In an automotive dealership or parts supply store, a parts specialist is in charge of maintaining the inventory of parts and recommending appropriate parts for clients. Most of their time is spent monitoring supply inventory, making purchase requisitions, as well as answering customer queries on different automotive parts and equipment.
Other duties of a parts specialist include maintaining accurate inventory records, processing warranty requests, communicating with parts suppliers, and boosting sales by recommending purchases to customers. Depending on their training, a parts specialist may also install or replace parts in customers' vehicles.
The qualifications for this position vary per employer, but in general, the ideal candidate is one who is a certified parts specialist and has experience working with automobiles. Moreover, having great skills in customer service, inventory management, and organization is also a plus.
The salary of a parts specialist is around $31,000 per year, but it can go as high as $41,000, especially in the highest-paying states such as Washington, Connecticut, and Alaska.
Retail sales workers include both those who sell retail merchandise, such as clothing, furniture, and cars, (called retail salespersons) and those who sell spare and replacement parts and equipment, especially car parts (called parts salespersons). Both types of workers help customers find the products they want and process customers’ payments.
Typically, there are no formal education requirements for retail sales workers. Most receive on-the-job training, which usually lasts a few days to a few months.
EducationAlthough retail or parts sales positions usually have no formal education requirements, some employers prefer applicants who have a high school diploma or equivalent, especially employers who sell technical products or “big-ticket” items, such as electronics or cars.
TrainingMost retail sales workers receive on-the-job training, which usually lasts a few days to a few months. In small stores, an experienced employee often trains newly hired workers. In large stores, training programs are more formal and usually conducted over several days.
During training sessions, topics often include customer service, security, the store’s policies and procedures, and how to operate the cash register.
Depending on the type of product they are selling, employees may be given additional specialized training. For example, salespersons working in cosmetics get instruction on the types of products the store offers and for whom the cosmetics would be most beneficial. Likewise, those who sell computers may be instructed on the technical differences between computer products.
Because providing exceptional service to customers is a priority for many employers, employees often get periodic training to update and refine their skills.
AdvancementRetail sales workers typically have opportunities to advance to supervisory or managerial positions. Some employers want candidates for managerial positions to have a college degree.
As sales workers gain experience and seniority, they often move into positions that have greater responsibility and may be given their choice of departments in which to work. This opportunity often means moving to positions with higher potential earnings and commissions. The highest earnings potential usually involves selling “big-ticket” items—such as cars, jewelry, furniture, and electronics. These positions often require workers with extensive knowledge of the product and an excellent talent for persuasion.
Important QualitiesCustomer-service skills. Retail sales workers must be responsive to the wants and needs of customers. They should explain the product options available to customers and make appropriate recommendations.
Interpersonal skills. A friendly and outgoing personality is important for these workers because the job requires almost constant interaction with people.
Math skills. Retail sales workers must have the ability to calculate price totals, discounts, and change owed to customers.
Persistence. A large number of attempted sales may not be successful, so sales workers should not be discouraged easily. They must start each new sales attempt with a positive attitude.
Selling skills. Retail sales workers must be persuasive when interacting with customers. They must clearly and effectively explain the benefits of the merchandise.
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In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of Technician you might progress to a role such as Team Leader eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title District Manager.
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At Zippia, we went through countless Parts Specialist resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
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Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Parts Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Parts Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
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Part 3 of Scala Applied, covering Scala's core libraries...
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 13.5% of Parts Specialists listed Customer Service on their resume, but soft skills such as Customer-service skills and Interpersonal skills are important as well.
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Parts Specialist. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Washington, New Jersey, and Wyoming. Parts Specialists make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $45,946. Whereas in Washington and New Jersey, they would average $41,566 and $38,899, respectively. While Parts Specialists would only make an average of $37,796 in Wyoming, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Wyoming
$37,796
Avg. Salary
2. Alaska
$45,946
Avg. Salary
3. Idaho
$33,609
Avg. Salary