Why working in #Retail can be a powerful asset for your career?
A few days ago, I had a conversation with a young graduate who approached me to get my advice about a #career choice. They were offered a sales position for a retail company, but were hesitating to accept, arguing that they were afraid the job would be « too practical » and « not enough strategic ».
Over my career, I have been approached very often by people, from all level of experience, who asked me whether it was a good idea or not to take a career step into the Retail world. Most of the time, people had mixed feelings about this sector, which suffers from a bad perception (among all: hard working conditions, poor work life balance, not rewarding, not enough intellectual…).
I built up all my « corporate » career with companies which have some or all of their main activities related to Retail, and even though I can acknowledge some of the not so good perceptions can be correct, my own experience has been very fulfilling in many aspects. In this article, I’d like to share some key thoughts, taken from my experience, on why I think making a career in retail is a good idea.
STRATEGY & OPERATIONS: this is definitely a sector where both #strategy and #operations come together, at all times. Things happen on the field. Therefore, truth is that in retail, many tasks are practical, nevertheless, they all connect to a wider picture. No good strategy can be made without knowing what’s happening exactly on the field. And vice versa: practical actions have no sense if not connected to a big image/plan. You must have one foot in each, no matter your position.
SPEED: everything goes at a very fast pace in retail. Every day is different, you’re always on the go, you never get bored. You will develop your awareness to the changes around you, and sharpen your adaptability, sense of observation and decision-making skills.
AGILITY: as things move very fast, plans have to be reviewed and adjusted very often. Also, you’re often asked to do a lot with low resources. This encourages to think and act in a very #agile way.
CONCRETE: products, processes, tools etc…. Your actions are driven by very practical considerations. And as things go fast, you see almost immediately the results of your actions.
CREATIVITY: #creativity lies everywhere in retail: you constantly need to think about new ways to exceed your customer’s expectations, make a product/tool/concept/process better, improve your work style etc. You also need to find your very own way, the one that makes you different and standing out from the competitors. A wonderful playground to imagine, create, innovate.
CUSTOMER CENTRICITY: you’re directly connected to the final #customer so you have opportunity to interact daily with diverse people, and therefore develop your listening and communication skills, empathy etc. You also learn how to collect and deal with feedback, analyse customer behaviour and hence contribute to constant improvement of products and the wider operations.
TEAM: retail is all about #team cooperation. Retail businesses can work well only if the different pieces that make them are smoothly communicating and creating together, and helping each other to learn and grow, operate as One team.
You also very often work in #project management mode. For instance, for a new market opening, or store opening in an existing market, a team of key players from diverse functions (operations, HR, Marketing, Store design and construction, finance etc…) will gather together for several months to deliver the project according to the objectives. Thus you learn how to set and evaluate goals, make plans, follow and adjust them, involve people, make them work together.
DISCIPLINE: retail is a highly demanding environment, physically, emotionally and mentally. To thrive and survive in retail, you need to identify and develop, at very early stage, your own discipline and routines in terms of organization, development, #selfcare. This will be very helpful in both your professional and personal life.
ENTREPRENEUR MINDSET: there are different forms and size of retail businesses: independent family stores, chain stores, franchisees, corporations, implemented locally, globally, hybrid with a multichannel approach etc… No matter in which type of retail business you chose to contribute to, you will need to adopt the « #entrepreneur » mindset with a 360° view on everything, because everything is connected.
If you’re running a #store, you’ll be responsible for building your team, creating a great customer experience through products, standards and service, generating profit, dealing with profit and loss plan, taking care of back-office tasks, cooperating closely with head office. If you work in the office, you will have to run your own team/department agenda while connecting with others, understanding the big picture, and meeting the business objectives. At all time, you’ll make your decisions and operate as you were in the shoes of the owner. This gives a whole new dimension to your work: #responsibility, #autonomy, speeder growth.
PASSION: you don’t come to retail by chance. It’s also very often a matter of #passion. Passion for a product, (fashion, food, luxury goods etc), for an activity (sports, gardening etc), for people, for the values promoted by an organization. Retail connects people who share similar interests and passions together.
There are undoubtedly many other reasons to explore a career in Retail. It is true that some of the traits mentioned can also be found in other sectors. However, it is precisely the combination of these factors that gives the retail environment its uniqueness and impact. Indeed, retail is not just a workplace, it is a real #schooloflife where you learn to interact with people from different backgrounds, adapt to a constantly changing environment and develop many essential skills.
In addition, Retail offers a multitude of opportunities for personal and professional development. The dynamics between colleagues and the wealth of shared experiences create an environment conducive to growth.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to choose a sector and a corporate culture that suits who you are, and where you can thrive. Above all, it is the human experience that shapes us and prepares us to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Hi, I'm Claire Basso. I built my career as HRD in the fashion retail sector for international players, for over 20 years. I'm now Founder and CEO of Ugoki Talent Experiences, a boutique HR consulting firm helping creative, curious and engaged leaders to shape and deploy their people development strategies and projects, through innovative programs.
You can connect with me here or on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/claire-basso
Photo Credit: Claire Basso
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