Fashion Merchandiser Resume Examples & Tips
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Fashion merchandising involves the marketing, distribution and management of fashion products. Fashion merchandisers need to be up to date with market trends, and have the ability to put together great marketing strategies, analyze data that helps to increase sales, plan and curate merchandise, and build and maintain relationships with manufacturers.
To make a standout fashion merchandiser resume, use our resume examples and tips below:
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Fashion merchandiser example (text version)
Name: ROBERT BLACKFIELD
Address: City, State, Zip Code
Phone: 000-000-0000
E-Mail: email@email.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Talented Fashion Designer well-versed in stocking merchandise and planning promotional displays. Demonstrated success in collaborating with store and advertising management to create and deploy successful merchandising strategies for seasonal and promotional needs.
WORK HISTORY
November 2018 to Current
Company Name, City, State
- Coordinate with Content, Product and three other teams to promote cohesive brand identity and customer-facing product story.
- Optimize and maintain weekly merchandising calendar and keep abreast of larger fashion industry landscape and trends.
- Plan, execute and interpret results of A/B tests to improve digital and on-site shopping experience.
Fashion Marketing
April 2015 to June 2018
Company Name, City, State
- Collaborated with Finance team to develop category pricing recommendations within budget.
- Pitched updated merchandising strategies based on seasonal hindsight and current trends.
- Produced monthly OTB forecasts for two categories, planned sales and inventory goals accordingly.
Digital Marketing Assistant
June 2011 to March 2015
Company Name, City, State
- Carried out pricing strategies in line with fiscal year financial goals.
- Partnered with Design to maximize unique functionality of mobile and desktop storefronts, supported cohesive shopping experience across both.
- Facilitated communication between six regional, in-store retail teams and corporate partners.
SKILLS
- Operational improvement
- Process improvement
- Project organization
- Personal wardrobe designs
- Accessorizing
- Fabric sourcing understanding
- Luxury apparel
- Sewing proficiency
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts Fashion Design,City, State
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Fashion Merchandiser Resume FAQ
1.Which hard and soft skills should you consider for a fashion merchandiser resume?
| Hard skills: | Soft skills: |
| Apparel pre-production | Team player |
| Adobe Illustrator | Active listener |
| Fashion illustration | Creative mindset |
| Market research | Organized |
| Reporting and analysis | Friendly and outgoing |
| Promotional displays | Goal-oriented |
| Branding | Effective Time Management |
| Sales processes | Good communication skills |
| Customer retention | Strong creative design skills |
| Trend forecasting | Detail-oriented |
| Product merchandising | Hardworking |
| Personnel management | Efficient |
| Promotional strategies | |
| Inventory management | |
| Vendor management | |
| Sales book preparation | |
| Digital marketing | |
| Digital marketing | |
| Competitive analysis |
| Hard skills: |
| Apparel pre-production |
| Adobe Illustrator |
| Fashion illustration |
| Market research |
| Reporting and analysis |
| Promotional displays |
| Branding |
| Sales processes |
| Customer retention |
| Trend forecasting |
| Product merchandising |
| Personnel management |
| Promotional strategies |
| Inventory management |
| Vendor management |
| Sales book preparation |
| Digital marketing |
| Digital marketing |
| Competitive analysis |
| Soft skills: |
| Team player |
| Active listener |
| Creative mindset |
| Organized |
| Friendly and outgoing |
| Goal-oriented |
| Effective Time Management |
| Good communication skills |
| Strong creative design skills |
| Detail-oriented |
| Hardworking |
| Efficient |
2. Which format should I use for my resume?
Organize your resume to show off your credentials to best effect by picking the right format for your document. If you have plenty of fashion experience to highlight, use a chronological resume format, which features a robust work history section, giving you plenty of room to show off your career achievements. Use a functional resume format if you lack professional experience and want to highlight job-ready skills and training rather than work history. Use a combination resume format if you want to feature a blend of relevant work experiences and skills.
For more resume formatting information, visit our resume format page.
3. How should you craft your resume if you’re looking to take the next step in your career?
Update your resume with skills and experiences like these:
- Include examples of how you’ve met or exceeded sales goals.
- Showcase roles that highlight your leadership qualities, or projects where you’ve successfully collaborated with senior management and clients.
- Highlight additional courses or training you’ve had to apply to fashion merchandising, such as completion of a program in Fashion Business.
4. How should you use action verbs in your resume?
When describing your work achievements, use action verbs like managed or led rather than weak phrases such as was responsible for or was tasked with. For example, writing “Led merchandising efforts” gives employers the impression you’re in charge of your achievements, compared to “Was responsible for merchandising efforts.” Other action verbs you can use include:
- Coordinated
- Assigned
- Inspected
- Represented
- Created
- Customized
- Designed
- Planned
- Fashioned
- Coordinated
- Communicated
- Assessed
- Demonstrated
- Trained
- Developed
- Organized
5. Should you “change up” your resume for different jobs?
Absolutely. Every job will have its own requirements and tasks, so updating your resume each time to make sure you’re featuring the right qualifications and experiences is essential. For instance, if you’re applying to a fashion merchandising role that involves store management, you’ll want to feature an experience such as “Supervised store merchandising, managing apparel, footwear and jewelry departments.” For more tips, visit our article How to Create a Targeted Resume.
Do’s and Don’ts for Your Resume
- DO optimize your resume for applicant tracking systems (ATS). Many employers now use (ats) to scan resumes, giving a passing grade to documents that are correctly formatted and have the right keywords. To pass ATS, make sure you use a straightforward resume template that won’t foul up the system with strange fonts or graphics, and use the right keywords in your resume. To assemble your keywords, scan the job posting, find prime requirements and tasks, and list skills and accomplishments of your own that match. For example, if the job calls for collaborating with sales and marketing teams on new product lines, list an experience from your own background in this area. Our article How to Write an ATS-friendly Resume provides more tips.
- DO use your summary as an elevator pitch. As a merchandiser, you know the importance of an “elevator pitch” — a quick summary to a potential buyer of why a product is worth having. Think of your summary as an elevator pitch in which the product is yourself. Tell employers about your best personal traits and areas of specialization, all within a few sentences. For example: “Fashion professional with 5+ years of experience in buying, merchandising and inventory management.”
- DO limit your resume length. A resume should be a concise document, and long-winded explanations of your experiences and abilities won’t cut the mustard with employers who have to rifle through hundreds of job applications. Aim for a length of two pages at most, focusing on your most relevant skills and accomplishments, using bullet points and short phrases instead of verbose sentences. Limit your work history to the past 10 years, and highlight achievements rather than everyday duties.
- DON’T underestimate the value of soft skills.While technical skills are crucial for a fashion merchandising position, intangible assets (“soft skills”) can help set you apart from other job candidates. Highlight important soft skills such as problem-solving, a strong work ethic, creativity, communication skills, teamwork and critical thinking. Don’t just restrict these traits to your skills section — show how you’ve used them in your work history section, and mention them in your summary (e.g., “Hard-working, creative Fashion Merchandiser…”). For more tips on in-demand soft skills, visit our Top Resume Skills page.
- DON’T forget to mention additional certifications or coursework. Any training that shows you’ve put extra time and work to improve your knowledge and skills can be a plus for your resume. Below are some examples of useful certifications for fashion merchandising — if you have enough of them, consider creating a separate “Training and Certifications” section for them just under your education section.
- Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM)
- Certified Purchasing Manager
- Certified Professional in Supply Management
- Certified Supply Chain Professional
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- DON’T forget to review your resume. Merchandising work demands attention to detail and accuracy — be sure you apply those same qualities to your resume. Proofread it a few times before you submit it, and make sure you’ve avoided any silly typos. This is also your chance to make sure your information is correct, accurate, and relates to the job you’re applying for. For extra help, you can create a resume using our resume builder, which has tools that do all the checking for you.
Top 4 Characteristics of a Best-in-Class Fashion Merchandiser Resume
Summary
In a brief summary statement, highlight top skills and experiences that fit with the specific fashion merchandiser position you’re applying to, explaining what makes you a good candidate. For example: “Creative and skilled fashion merchandiser well-versed with the complete garment life cycle, from initial concept to retail sales.”
Skills
Your resume skills section should be a blend of hard skills such as apparel pre-production, personnel management, inventory replenishment and product merchandising, and soft skills such as excellent time management, a team player approach and organizational skills. As with the summary, feature attributes that address the job’s specific needs, e.g., “construction specifications” or “competitive analysis.”
Work history
Show how you’ve used your best skills to successfully complete tasks and projects, with the emphasis on accomplishments rather than daily duties. For example: “Designed eye-catching window displays to draw attention to featured clothing items, increasing store traffic by 20%.” Notice how this example uses strong verbs and metrics to give the candidate’s achievements more weight.
Education
List your highest education credentials (e.g., bachelor’s degree in fashion), along with the name and location of the institution where you got them. Add any additional coursework, training or certifications related to fashion merchandising, such as training in product development or fashion design, or certification in Microsoft Office, Product Development/Fashion Design, or a graduate certificate in apparel merchandising.
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Fashion Merchandiser Resume Example
Nilda Melissa is a Certified Professional Resume Writer who has written for The Washington Post and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in Journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
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