What would be a better way to say I have extensive history in retail?

Answer 1

On a resume, instead of saying, "I have extensive history in retail", you could use specific descriptions such as:

• I have worked 10-years in retail sales.
• With 5-years working in a cell phone store, I gained experience in stocking, sales, service contracts, service and repair, product replacement, and cancellations.

If you had one specific role, say so:

• As a cashier for 4-years at The Right Grocery Store, Small Town, City, State, I was responsible for (state the tasks you performed).
• As the junior manager at Ricky's Rocking Music Store for 7-years, I was responsible for researching and ordering all new stock after working in the back room for 2-years within the same store.

Another way to say extensive depends on whether you mean "long term" or "all aspects".

• My long-term employment with ZYX Department store allowed me to hone my customer service skills for 5-years before accepting the position of assistant store manager.
• While employed for a variety of sales companies, I learned all aspects of retail and customer service.

Other words for "extensive" which could be combined in other phrases include:

• broad (experiences)
• long-term (employment, work, experience, service)
• wide-ranging (tasks, experiences, service, work)
• vast (responsibilities, experiences, service)

One problem with using words like "extensive" or synonyms, however, is that it can sound too generic and therefore, false or inaccurate. For example, your work history may indeed have been "vast" if you worked in a small retail store in a small town, but would the same description be accurate as compared to working in a larger store, or helpful if you were applying to work in major department store in a major city? As another example, 5-years may seem "long-term" but it is also relative to other life facts. A 40-year old man probably shouldn't boast of a 5-year history in one store as being "long-term" when he should have a much longer history with one company.

The most important point in writing a resume or cover letter is to write honestly, without pretense or exaggeration. Although you can make a sparse work history sound better, never do so at the expense of being honest and genuine.