How to Interview for a Retail Merchandising Job

When interviewing for a retail merchandising job, you will need to express more than a fashion sense or visual flair. Modern retail merchandisers need to be knowledgeable in a variety of fields, including marketing, economics, business management, mathematics and statistical analysis. Read on to learn how to communicate your skills in a job interview and land a retail merchandising job.

Things You'll Need

• Degree in retail merchandising, or equivalent experience
• Resume
• Portfolio of merchandising projects
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Ensure that you have the right combination of education and experience to interview for a retail merchandising job. In most cases, a degree in retail merchandising will be preferred, which combines business and marketing courses with mathematics, economic and statistics. A minimum of four or five years of experience working in the retail field may also be acceptable as long as you can demonstrate merchandising skills and understand how to track sales trends.

2. Put a portfolio together that features some of your previous merchandising efforts. This should include photographs of past merchandising projects, coupled with brief descriptions of your sales goals and the results you ultimately achieved. You can use a simple binder with clear plastic inserts to display your work.

3. Be prepared to answer interview questions that involve mathematics or statistical analysis. Modern retail merchandisers are expected to have a thorough knowledge of economics, sales trends, profit margins, price setting and even basic accounting skills. Bring a calculator to the interview if necessary.

4. Stress customer service over any other aspect of retail merchandising when you interview for the job. Merchandisers are no longer hidden behind the scenes, and are expected to deal with customer concerns on a daily basis. Remember, the customer may be your biggest resource when it comes to predicting and calculating sales trends.

Tips & Warnings

• Many entry level positions in the retail merchandising field may involve work at the head office, where you will be trained in the basics of purchasing, as well as sales analysis. Internships as an assistant buyer might be available while you are still working on your degree in retail merchandising.