How Do You Write a CV for a Retail Job?

Retail jobs are labour-intensive and high-pressure jobs with broad responsibilities. You have to be on your feet the whole day assisting customers, and you still need to be efficient in stocking and balancing your drawers. Employers are always on the lookout for candidates who are adaptable, organised, and have diverse skills. Therefore, if you want to stand out from your peers, your CV should be impressive. Highlighting your skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for gives you an advantage. Even without prior experience, your abilities can get you an interview because they show your suitability for the role. You should think about the skills you have that can add value to the company and include them in your resume.

CV example Retail - Auckland template

Download this cv example - Retail

Common Jobs in the Retail Industry

Just like other rapidly growing sectors, retail has numerous job opportunities, from seasonal hires to permanent employees. Applying for any of the following jobs can be your entry point or another milestone in your career in the retail industry:

• Retail Sales Associate Brick and mortar retail stores need hands-on-deck staff that will boost their sales. Retail sales associates deal with customers directly by helping them to make purchases. They are also responsible for maintaining cleanliness in the store, stocking goods, and checking out customers. When there are incoming shipments, the sales associates manage the inventory. They ensure the business is running smoothly, and they have a role in boosting store sales.
• Customer Service Representative As the number of customers increases, there will be more customers’ needs to address. A customer service representative manages phone calls, manages internet chat programs, answers emails, and gives responses to customers’ queries on social media platforms. They also deal with complaints and follow up on returned goods and refunds. Customers with issues are often impatient, and they can be impolite. Therefore, the job requires someone with patience and exceptional problem-solving skills.
• Cashier When there is an influx of customers, stores require additional cashiers to speed up the purchase process. However, cashiers do more than accept payments. They assist customers in returns and the exchange of products. They also inform customers of the availability of promotions and reward systems. They tally cash received and balance out the cash inflow and outflow.
• Store Manager Large retail stores require a manager to monitor the activities and ensure everything is running smoothly. The manager can also be in charge of employees, budgeting, and compliance with safety regulations and operational policies. They represent the owner's interests in the business. Being a store manager requires strong leadership and interpersonal skills to organise business resources and ensure profitability.

What Should You Include in the CV?

Before you start drafting your resume, you need to choose a format. Before settling on a format, determine if you have enough work experience for the job. If you are new to the industry with little work experience, a skills-based CV will help you get an interview. However, if you are looking for a promotion and have adequate work experience go for the reverse-chronological format. The flesh of your resume should include the following:

1. Personal Details It is vital to provide contact information, including your current address, in case the hiring manager wants to contact you. Make sure personal details are at the top for easy retrieval.

2. Personal Statement It is a summary of your best skills, achievements, and selling points. The summary can also include your aspirations for applying for the job. The personal statement is the most crucial part of your resume because it highlights your personality.

3. Work Experience List your employment history in reverse order, which means your recent job will be the first. Apart from stating your responsibilities, include your significant achievements. For example, maybe you spearheaded a makeover that increased sales by 20%. However, if you mention accomplishments, ensure you explain your role in achieving them.

4. Education You should list your educational background and achievements worth mentioning. If you have a minimum employment history, you should mention your qualifications before the work experience. Any other professional course should also be mentioned; they show that you are keen on personal development.

5. Skills and Competencies Your skills are worth mentioning if they are relevant to the job you are seeking. Even if you do not have work experience, well-explained skills can get you an interview.

6. Personal Interests Hobbies are meant to break the ice during interviews, but they are optional. If you do not have any exciting hobbies worth including in your resume, skip that part.

How Do You Write a Perfect Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a sales pitch, and since employers are keen on your attitude, you need to portray your personality. It is not about your experiences, but the impact you can make if you are hired. Use concrete examples and tailor your ambition to the company's vision and goals. The aim is to nail a few skills on the job advert and to get the recruiter’s attention. Writing that you are good without quantifying your achievements will make your resume bland.

Here are some examples:

Example 1: With more than three years of experience, I am a dedicated customer service representative energised by the fast-paced work environment. Known for assisting an average of 40 customers a day, and I am looking to leverage my interpersonal skills in a leadership position.

Example 2: Experienced sales associate with a passion for assisting customers. I am target oriented and dedicated to providing an excellent shopping experience.

Example 3: Proactive and customer-focused sales assistant with more than two years’ experience. Known for excellent customer service, teamwork, and proven track record of increasing revenue through upselling.

What Are the Important Skills or Competencies to Mention in Retail Jobs?

Hiring managers appreciate relevance, so how do you identify relevant skills for your CV? Make a list of the skills on the job offer and cross-check with the competencies you have. Some of the skills required for retail jobs include:

• Inventory skills: Working in retails requires stocking shelves and ensuring the products are in the right places. You should also monitor inventory levels from window displays to products on the shelves.

• IT skills: You need to be familiar will computers, electronic registers, and sales systems. Knowledge in management information systems can also come in handy in managing purchasing trends. You should also be efficient in analysing data from online orders to increase sales.

• Marketing skills: You must know how to persuade and convince customers to purchase a product. You should be able to tailor your message to your audience and persuade them to take action. • Organisation skills: As a retail worker, you have tons of activities to do, including stoking the shelves, directing customers, product illustration, and organising window displays. Therefore, you need to be good at multitasking and be organised to ensure everything goes according to plan.

How Do You Make Yourself Stand out Among Other Candidates?

Use a Clear and Concise CV Layout

Your resume should be clear and easy to read on the screen and in print. Therefore, avoid those fancy fonts and colours; black and white will deliver the message better. You should also be brief and keep the document at two pages since the recruiter has a few seconds to skim through the CV.

Avoid Gaps in the Resume Make sure all your dates tie-up for your employment history. You should explain the gaps to avoid the wrong conclusion. If you were out of work, highlight the skills and professional development courses you took during that time.

Tailor the CV to the Job Match the skills to the responsibilities in the job advertised. It is easy to customise your resume nowadays since most recruiters provide detailed job requirements.

Quantify Your Skills While using action words describes your accomplishments powerfully, you need tangible evidence to prove your skills. Use figures and relevant statistics to highlight your accomplishments.

What Personal Characteristics Are Employers Looking For?

Excellent communication: Being a retailer involves talking to customers throughout the day. Therefore, you need to be an excellent communicator across multiple channels.

Attention to details: You need to be keen on the product displays, keeping the shelves stocked, and ensuring smooth operation of the store.

Problem-solving: Issues often arise with customers, and you should be an expert in dealing with conflicts and coming up with solutions fast.

What Other Information Is Important to Mention in Retail Jobs?

When you are job hunting, always ensure that your CV contains keywords related to the job you are applying for. For instance, if you want a customer service position, include words and skills relevant to the customer service job. Recruiters, who use recruiting software, usually filter candidates based on keyword selection. Therefore, if you do not include keywords, your resume may not get to the hiring manager.

The secret to getting an interview is providing the recruiter with adequate information that shows your capabilities in getting the job done. However, you should concisely present your achievements.

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