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How to write a retail CV (with an example)
How to write a retail CV that gets read, even with no experience. What to include, what to leave out, a full example CV and the mistakes to avoid.
By UK Retail Jobs editorial team — We write plain-English guides to finding and doing retail work in the UK. Every figure is checked against a named source.
A retail CV is a short, clear summary of who you are, what you can do and when you can work. For most shop jobs, one page is enough. You do not need retail experience to write a good one. Skills from school, volunteering, sport or looking after family all count. This guide shows you what to put in each section, what to leave out, and gives you a full example CV you can copy the shape of.
Every rule below comes from official careers advice or retailers' own careers pages. Where something is only our advice, we say so.
Do you even need a CV for a retail job?
Not always. Many big retailers use an online application form for shop-floor jobs, and some do not ask for a CV at all.
Sainsbury's is a good example. Its application help page says it does not ask for a CV for its store colleague roles, but you do need one for retail management jobs. It also says it cannot accept CVs sent to it directly. You have to apply for a role online and upload a CV where the form asks for one.
So why write one? Because you will still need it:
- For smaller shops, which often ask for a CV by email or in person.
- For supervisor and manager jobs, where a CV is usually part of the application.
- For filling in forms quickly. Your dates, grades and examples are all in one place, ready to copy.
What sections should a retail CV have?
The National Careers Service says a CV should have five parts: contact details, a short introduction, your education, your work history and a line about references. For retail, it also helps to add a short skills section and your availability.
| Section | What goes in it | Tip for retail |
|---|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, phone number, email address, town | Use an email address that sounds grown-up |
| Introduction | Two or three lines about who you are and what you want | Name the kind of job, such as "customer assistant" |
| Availability | The days and times you can work | Put this near the top. Shops plan staff around hours |
| Skills | Four to six skills, each with a short example | Match them to the words in the job advert |
| Work history | Employer, job title, dates, two or three lines on what you did | Most recent job first |
| Education | School or college, dates, qualifications | Maths and English grades are worth listing |
| Interests | One or two lines, only if they show a skill | Team sport, volunteering, clubs |
| References | "References are available on request" | Line up two people to ask before you apply |
Contact details
Your name, a mobile number, an email address and your town are enough. Check your voicemail works, because a store manager may ring you.
Introduction
This is two or three lines at the top. The National Careers Service says it sits just under your contact details and should show you suit the job. Say what you are looking for, what you are good at, and one thing that makes you reliable.
Availability
This is not in every CV guide, but it matters a lot in retail. Aldi's store assistant page says its online application asks what hours you are looking for, which shows how much hours matter to shops. Be honest. If you can only work weekends and two evenings, say so.
What should you put if you have no work experience?
Put the skills you already have, and show where you used them. Employers hiring for entry-level shop jobs usually care more about attitude, reliability and being good with people than about past jobs.
The National Careers Service says your examples can come from work, home or volunteering. Its CV advice also suggests listing hobbies that show a skill, such as captaining a sports team. Its work experience page names options like volunteering, work shadowing and virtual work experience if you want to build more.
Places to find your examples:
- School or college. A group project, a role as a prefect or a school event you helped run.
- Volunteering. A charity shop shift is real retail experience, with a till, stock and customers.
- Sport and clubs. Turning up to training every week shows you are reliable. Being captain shows leadership.
- Home and family. Caring for a relative or looking after younger children shows patience and responsibility.
For more ideas on where to start, read our guide to retail jobs with no experience.
Turn activities into skills
The trick is to name the skill, then prove it with a short example. "Good communicator" on its own says very little. "Explained the rules to new members of my Saturday football club" shows it.
| What you did | The retail skill it shows |
|---|---|
| Served at a school fair or charity event | Customer service, handling money |
| Captain of a sports team | Leadership, teamwork, staying calm under pressure |
| Weekly volunteering shift | Reliability, turning up on time |
| Looked after a younger brother or sister | Responsibility, patience |
| Saved up and budgeted for something | Working with numbers |
Being comfortable with numbers is worth showing. When Aldi's store assistant page answers what education you need, the one thing it names is being comfortable with numbers. The rest is about attitude and being good with people.
How do you describe what you did in a job?
Use two or three short lines for each job, and start each line with an action word. The National Careers Service suggests the STAR method: the situation, the task, the action you took and the result.
On a CV you do not have room for a full STAR story. Squeeze it into one line. For example:
- Weak: "Responsible for the till."
- Better: "Served customers on the till at a busy charity shop and helped count the cash at the end of each shift."
Read the advert, then use its words, such as "customers", "stock" and "tills", where they are true for you.
Keep the full STAR stories for the interview. Our guide to common retail interview questions shows how to turn them into strong answers.
An example retail CV
This is a made-up example. The person, contact details and places are not real. Copy the layout, not the words, and fill it with your own true details.
> Jordan Ellis > Leeds · 07700 900123 · jordan.ellis@example.com > > Profile > Friendly and reliable school leaver looking for a part-time customer assistant job. I enjoy helping people and I am confident with money from volunteering on the till at a charity shop. I am always on time and happy to learn. > > Availability > Weekends: any time. Weekdays: from 4pm. Available over Christmas and the school holidays. > > Skills > - Customer service: helped customers find items and answered questions at a charity shop. > - Handling money: used the till and counted the float at the end of each shift. > - Teamwork: member of a Saturday football team for four years. > - Reliability: did not miss a volunteering shift in eight months. > - Working with numbers: GCSE Maths, and helped count stock at the charity shop. > > Experience > *Volunteer shop assistant, local charity shop, Leeds — February 2026 to now* > - Served customers on the till and handled cash and card payments. > - Sorted, priced and put out donated stock on the shop floor. > - Kept the shop tidy and helped new volunteers learn the till. > > *Babysitter for neighbours, Leeds — 2024 to now* > - Looked after two children aged 6 and 9 on weekday evenings. > > Education > *Local secondary school, Leeds — 2021 to 2026* > GCSEs: 7 subjects, including English Language (5) and Maths (5). > > Interests > Football (team member for four years) and cooking for my family. > > References > References are available on request.
Why this example works
- The job is named in the profile. A manager sees straight away that Jordan wants a customer assistant role.
- Availability is near the top. Shops plan rotas around hours, so this is useful early.
- Every skill has proof. Each one points to something real.
- There is no date of birth, photo or national insurance number. None of these belong on a CV.
What should you leave off a retail CV?
Leave off anything that is not about your ability to do the job. The National Careers Service says you should not include your age, date of birth, marital status or nationality.
This links to the law. ACAS, the official workplace advice service, says employers must not treat applicants differently because of age, unless the law says you must be a certain age to do the job. It also says employers must not ask about your health or disability during the application or interview, except in a few set cases.
Some retail jobs do have age rules. Sainsbury's says some of its roles need you to be 18 or over, such as delivery drivers, convenience store jobs, and shifts before 6am or after 11pm. The advert or the application form will ask if this applies. You do not need to put your age on your CV.
Also leave off:
- A photo. In our experience, UK shops do not expect one.
- Your national insurance number or bank details. In our experience, these are usually asked for once you have a job offer.
- Referee names and phone numbers. The National Careers Service suggests writing "references are available on request" instead.
- Your right to work documents. GOV.UK says you must prove your right to work before you start, but you show the documents to the employer, not on your CV.
Watch out for fake job offers
Scammers post fake retail jobs. Sainsbury's says it will never ask for payment at any stage of recruitment, and that its real jobs are only on its own careers site. If anyone asks you to pay for training, checks or a uniform before you start, treat it as a warning sign.
Common retail CV mistakes
Most weak retail CVs make the same few mistakes, and all of them are easy to fix.
- Spelling and grammar errors. Retail work involves labels, signs and customer notes. Read your CV aloud, and ask someone else to check it, as the National Careers Service suggests.
- One CV for every job. A CV for a bakery counter should talk about food and customers. A CV for a night shift should talk about stock and working at a steady pace. Tailor it each time.
- Skills with no proof. "Hard-working" means little without an example. Add one.
- Hiding your availability. If a manager cannot see when you can work, they may skip you.
- Too long. For an entry-level shop job, two or three pages of text is hard to scan. We suggest one page.
- Hard-to-read layout. The National Careers Service suggests a clear font such as Arial or Calibri at size 11 or more, with headings and bullet points.
- Unexplained gaps. Gaps are normal. The National Careers Service says to be open and honest about what you did during them. A line such as "2024 to 2025: full-time carer for a family member" is enough.
- Wrong file type. Sainsbury's suggests saving your CV as a .docx file if it will not upload. Keep a PDF copy too, for emails.
How should you send your CV?
Send it the way the advert asks. For big retailers, that is usually through their own careers site, not by email and not by walking into the shop.
With a big retailer, the steps are usually:
- Find the job on the retailer's careers site or a job search site.
- Create an account and fill in the online form.
- Upload your CV if the form asks for it, or copy details from it into the form.
- Complete any online test or short video interview. Aldi says its process may include a short video interview before a group or one-to-one interview.
- Wait to hear back. Sainsbury's says that for most of its retail roles, you can expect to hear within 2 to 4 weeks.
For small independent shops, handing in a CV in person can still work. Go at a quiet time and ask for the manager. For Christmas jobs, apply online early. Our Christmas retail jobs guide explains the timing.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a retail CV be?
For most entry-level shop jobs, one page is enough. The National Careers Service does not set a page limit, but a short, clear CV is easier for a busy store manager to read.
Should I put my GCSE grades on my CV?
Yes, if you left school recently. Maths and English are the most useful to show for retail, because the work involves money, stock and talking to customers. As you gain more work experience, you can shorten this section.
Do I need a cover letter as well?
Only if the advert asks for one, or if you are sending your CV to a small shop by email. A few short lines are enough. The National Careers Service has free guidance on writing one.
Can I use the same CV for every retail job?
You can keep one base CV, but change the profile and skills for each job. It only takes a few minutes and makes your CV feel written for that job.
Where can I get free help with my CV?
In England, the National Careers Service offers free help from careers advisers on 0800 100 900, or by web chat or email. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own careers services.
What if I have a criminal record?
It does not always rule you out. Sainsbury's says an unspent conviction will not always stop you, though some roles, such as home delivery drivers, may be limited. It says its recruitment team will talk it through with you after you apply. You do not need to put it on your CV.
Find a retail job to apply for
Once your CV is ready, put it to work. Search customer assistant jobs or part-time retail jobs near you. We collect vacancies from retailers' own careers sites, so you apply directly with the employer. Our membership adds job alerts and a tracker to keep your applications in one place.
_This is general information, not legal or careers advice. Check the retailer's advert and the official source before you act._
Sources and further reading
- How to write a CV — National Careers Service, checked 28 September 2026
- The STAR method — National Careers Service, checked 28 September 2026
- Explain a gap in employment — National Careers Service, checked 28 September 2026
- How to get work experience — National Careers Service, checked 28 September 2026
- How to write a cover letter — National Careers Service, checked 28 September 2026
- Contact the National Careers Service — National Careers Service, checked 28 September 2026
- Following discrimination law when recruiting — ACAS, checked 28 September 2026
- Prove your right to work to an employer — GOV.UK, checked 28 September 2026
- How to apply: application help and FAQs — Sainsbury's, checked 28 September 2026
- Store assistant jobs — Aldi, checked 28 September 2026
This guide is general information, not legal or careers advice. Check the retailer's advert and the official source before you act. Looking for a role? Browse retail jobs.
Where to look next
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Last reviewed 28 September 2026.
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