Think you know what it takes to work for a national retailer? How about for a resort chain with properties around the world? If your image of the retail and hospitality industries consists only of a store salesperson and hotel front desk employees, you need to take another look at both fields. Both sectors have opportunities in a wide variety of career paths.
Exploring the World of Retail
While sales floor employees are the heartbeat of the retail industry, Corinne Berkseth, director of youth and career initiatives for the National Retail Federation Foundation notes, “What people see as consumers are not the only careers in retail.”
Berkseth says that the field has every position available in any other business industry, such as marketing, e-commerce, human resources and finance. In addition, there are many other career paths unique to retail such as distribution, supply chain management and logistics; security and loss prevention; merchandising and more.
Each of these job categories has a well-defined career path. For example, an individual who begins a career working as a store detective can move into positions such as head of loss prevention or regional loss prevention manager.
According to the National Retail Federation, the retail industry offers extremely competitive salaries. For example, the average salary for an employee in distribution, logistics or supply chain management is $110,000 per year. The average salary of someone in merchandising is $105,000 annually. Store managers earn $50,000 on average.
Think retail is your cup of tea? Berkseth says that the industry is best for individuals who are truly “people people.” Other traits and qualifications sought by retail employers include an appreciation of teamwork, the ability to deal with a constantly changing environment, strong decision making and communications skills, and a willingness to take risks while working within a corporate culture.
Many retailers also value any previous customer service experience, particularly in a store setting, and Berkseth cautions those with part-time sales jobs to take them seriously. “It is all about attitude, and everything within a retail company comes back to that store-level position.”
The Department of Labor has named the retail industry one of the nation’s high growth industries, and Berkseth says the growth trend will continue, “Retail is a huge, growing industry that is always looking for team players who want to make a difference.”
Making a Difference in the Hospitality Industry
The hospitality industry is another field that offers opportunities for people who enjoy working with the public. Patricia Smith, executive vice president of human resources for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts (), says that there are a wide range of career paths in the industry with opportunity for advancement.
In addition to the traditional roles a customer would see at a hotel, such as front desk agent, there are also many revenue-generating positions, such as sales and catering managers. And, like any other major business, hotels and other related companies have positions in human resources, finance, advertising, information technology, and more.
Smith says that one of the benefits of working in an environment like a hotel is the exposure to a large number of different opportunities. “Because of flexibility within a hotel, there are many different jobs available to employees and a lot of training that goes on.” She says that at Wyndham, employees receive traditional training in sales and customer service as well as the opportunity to participate in mentoring programs to learn about different areas of the company.
Smith says that companies in the hospitality business look for candidates with some customer service experience and who have an interest in helping others. “It takes a special person to deliver what we need to deliver in the hospitality industry.”
In addition to customer service, businesses in the industry look for strong communications and presentation skills and a basic understanding of business. She adds that “opportunities for minorities are increasing as more companies have a desire to better reflect the marketplace.”
Smith says that while the industry faced some difficult times following the events of September 11, the industry has turned around and is continuing to improve. “In the last couple of months the market has started to pick up even more,” she says. “Right now we are moving full steam ahead.”
