How to hire a retail sales representative

How to hire a retail sales representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step retail sales representative hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a retail sales representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new retail sales representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a retail sales representative do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the retail sales representative you need to hire. Certain retail sales representative roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect retail sales representative also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents retail sales representative salaries for various positions.

   Type of Retail Sales Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Retail Sales Representative	Retail sales workers include both those who sell retail merchandise, such as clothing, furniture, and automobiles, (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.	$13-24
   Sales Clerk	A sales clerk is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing products, responding to customer inquiries, and providing product recommendations. Sales clerks require excellent customer service and communication skills to offer the best services to the customers and maintain good customer feedback for the business... Show more	$7-18
   Retail Clerk	A retail clerk is responsible for selling goods and services to the customers, recommending products based on their needs, and responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the product. Retail clerks assist with the store's marketing strategies, organize product displays, monitor inventories, endorse promotional discounts, and help customers on their checkout payments... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Retail Sales
   • Retail Store
   • POS
   • Store Management
   • Customer Relationships
   • Broadband
   • Resourcefulness
   • Customer Service
   • Product Knowledge
   • Sales Objectives
   • Retail Environment
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Telecommunication
   • Sales Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Track leads, manage business opportunity, and initiate sales promotions using Siebel CRM.
   • Achieve quarterly and yearly bonus goals by controlling business expenses and effectively managing payroll costs.
   • Train new RSC members on sales techniques.
   • Complete daily office visit entries through CRM.
   • Conduct WebEx & PowerPoint presentations over the phone.
   • Used passion for technology and resourcefulness to generate sales.

   More retail sales representative duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the retail sales representative job description is a good way to get more applicants. A retail sales representative salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a retail sales representative in North Carolina may be lower than in Maine, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level retail sales representative. Additionally, a retail sales representative with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average retail sales representative salary

   $37,907yearly

   $18.22 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level retail sales representative salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

   Average retail sales representative salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maine	$59,096	$28
   2	Massachusetts	$54,741	$26
   3	Washington	$48,659	$23
   4	New York	$47,314	$23
   5	Oregon	$46,252	$22
   6	California	$43,845	$21
   7	Colorado	$39,539	$19
   8	Arizona	$38,223	$18
   9	Nevada	$37,882	$18
   10	Illinois	$36,730	$18
   11	New Mexico	$36,405	$18
   12	Texas	$35,537	$17
   13	Ohio	$35,282	$17
   14	Iowa	$35,104	$17
   15	Mississippi	$35,070	$17
   16	Oklahoma	$35,024	$17
   17	Nebraska	$34,386	$17
   18	Florida	$33,841	$16
   19	Georgia	$33,812	$16
   20	North Carolina	$33,334	$16

   Average retail sales representative salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pella	$51,586	$24.80	56
   2	Oracle	$49,862	$23.97	1,102
   3	Textron	$44,580	$21.43	6
   4	The Manitowoc Company	$44,426	$21.36
   5	General Mills	$43,804	$21.06	43
   6	Post Holdings	$43,645	$20.98	6
   7	Verizon Communications	$42,891	$20.62	6
   8	IDT	$42,852	$20.60	23
   9	AT&T	$42,787	$20.57	1,179
   10	The Wonderful Company	$41,554	$19.98	4
   11	Simpson Manufacturing Co	$40,964	$19.69	2
   12	Room & Board	$40,604	$19.52	3
   13	Anastasia Beverly Hills	$39,988	$19.23	7
   14	Pel	$39,826	$19.15
   15	Shentel	$39,357	$18.92	10
   16	Sunrun	$39,201	$18.85	280
   17	Florida Power and Light	$38,989	$18.74	4
   18	HOLT CAT	$38,537	$18.53	9
   19	Phillips Edison & Company	$37,844	$18.19
   20	KeHE	$37,611	$18.08	12

4. Writing a retail sales representative job description

   A good retail sales representative job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a retail sales representative job description:

   Retail sales representative job description example

   Northern Tool + Equipment is currently hiring for full-time Sales Representatives!
   Pay starting at $15.00 plus commission and other incentives.
   
   Job Summary:
   
   Our retail Sales Representatives work with customers to find the best product options to meet their unique needs, create solutions and ensure a smooth sales process. We are a unique retailer that understands the value of our customer and team .
   
   Our retail sales team is responsible for greeting and assisting customers, maintaining a neat, organized and clean sales floor promoting the Northern Tool credit card program, selling extended service protection plans on qualifying items, and supporting the management team with day-to-day store operations
   
   We are looking for:
   A passion for service to offer solution options to customers Previous retail sales experience preferred Motivation to achieve results Ability to communicate clearly with customers and co-workers Ability to lift up to 70 pounds Knowledge of tools and light industrial products, or be willing to learn Mechanical aptitude Ability to work weekends and holidays as needed Bilingual in Spanish helpful
   
   Perks:
   Earn commission on every sale Incentive pay for supporting service protection plans and store credit card programs Paid Time Off - effective immediately Holiday Pay Health Benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, disability and life insurance 401k with employer match Friendly Work Environment Flexible Scheduling Competitive Wages 20% Employee Discount #ARJ
   
   PI193562088

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find retail sales representatives for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your retail sales representative job on Zippia to find and recruit retail sales representative candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with retail sales representative candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new retail sales representative

   Once you've selected the best retail sales representative candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new retail sales representative. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a retail sales representative?