How Should I Present My Retail Experience on My CV for a Career Shift to HR?

Hi Seniors, please suggest as your suggestions and guidance will do a lot for me. Currently, I have 5 years of work experience in the Retail sector (middle management). I gained this experience while studying to achieve my ultimate goal, which is a job in HR! Now, as my MBA in HR will be completed this coming September, I am looking to further my career in HR.

Career Transition to HR

Should I mention my 5 years of work experience in an irrelevant background on my CV, or should I present myself as a fresher? Please advise because my career goal means a lot to me, and I am very eager to work in HR.

Thank you.

It all depends. Can you let us know what you did in your retail role? If it involved meeting targets, selling items, and keeping your customers happy, it will help you in the recruiter's role (which can serve as a starting point for your career in HR).

Once, I went for an interview at a reputable foreign IT company for the recruiter position. I learned one thing there - Recruitment in HR is similar to Sales in Marketing. You may think it's useless, but the real learning lies here. And unless you network effectively, you can't progress further. Patience is not the only key to success in this field; you should also have presence of mind and a determination to win with a never-say-die attitude.

Additionally, if you have some managerial experience, that can also help you advance to a team leader or recruitment head position. Honestly, I don't believe that any experience is vague. It may not be directly relevant to the role, but there are many things we learn from every experience. It is up to us to explain to the interviewer how these experiences will further help us in the current role.

As I mentioned, make a list of activities from your retail job. Make a list of activities you would like to perform in HR. Find the correlation. There may not be a direct relationship, but there will be indirect ones. Just as a sales job must have given you patience and willpower to handle situations and must have improved your communication skills.

All the best. 

Transitioning from Retail to HR: Leveraging Past Experience

Hi Renu, it all depends. Can you let us know what you did in your retail role? If it involved meeting targets, selling items, and keeping your customers happy, it will benefit you in the recruiter’s role (which can serve as a starting point for your career in HR).

Once, I went for an interview at a well-known foreign IT company for the role of a recruiter. I learned one important thing there: Recruitment in HR is similar to Sales in Marketing. You might consider it insignificant, but the real learning lies here. Without networking effectively, you cannot progress. Patience is not the only key to success in this field; you also need presence of mind and a determination to succeed with a never-say-die attitude.

Additionally, if you have managerial experience, it can help you advance to a team leader or recruitment head position. I genuinely believe that no experience is irrelevant. It may not directly relate to the role, but we learn valuable lessons from every experience. It is up to us to explain to the interviewer how these experiences can further our current role.

As I mentioned, create a list of tasks from your retail job and another list of HR activities you would like to engage in. Look for connections. While there may not be a direct link, there will likely be indirect ones. Just as a sales job may have enhanced your patience, problem-solving skills, and communication abilities.

Best of luck! 

Very well explained with personal experiences shared. Appreciated! 

Transitioning from Retail to HR

It all depends. Can you let us know what you did in your retail role? If it involved meeting targets, selling items, and keeping your customers happy, it will benefit you in the recruiter's role (which can serve as a starting point for your career in HR).

Once, I went for an interview at a reputed foreign IT company for the role of a recruiter. I learned one thing there - Recruitment in HR is similar to Sales in Marketing. You may think it's useless, but the real learning lies here. Unless you network effectively, you can't progress.

Patience is not the only key to success in this field; you should also have presence of mind and a determination to win with a never-say-die attitude. Additionally, if you have managerial experience, that can also help you progress to a team leader or recruitment head position.

Honestly, I don't believe that any experience is irrelevant. It may not be directly related to the role, but we learn valuable lessons from every experience. It is up to us to explain to the interviewer how these experiences will benefit us in the current role.

As I mentioned, make a list of activities in your retail job and another list of activities you would like to perform in HR. Find the correlations. There may not be a direct connection, but there will be indirect ones. Just as a sales job may have taught you patience, willpower, and communication skills.

All the best. 

Thanks for replying, Ankita.  Actually, currently, I am working as an Assistant Team Leader (Operations) for the past 2 and a half years. I oversee a team of 20-25 associates, providing process training, managing their leaves, and handling my other operational KRAs. My current company is a multinational corporation and is one of the world's top retail companies.

Before this, in my previous role at another company, I assisted the HR department as an additional responsibility. This allowed me to perform various HR functions, making me familiar with all HR operations. However, this was an additional duty, as my primary designation was Team Leader. Therefore, I do not have formal HR experience documented.

Hope that helps!

Regards,
Ankita

So, my question is still whether I should mention my work experience in my updated resume when applying for a job in HR or if I should not.

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

[QUOTE=renumahajan;2067004]Actually, currently, I am working as an Assistant Team Leader (Operations) for the last 2 and a half years, where I have a team of 20-25 associates.

I always tell people not to get carried away by the designation written on the CV or job posting. Pay attention to the job roles that the person has performed or is expected from us. After you include your designation as TL, instead of focusing on the TL role, emphasize HR-related activities since you wish to switch. You can use this line - In addition to the normal TL duties like 1) 2) 3), I was also responsible for and successfully handled the following HR-related activities: 1) 2) 3) 4). Note that your TL activities should be brief while the HR-related ones should be detailed.

You have considerable experience in HR-related activities, so I believe you should add this experience. But as I said, focus more on the HR-related activities you've performed.

You are in a sunrise industry, though at the moment, it's going through tough times. Retail has always faced a shortage of people, first because no one wanted to allow their children to work in a shop, and now because growth rates are rapid. The shortages experienced in retail extend to all sections of the business. As a result, there are also shortages of good HR personnel who understand retail and can therefore effectively handle HR there. You have a massive advantage here if you are working in operations, which gives you an intimate understanding of work processes, problems, issues, and possible solutions.

Opportunities in Retail HR

Apply for jobs in HR departments in retail companies. At present, you may find it difficult. However, in a few months, foreign retail companies are going to be trooping in, and they will want people with your skills. Start trying. Find recruiters who are sourcing employees for retail companies.