A Sales Assistant applying for a job needs to show employers they are skilled in customer service, product knowledge, handling transactions, POS operations and answering questions.
Are you looking for a sales assistant job? If so, you’ve got to understand the skills needed for the role, as these are the competencies that recruiters will want you to have. Before listing your skills, first find out what the position requires from a candidate, and then list all of these abilities in your CV.
By: Iejaz Uddin – Updated: 14 January 2026
Importance of skills in your CV
It’s vital that you clearly outline the required sales assistant skills you have. They can make you stand out from other job applicants who do not have them. In addition to this having the right ones can help your application get past an automated Applicant Tracking System.
What skills to focus on
Sales assistants are not only responsible for serving customers at checkouts, but also for other activities such as re-stocking shelves and pricing up products.
Show recruiters that you are a highly motivated individual who has the drive needed to exceed targets in a competitive retail sales environment. Tell them that you delight in giving great customer service and get satisfaction from seeing people leave happy. Stress to them you have the abilities, techniques, and knowledge required to attract, engage, and retain customers.
Keys Skills for a Sales Assistant
When it comes to hiring, prospective employers want to see you have the correct mixture of both hard and soft skills. For sales professionals, hard skills are CRM proficiency or market knowledge, whilst soft skills are d active listening, Effective Communication and persuading.
Modern sales assistants
Today’s sales assistants need a wide range of skills needed to perform effectively in a busy retail environment. They have to be able work both sides of a counter, wear many hats during the day and give perfect customer service to every last shopper.
Provide a great shopping experience
Retailers want to see evidence that you can create a joyous shopping experience that goes beyond transactions, making our store a destination of choice for their customers.
Sales Assistant Hard Skills
Hard skills are practical quantifiable, technical abilities that are typically gained through front line work experience. Below is a list of ‘must have’ hard technical skills that should be included in your CV or cover letter.
Product Knowledge
- Accurately answering customer questions about products.
- Have an in depth understanding of the products or services you are selling.
- Providing detailed information about our products and services to customers.
- Able to recite the company’s returns policy from memory.
Merchandising
- Unpacking store deliveries, stocking shelves with them and arranging these displays in a visually appealing manner.
- Assisting with administrative tasks like stocktaking and data entry.
- Maintaining high standards both on shop floor and in back areas.
- Knowledge of inventory management and ensuring that all displayed products are in stock and properly organized.
Physical Fitness
- Have the stamina needed to remain standing and walk around for an entire shift.
- Possess the energy, focus and emotional resilience required to talk to numerous different customers throughout the day.
POS (Point of Sales)
- Ability to operate a point-of-sale (POS) system for purchases and returns.
- Have the maths knowledge to use a calculator, computer or hand-held device.
- Processing payments, customer orders and reservations in a fast and efficient manner.
- Accurately issuing receipts, refunds or exchanges.
- Familiarity with electronic equipment, like cash register and POS.
Store operations
- Assisting with opening and shutting of the shop or storeroom.
- Checking goods and ensure pricing is accurate throughout the store.
- Maintaining a clean and orderly checkout area.
Administrative
- Handling clerical tasks such as inventory updates and sales reports.
- Knowledge of Microsoft packages like Excel and Word.
- Excellent written communication and software skills needed for data entry and collection.
Key Sales Assistant Soft Skills
Soft sales skills are personal attributes, traits, and abilities that are not of a technical nature or related to product knowledge.
Customer Service
Tell employers about your ability to assist customers in finding and purchasing the products they want.
- Having a polite, patient, and proactive attitude to help customers find the products they want.
- Maintaining accurate records of customer interactions.
- Ensuring that the frontline customer experience is positive and attentive.
- Have a friendly, helpful, confident, and engaging personality.
Communication
- Can communicate effectively with customers in-store, through phone calls and via email or social media.
- Using social media to build connections and find leads.
- Tactfully asking questions to identify the customers exact needs and then giving them a product that matches their requirements.
Teamwork
You want to demonstrate that you can work as part of the team to drive store performance.
- Have the ability to work well with others.
- Strong organisational and time management abilities needed to prioritise key duties.
- Seeing when an work colleague is overwhelmed and jumping in to ease their load.
Sales skills
Having the ability to sell products or services and possessing knowledge of the sales journey is crucial to this role.
- Selling through storytelling by engaging prospective customers through compelling narratives and end solutions.
- Recommending products and upselling where appropriate.
- A solid understanding of the sales process and retail operations.
- Possess the resilience and persistence needed to bounce back from rejection and stay motivated.
- Know when to close a sale.
Sales Assistant CV example