JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016 - 125

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at the Oxford Institute of Retail
Management at the University of
Oxford. 'Higher academic qualifications
should help you along the way, and
may make your path quicker or easier.
'However, retailers invest more in
training per employee than the financial
sector (£1,275 per employee per year,
compared to just over £800 in the
financial sector), and it is this long-term
investment in people that has helped
develop today's retail leaders from all
stages of academic development.'

Earning power

Words: Georgina Maric. Photos: Shutterstock.*Source: Prospects.ac.uk

Major industry names such as Sir Stuart
Rose, Mary Portas and Mark Price all
powered their way up from the shop
floor to become influential figures
in retail at companies like Marks &
Spencer and John Lewis.
This is proof that it is possible to make
your way to senior, well-paid positions
from entry-level roles, which can't be
said for all industries.
If you're ambitious, enthusiastic and
work hard, you will be rewarded.
Retail may have a reputation for being
a career that pays peanuts, and while the
pay packet for junior roles may be a bit
stingy, the salaries for managerial
positions are in line with other industries,
and people at the top of the chain can
earn a packet - we're talking millions.
Junior customer service roles offer
an average salary of £16,000 a year,

SKILLS YOU'LL NEED
* TO BE CALM UNDER PRESSURE You may
have a queue of customers, and it will be
your job to keep everyone calm and make
them feel important.
* INITIATIVE You'll need lots of this as you'll
be dealing with different scenarios every
day, from colleagues, to broken goods, to
angry customers.
* NUMERACY Of course there are tills,
but you'll need a good grounding in
figures to help with stock-taking, or
giving out change.
* FLEXIBILITY Sometimes the hours may
be unsociable as more stores open
24 hours a day. Shift work may include
evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
* TACT Sometimes customers will be
irrational, angry or just downright rude to

you, and you need to be able to respond
calmly, and professionally, with a smile.
* IT Increasingly important in this
industry, so make sure your social
media skills are up to date.
* A STRONG WORK ETHIC You will be
required to work hard, often for long
hours, and up to 50 hours a week for
some management traineeships.
* A POSITIVE ATTITUDE Retail is all about
the people, so you'll need to be able to
work together with your colleagues,
as well as get on with different types
of people who may visit the store, and
suppliers behind the scenes.
* FIT AND HEALTHY You'll often be on your
feet all day, every day, and rushing about
between the back and front of store.

and graduates entering the sector can
expect to earn at least £25,000 a year.
However, the good news is it can be
much more than that. For example,
Aldi's Graduate Manager Training
programme is very well respected
and sought after. It is a one-year fasttrack scheme that comes with a salary of
£42,000 and great perks, including an
all-expenses-paid Audi, and the chance
to be running a multi-million-pound
business of four stores within four
years. It's the perfect chance to apply

your leadership skills, commercial
awareness and management prowess.

Basic numeracy skills are
required for most retail jobs

Good for graduates
By 2020, the retail sector workforce
is projected to grow by 54,800. The
majority of growth (41,700) is expected
to be in higher-level managerial
positions. This is great news for
graduates, and the majority of large
retailers have in-house management
training schemes.
Demands for higher skilled managers
are due to technology, customer trends,
plus more sophisticated supply-chain
management, according to the latest
industry overview by prospects.ac.uk.
In an increasingly competitive
market, companies have to compete
to provide better customer service,
including online and multichannel
retailing. Consequently, there is a
demand for graduates who have
technical skills to produce apps for
smartphones, for example.
There is also a demand for graduates
who are able to combine commercial
awareness with creativity for roles in
marketing and buying, and graduates
with analytical or number skills for
merchandising. Strong business acumen
gained from a business management or
marketing degree can also be highly
sought after by big retailers and stand
you in good stead for a successful
career in retail.
J O B S & C A R E E R S /// 1 2 5
http://prospects.ac.uk http://Prospects.ac.uk
JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016

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