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First assistant manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Timothy Edwards,

Bruce Heiman Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical first assistant manager skills. We ranked the top skills for first assistant managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 22.8% of first assistant manager resumes contained visual presentation as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a first assistant manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 first assistant manager skills for your resume and career

1. Visual Presentation

Here's how first assistant managers use visual presentation:

Maintained an effective visual presentation of both merchandising and fixture placement.
Provided visual presentation according to Company requirements.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how first assistant managers use customer service:

Maintained high standards of customer service including greeting customers and efficiently and accurately recording transaction.
Assisted with general operations of location including customer service, inventory, and cash management.

3. Basic Math

Here's how first assistant managers use basic math:

Perform a basic mathematical calculation commonly used in business.
Bank deposit experience, gained basic mathematical knowledge for day sales and net sale totals.

4. Customer Obsession

Here's how first assistant managers use customer obsession:

Lead and inspire a team focused on customer obsession and driving the results.
Team focused on customer obsession and driving results.

5. POS

POS is an abbreviation of "Point of Sale" which is the time and place where a customer completes a transaction. It can either be a physical shop that consists of POS terminals or a virtual shop. A POS system helps simplify the retail functions and track important sales data.

Here's how first assistant managers use pos:

Trained associates on the POS terminal and their appointed assignments for the day.
Counted daily tills and prepared the deposits Maintained the point of sale (POS) system programming.

6. Math

Here's how first assistant managers use math:

Applied Statistics Quality Control- An applied approach to statistical quality control utilizing theoretical tools acquired in other math and statistics courses.
Demonstrated high proficiency in math and basic computer applications.

7. Sales Floor

The sales floor is the area in a company or a business that is specified for retail activities or is designated as the selling area of the shop. A car showroom can be considered a sales floor, as it has cars in its display which are to be sold. A sales floor is generally crowded with sales assistants who are there to help you out while you can search and check out the products. Generally a sales floor has free access to the public and they can observe, view and get information about the product that is being sold.

Here's how first assistant managers use sales floor:

Managed sales floor; maintained appropriate stock/inventory levels and designed merchandising displays.
Keep sales floor maintained and organized along with taking down and setting up new displays as colors and seasons change.

8. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how first assistant managers use payroll:

Assisted Profit & Loss management by following cash control/security procedures, maintaining inventory & managing payroll.
Created schedules into Workforce Management to ensure payroll accuracy.

9. Food Safety

Here's how first assistant managers use food safety:

Directed a staff of several employees to follow all Food Safety guidelines issued by the company, state and local authorities.
Trained newly promoted internal managers, ran daily restaurant operations, enforced food safety procedures, and directed crew members.

10. Inventory Control

Here's how first assistant managers use inventory control:

Maintained inventory control and proper documentation, ensuring proper shipping and receiving of products and storage.
Eliminated high levels of unnecessary waste by enforcing better inventory control and product handling procedures.

11. Loss Prevention

The steps taken by a business to prevent theft is called loss prevention. There are multiple methods for loss prevention for example usage of automated cash handling, secure physical location, product security staff buy-in, and attentive customer service.

Here's how first assistant managers use loss prevention:

Collaborated with Loss Prevention Manager in conducting interviews and surveillance in several stores.
Protect company assets by reinforcement of loss prevention procedures

12. Food Cost

Food costs are the ratio of ingredients and the revenue they generate when sold. It is often used to determine the price of a meal at a restaurant.

Here's how first assistant managers use food cost:

Managed food cost and operation supplies to ensure profitability.
Overlooked the systems being handled by Junior Assistant Managers such as Equipment, Ordering, Food Cost and Local Store Marketing.

13. Bank Deposits

Any money that a customer chooses to leave with their bank account is a deposit. Deposits can vary in amounts and different banks have limits on the deposits their customers can have as a minimum. Banks charge customers for deposits especially when a teller is used by the customer to deposit money into their account.

Here's how first assistant managers use bank deposits:

Performed and supervised daily operations, including bank deposits and money handling.
Prepared nightly accounting paper-work prepared and delivered bank deposits.

14. Product Quality

Product quality is the basic element of a business. It means to add features in a product or service in such a way that it meets the needs and wants of the customers. Enhancing the product quality also means improve the goods from any existing defects to ensure customer satisfaction.

Here's how first assistant managers use product quality:

Maintained critical standards for product quality.
Order and receive food and beverage deliveries, checking delivery contents to verify product quality and quantity.

15. Customer Complaints

Here's how first assistant managers use customer complaints:

Worked directly with store manager to assist with inventory management, customer complaints, daily store operations and store meetings.
Serve as the first point of customer escalation for service-related issues, and works to reconcile customer complaints.

What skills help First Assistant Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on first assistant manager resumes?

Dr. Timothy Edwards

Professor, Interim Director, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Writing and research skills. Analytical and critical thinking skills. Technical skills such as web design, graphic design, audio and video production skills. Employers are interested in potential employees knowledge, intelligence and skills.

What soft skills should all first assistant managers possess?

Bruce Heiman Ph.D.

Professor of International Business, San Francisco State University

-Languages beyond English (fluency in written and oral)

-Ability to work collegially in a diverse cultural setting

-Ability to identify good problems on which to work in a competent manner

-Ability/flexibility to interact/work productively with people who have serious constraints on their time owing to other work or personal commitments/issues

-Some of my answers to Q1 above would also apply here

What hard/technical skills are most important for first assistant managers?

Bruce Heiman Ph.D.

Professor of International Business, San Francisco State University

-Analytical skills (ability to gather data, clean it, analyze it, write-up results and present on what the meaning of the analysis suggests for action (the last one is most important--"what does it really mean?"

-Some experience and skills with coding in any language (at the moment, Python or C++ are preferred, though Ruby on Rails is also good)

-Deep spreadsheet skills (pivot tables and macros, as examples).

-Relational database skills, including programming (e.g., MySQL)

-Data mining

-AI/Machine Learning experience

What first assistant manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Steve Wages Ph.D.

Director, Cloverdale Center for Youth and Family, Faulkner University

I recommend they use this time to fill in the gaps, no pun intended, in their program of studies by expanding their knowledge base. All educational programs have gaps in the training, content areas which are not addressed adequately. For example, my counseling program was highly regarded, yet I had little to no content related to aging studies, parenting, or personal finances, etc. Further, the content of counseling programs is problem-centered or remedial, conceptually focused on tertiary prevention.

Consequently, graduates are not exposed to a large body of research and literature related to human development, individual wellness, and family strengths which would greatly inform and enhance their assessment and intervention strategies employed in counseling. I believe the more we can do to strengthen our understanding of healthy individual and family wellness, the better equipped we will be to address unhealthy relationships and family dynamics. Put another way, being well grounded in primary and secondary prevention will further equip the pastoral counselor's efforts at intervention. Again, use this time to acquire relevant knowledge and content that most counseling programs do not address extensively.

What type of skills will young first assistant managers need?

Dr. Barbara Davis

William J. Atkins Dean, Centenary College of Louisiana

Analysis - Graduates will need to analyze situations, identify the best choices, and seek solutions with the highest benefit to the organization.

Creativity - Graduates will need to possess critical and creative thinking skills.

Flexibility - Graduates must remain flexible to succeed in a highly changing environment.

What technical skills for a first assistant manager stand out to employers?

Kerem Cakirer Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer, Indiana University Bloomington

The labor market is not so different than any market with demand and supply. The demand from employers will shift towards more technical (software, coding, computer language programming) and analytical (problem solving on your own) skills than social skills overall. Being capable of writing or/and understanding computer languages will be a must have skill in the very near future. Communication skills over online platforms or social media platforms will play a huge role when employers are making a hiring decision. The data supports that businesses are using more online platforms than ever. I am projecting that there won't be any business travels or on-site client meetings in the near future. Exceling in different types of software, and being able to learn a new one easily, will become more important than people skills in businesses. Employers will seek for candidates, who are capable of achieving tasks in a more off-site (outside the office) environment through a deadline, and who can utilize multiple different softwares at their hand to solve business problems. As far as how the hiring process would go, we might see employers using artificial intelligence to make hiring decisions over some online platform soon. Essentially, this means that the candidates will be assessed with a more quantitative measure than ever. An evaluation measure by the AI, which will take soft and digital skills more into account.My final words are: The pandemic is still a burden to the humankind but the world will prevail. This year could be the inception of a new era in terms of how businesses run.

Do you want to know more?

List of first assistant manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a first assistant manager resume and required skills for a first assistant manager to have include:

Visual Presentation
Customer Service
Basic Math
Customer Obsession
POS
Math
Sales Floor
Payroll
Food Safety
Inventory Control
Loss Prevention
Food Cost
Bank Deposits
Product Quality
Customer Complaints
Assist Store
Sales Associates

Store Operations
Product Knowledge
Customer Relations
Cash Control
Store Sales
Food Preparation
Cash Drawers
Performance Reviews
Inventory Management
Restaurant Operations
Store Management
Food Quality
Customer Issues
Sales Reports
HR
Customer Inquiries
Performance Evaluations

Retail Store
Visual Standards
Quality Customer Service
Labor Costs
Store Maintenance
Truck Orders
Conference Calls
Food Orders
Employee Scheduling
Labor Control
Loss Statements
Store Inventory
Store Appearance
UPT
Cash Registers

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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