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How do I get a graduate job in retail?

A graduate career in retail offers a fantastic grounding in business and management early on. Here's the lowdown on everything from job areas and graduate schemes to skills and salaries.

When it comes to graduate careers, retail is often overlooked. But if you are interested in business and eager to shoulder responsibility within a short time of starting your first graduate job, put aside your preconceptions and check out this sector.

Why look for a graduate job in retail?

Retail is one of the fastest moving and most dynamic of the business sectors, where decisions can have an immediate impact on profits. Recruiters are constantly on the lookout for bright graduates who can spot up-and-coming trends, react appropriately and deliver results.

Graduate careers in retail offer great opportunities for management experience and commercial responsibility early on. For example, if you take on a role in store management, within a few years of graduating you could find yourself handling a multimillion pound budget, looking for new business opportunities, and overseeing a large team of staff.

While there is no doubt that you are entering the job market at a tough time, there is hope on the high street. Consumers may be cutting back on luxuries, but not on essentials, especially budget goods. Retail chains in particular have continued to recruit graduates, though competition for a place on these schemes has been tough.

From an ethical point of view, retail is a sector where there are true challenges to face and as a graduate you could have a significant impact.

What are the different areas of work in the retail sector?

While everyone is familiar with what happens on the shop front, what happens before the goods reach the stores is an integral, yet often overlooked, aspect of the retail sector. The whole retail operation requires people in all sorts of roles, from store managers and visual merchandisers to IT programmers and marketing executives. Retail banking also comes under the umbrella of the retail sector. Traditionally located on the high street with other retailers, it too offers services to customers and must compete for their business.

The retail sector is a very broad church. Some of the most common areas of work, all of which are open to graduates of any degree background, include: 

For those with vocational degrees, there are a number of graduate career paths that will put your specialist knowledge to good use. These include:

How do I get into the sector?

Recruiters are interested in candidates who can demonstrate relevant skills such as communication, decision-making, customer service skills and commercial awareness. They will also look for leadership potential, an understanding of how the sector works, and the creativity to think laterally, solve problems and respond to change.

Getting work experience, ideally relevant to the type of role you're interested in, will give you a competitive edge in your graduate job applications. You need to analyse the skills you've gained from your work experience as well as from your degree and be able to translate these into concrete examples to convince recruiters that you'll be a valuable asset from the start of your employment.

Many of the larger retailers offer graduate schemes which give you the opportunity to experience different areas of work, take advantage of training opportunities and identify where you’d like to specialise. Most of the large organisations have online application systems: of these, some specify closing dates for entry onto their graduate schemes, although the majority accept applications all year round. If what you have to say impresses the recruiters sufficiently, you will then be invited to an interview and, perhaps, an assessment centre.

Within the UK, 85% of retailers employ fewer than ten members of staff, so if you would prefer to work for a smaller organisation there are plenty of opportunities here too. Starting up your own business is another option, although some experience working in a retail organisation is bound to stand you in good stead. If you see yourself as an entrepreneur, retail is the ideal training ground.

What kind of salary can I expect from a graduate career in retail?

Starting salaries in retail are comparable to those in other graduate sectors: with added bonuses and commission in some roles they can be quite competitive. Typical starting salaries are within the range of £20,000 to £25,000 although they can be considerably higher. Generally speaking, there is the possibility of quick progression up the pay scale with a salary of between £40,000 and £70,000 realisable within five years.

What is working life for graduates like?

Retail is no longer a nine-to-five business and hours in roles in store operations may be more varied than in head office roles: weekend work may also be required. In head office functions, working hours are on the whole more regular, although, as in any graduate role, at certain stages in projects you may need to put in some extra time to get the job done. Store operations tend to involve a real variety of tasks on a daily basis. Whatever the area of work you choose, the dynamism and pace of change in the sector means that there will be a buzz in the workplace.

What are the opportunities for career progression?

The aim of graduate training schemes is to prime the intake for managerial roles. In store operations, graduates will assume responsibility for managing an aspect of a store from the beginning. Behind the scenes, there are opportunities in some areas to gain professional qualifications (for example, you could gain professional qualifications in finance or marketing) and gain membership of professional bodies. Whatever role you choose, the skills and experience you will gain through managing people and projects, and the business knowledge you will accumulate will make you a very transferable commodity in the employment market.

Retail employers often seek to promote graduates across functions, including between store operations and head office roles. This means you can explore where your talents and interests really lie while building up transferable skills and experience.

What are the opportunities for travel? 

If you want to travel in your graduate job, consider retail. Buying is the role that is generally associated with travelling to foreign climes, but it’s not the only option. Retail is an increasingly global business: new opportunities are constantly opening up, from Eastern Europe to China to the US. This means that there will be an increasing demand for international managers who can add value to the business wherever they go.

What are the highs and lows?

Many graduate employees in this sector relish the excitement of working in the fast-changing business world and the satisfaction of being able to see the results of their work. There are also great opportunities for early financial and management responsibility. However, retail is probably not the best choice for those who rate routine and predictability and are not business orientated.

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