Alternative retail-related graduate careers

Hospitality, leisure and tourism

This is a people industry and, whether you are a hotel manager, a travel consultant or an events co-ordinator, your goal will be to sell or provide a good service. You will be working in a team-based environment where the emphasis is on fulfilling the customers’ needs, making sure they enjoy your service and ensuring their safety.

Hours are varied – evening and weekend work is sometimes required – and travel could be involved. Work is demanding, socially oriented and fun.

Starting out
Degrees in subjects such as hospitality, management or sport science are relevant to the sector, but there are a wide range of training schemes on offer to graduates from all backgrounds that combine on-the-job learning with management training. These may lead to a professional qualification and a management role. Work experience will help you to secure a graduate job; once you have got a foot in the door, career progression can be swift.

Skills required
You must be a confident communicator and have good interpersonal skills. Languages are a plus, as are a high level of motivation and a determination to get the job done. Managerial positions require commercialacumen and an ability to lead: you will need to keep an eye on finances as well as on your team’s performance. Physical fitness may be necessary, especially if you want to work in the leisure side of the sector. You will need the ability to handle pressure and manage deadlines.

• Explore graduate careers in hospitality, leisure and tourism

Market Research

Market research is fundamental to the planning and implementation of any product or service. There are two main dimensions of market research, although the role you take may well include both. Quantitative research involves the gathering and analysis of factual information, ‘number-crunching’ and the analysis of consumer data. Qualitative research is opinion based and may involve designing questionnaires and setting up focus groups or face-to-face interviews to discuss your product. Positions are available within research agencies or you could be employed as an in-house specialist.

Starting out
Marketing, business and mathematical degrees are a good start but market research is open to most disciplines. However, with sales, if your degree is relevant to a particular business area you could be at an advantage. There are a variety of qualifications available from independent bodies such as the Market Research Society (MRS) that can help you hone your research skills.Your employer may fund you to do a course, but a qualification of this kind is not usually an entry requirement.

Skills required
Analytical ability is one of the key competences employers seek when assessing potential employees. You will need a talent for recognising niches in the market and analysing performance statistics. The ability to solve problems and apply business logic is also important, as are numerical and people skills.

• Explore graduate careers in marketing and market research

Sales

The sales environment is very competitive and target based. Salaries will often come with a reference to OTE (on-target-earnings or opportunity-to-earn), which requires you to hit sales targets in order to command maximum salary. If you are the determined type who would be willing to put in that extra hour or two to chase that big sale, this could be the right choice for you. You will be the main link between the consumer and the provider, so it’s up to you to get your company’s products and services into the marketplace and to sell them as attractively as possible. Sales is an industry of rapid growth and roles take many formats: you could be a travelling sales rep or work in-house as a telesales executive or account manager.

Starting out
Sales is open to applicants from all degree disciplines. Although in some specialised areas a specific degree may enhance your prospects, most sales areas do not require an in-depth knowledge of the product prior to appointment. The main focus is on your ability to sell, so any previous sales experience is a bonus.

Skills required
In all sectors of retail, communication comes high on the list of skills required, and sales is no exception. You must be able to understand the customer’s needs and how your product will cater to these, and then translate that message into a sale. Ambition and the ability to persuade, as well as a high level of drive and an ability to work to targets are essential to the successful sales person.

• Explore graduate careers in sales

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG)

Also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), the fast moving consumer goods industry refers to those goods that move quickly onto and off the shelves in retail outlets: essential items such as toiletries, detergents, pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs. Employees must think fast as a good deal of innovation and anticipation is required for a company to get its products out into the marketplace before the competition does.

Starting out
A degree in a business-orientated discipline will stand you in good stead but is not essential. For some specialist areas, such as engineering or research and development, a relevant degree will be required. Many of the topranking FMCG companies offer graduate training schemes that will allow entrants to spend time in different areas of the business before deciding where to focus. However, it is one of the most competitive areas for graduates to enter, so you will need to be very determined and come prepared to demonstrate skills you have developed through work experience.

Skills required
Important areas of work include marketing, advertising and brand awareness: candidates need to be innovative and possess excellent communication, time management and teamworking skills. You will need to be in touch with consumer needs, so strong market awareness is essential – this is something you will be able to build on during training. Numerical skills are an advantage if you plan to work in the area of market research.