When serving others is your mission, it is important that your job search tells the story of your service. It would be ideal to include some hidden camera footage of how you delight your customers, but sadly data protection laws prohibit it. For a sales associate it is a challenging task to showcase your retail skills when limited to a resume and a cover letter.
There is much functional ground that should be covered in a sales associate’s resume – the job is incredibly varied, and you need to paint a full picture of your experience. Therefore, a cover letter is an important medium for conveying how you serve your customers as well as what you do to provide for their needs. Customer experience is everything in modern retail.
Retail is one of the most competitive areas of our economy currently in terms of the job market. Online retail is increasing, so the store estate for the available pool of workers is shrinking. There are more people for less jobs and the demands on each job are ever changing. Technology is allowing store staff the chance to spend ever more time facing the customers as this contact is what will keep them coming into the stores.
So, the application letter of a sales associate should be far from a list of their responsibilities. It should highlight how they deal with the obstacles that come up on a daily basis and it should at least describe their attitude towards the people who walk through the shop doors.
In this cover letter guide, along with the corresponding sales associate cover letter examples, we’ll explore how to create a customer-centric cover letter by covering the following:
So, when you sit down to write your cover letter, how do you make it customer-centric? What will set you apart from the other candidates? The guide below to analyze the details (you can also check out our library of 125+ cover letter examples).
If you want the best job with a retailer who is going to develop you and let you grow through the ranks, you are going to have a lot of competition.
In the almighty fight to keep customers coming into stores, sales associates are having to be ever more creative with balancing the functional parts of their roles such as filling shelves with the more intangible aspects of customer service. Availability of product is expected, but stellar service with a smile is not always present.
While it takes a special kind of person to possess that retail sparkle, you also need an innovative approach to work to allow yourself the time to delight your customers in the first place. After all, the shelves still need to be filled.
Sharing some of your retail shortcuts in your application letter is a great way to show your future employer that you are able think on your feet and find practical but innovative solutions. Maybe there is a certain way that you manage your inventory or certain promotional methods that have proven effective? Anything that makes the functional part of your job easier means that you will be more present for your customers.
Communicate this, and you will put yourself right at the front of the line.
Make your cover letter about your customers, not about the product.
There is a temptation for a retail store employee to obsess about the product, but on its own this is a fallacy. There are countless examples where products have become less popular as customer tastes and society have changed (Blockbuster), so it is much more productive to obsess about what your customers need.
A cover letter that talks about how you love the product would be fine, but a cover letter that details how you go about analysing and fulfilling the needs of the customer gives an entirely different impression.
Tell a little story about how you went beyond the call of duty for a customer. That will impress far more than telling an employer about your encyclopaedic product knowledge. Without a customer-first attitude, product knowledge is worth nothing. If you possess a great attitude, product knowledge can be learned.
When there is tough competition for every role, employers might seek to take every opportunity to narrow the candidate pool. If a sales associate has not had specific experience in the industry in question, that might be a first red flag to put their resume on the rejects pile. Thousands of amazing retailers get rejected without a second thought for just this reason – too many applicants and too little time to look a little deeper.
Therefore, if you come from a fashion background and want to get into grocery retail, the cover letter is the ideal medium for describing how your experience does fit (and even how sometimes there might be significant advantages in taking someone from outside the sector).
HR teams and hiring managers want to take the safe decision as they cannot easily be criticised if they hire someone from a direct competitor, so you have to be particularly persuasive and given some compelling reasons why you make a better candidate.
As a cover letter acts as a permanent record in your job search, this is not then just their subjective opinion. Saying that your fashion experience will come in handy when dealing with the seasonal aspects of promotions in a toy store is a solid reason why you might not be such a bad fit. It is a myth that people do not move across sectors – the basics of customer service remain the same.
Persuasive argument and rational thought find their home in an application letter.
If you’re looking for additional inspiration for cover letter writing, you can check out these cover letters in our sales cover letter category:
Try these samples from our retail cover letter example category as well:
Every retailer will want to see the different aspects of your sales associate application in your cover letter. How you structure it is important.
We suggest following a basic structure:
There is an overview of each section and some more general context and advice in our overall guide on cover letters.
This sales associate cover letter example is a good foundation to develop your own professional application:
Dear Mr. Shawcross,
Customers ask pet store employees how to choose the right products for their pets because they need reassurance about the welfare of their beloved animals. In my three years as a sales associate at Petmart, I made sure that I gained the insights to put their minds at rest.
I worked across multiple areas, soaking up the practical and operational excellence of a top-five retailer, but as a fish owner and part-time breeder, the opportunity to work in a speciality fish store is naturally appealing. My passion for everything fish-related led to me spending my final year responsible for the live display section of the department alongside my normal sales associate duties. Sadly, the budgets of the store were not sufficient to provide the very highest standards of care, hence my yearning for a move.
Our store displays regularly won company-wide merchandising competitions and the operational manual that I compiled was shared across our state. Looking after a few fish at home is not simple; but caring for a few hundred fish in a store is another matter entirely.
My obsessive attention to detail led to the following improvements in the fish department:
I know that you want someone who will care for your piscine products, and a read of my weekly fish-care blog might give a further indication of my passion. In addition, I have all the operational retail skills to ensure that your store is in good hands. I know how to run a hard-hitting oxygen pump promotional campaign.
I would love to have the chance to work with someone who cares as much about fish as I do. The opportunity of an interview would be amazing.
Sincerely,
Aaron Holt
Now we will get into some section-specific ideas.
The header section for a sales associate is like putting the right prices on the right products. It isn’t hard to get right, but if you get it wrong it gets noticed.
Include your contact details here as well as on your resume. You never know when the inspiration to invite you to an interview might strike and if you have your details at the top of the page, the hiring manager can write an email there and then. Include your email and phone number – many retail roles have tight deadlines to fill them and phone is often the most convenient way to set up an immediate interview.
In addition, many larger retailers will use ATS software to scan resumes and cover letters. Make sure that it does not miss out on your information. No HR person is going to sit there and copy your details into a database.
The aim of this part: get the basics right and make it easy to contact you.
The large number of applications that a retail manager will be reading does not leave a lot of leeway for being overly personal. It is important that you stand out in terms of the content of your application letter, but unlike certain creative industries, it is not the place for a sales associate to be innovative with standard aspects such as the greeting on the letter.
By all means stand out; but do it for the right reasons. If the person’s name is on the job description, use their name in the letter. We advise the use of “dear” over the more modern “hi,” for the simple reason that a degree of formality is expected in recruitment (while the opposite is still true in a retail store environment). In our cover letter example, we stick to "dear," and unless you are sure of the company, it is your best bet too.
If you do not know to whom the letter should be addressed, something along the lines of “dear Resume.io team” is infinitely preferable to the dry and outdated “to whom it may concern” which reeks of indifference. You are passionate about working in a team, so why not use that greeting?
The aim of this part: Do not stand out from the crowd by trying to be clever with your greeting. Simply get it right.
The introductory couple of lines in an application letter will set the tone. For any sales associate, there is nothing more important to talk about than how they serve customers. When you have an eight-hour shift, no matter what functional task you are performing, if a customer asks your help, your jump to assist them. Conveying how you go above and beyond to delight and retain those who choose to come to your store is a key message.
People have a choice where to buy the product. The store experience and the staff who provide it are a key reason to keep customers coming back. Think about the culture of the retailer that you wish to join and write something that aligns with their values. Let your passion show through your words. Offering a surprising example of awesome customer service is a great way to begin your job application.
Cover letters will be read alongside the resume, so there is a chance to tell a few different stories. Make sure that the messages work in tandem for the optimal effect.
The introduction in our cover letter sample tells the hiring manager why the writer wants this specific job.
The aim of this part: Go hard on the customer service angle in the first lines. Maybe tell a story that they will remember as they consider the rest of your application. Be memorable.
I worked across multiple areas, soaking up the practical and operational excellence of a top-five retailer, but as a fish owner and part-time breeder, the opportunity to work in a speciality fish store is naturally appealing. My passion for everything fish-related led to me spending my final year responsible for the live display section of the department alongside my normal sales associate duties. Sadly, the budgets of the store were not sufficient to provide the very highest standards of care, hence my yearning for a move.
Give that there are so many tasks for a sales associate to complete on any given day, it is important to convey a sense of mastery in the text of the letter. Talk about how many years’ experience you have, how many sales you have managed and maybe how many customers you talk to every day. Give measurable facts rather than dull platitudes.
“I enjoy serving customers and filling shelves” will not get you the job.
As dealing with technology is increasingly a part of an in-store working life, it is critical that you mention your familiarity with the latest software. If you are not familiar, put yourself on a crash course, as no retailer wants to take on someone who is averse to technology or who makes mistakes with it.
The body of your letter is also a place to talk about your personality a little bit. Retail teams work very closely together, and they want to create an interesting and diverse team that will work well for each other as well as for the customers. You are not a retail robot – share a few details about what you are interested in and why this is relevant for the role.
Lastly, consider offering an example of your teamwork skills. Sales associates often work with each other to keep the retail cogs whirring, so show that you value teamwork and that you work best when you are part of a group. Pulling together as a team is why many sales associates go to work every day.
The bullet-points in the cover letter example paragraph below highlight the letter-writer's achievements with data and details.
The aim of this part: Talk about your all-round retail skills, let them know that you are tech-savvy and don’t forget that will be an integral part of their wider team.
My obsessive attention to detail led to the following improvements in the fish department:
The sales associate cover letter should end with a vision of them working in their future employer’s store. Paint a picture of how you will make a difference to their customers and their store team. Why would hiring you improve their performance?
Loyalty and ambition are important concepts to retailers – they want people to join, contribute and rise through the ranks. Tell them why you specifically want to join them and not their competitors. Great sales associates also have a degree of choice in terms of their employer, so end your letter on a positive note and say why they are top of your list.
Don’t be afraid to ask for an interview as soon as possible – subtly showing that you are likely to have a number of offers in the near future is not a bad tactic. If they like your application, they will not delay inviting you in. Be confident that you could do a great job.
The aim of this part: Project a vision of working in their store, show that you are in it for the long-term and include a call to action. You really want the job, after all.
I would love to have the chance to work with someone who cares as much about fish as I do. The opportunity of an interview would be amazing.
All hiring managers know that you have to start somewhere. Many sales associate positions are entry-level jobs where the manager understands new employees will need training. So what are they looking for?
Sales requires service with a smile, so show in your cover letter that you know how to cope with different personalities. You can do that by referring to a school project you worked on, a volunteer or community-service job or any other occasion when you served others. Other basic requirements for new entrants into the job market are:
Use examples from any part of your life will service the purpose here. If you have a passion for the product you will be selling, certainly bring that up (as does our cover letter example).
You'll be well on your way to getting that all-important interview if you can show you have the basic skills and attributes to hold a sales associate job.
Imagine what your future boss might expect from you that cannot be written in a formal job description. If you are able to get inside their heads and tick their hidden boxes, you will be one of the tops candidates to consider. But what really matters to a department manager?
Even the slightest error in a price on the shelf can lead to significant losses for a retailer, so attention to detail is important for any sales associate. While the following advice might seem obvious, any mistakes in these areas will cast a shadow on your application: