How to hire a retail specialist

How to hire a retail specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step retail specialist 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 specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new retail specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a retail specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the retail specialist you need to hire. Certain retail specialist 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 specialist 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.

   Here's a comparison of retail specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Retail Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Retail Specialist	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.	$10-20
   Retail Cashier	A retail cashier is an employee who scans products and processes cash payments between the retail store and its customers. Retail cashiers must provide excellent customer service that can include greeting customers, directing customer inquiries to the appropriate party, and informing customers about the services available... Show more	$11-16
   Retail Representative	A retail representative is in charge of assisting customers with their shopping needs in retail stores, ensuring customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities include greeting customers and identifying their needs, answering inquiries, locating products, offering promotions and recommendations, and conducting demonstrations when possible... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Store Management
   • Retail Environment
   • Store Associates
   • Customer Service
   • Product Knowledge
   • Shelf Tags
   • POS
   • Retail Sales
   • Retail Accounts
   • Customer Issues
   • Strong Customer Service
   • Retail Operations
   • Customer Orders
   • Sales Floor

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a high volume of patient information from authorizing diagnostic procedures and scheduling patients.
   • Manage Nintendo's promotional programs; secure and maintain point-of-purchase displays that alert customers to brand availability.
   • Complete cash, credit, and debit POS transactions accurately and according to company policy.
   • Assist clients with applications to determine county benefits eligibility food, cash, childcare and medicaid benefits.
   • Operate POS system to input customers' orders, process credit card transactions, and enter cash amounts receive.
   • Perform insurance verification for new and self-pay patients to facilitate reimbursement for the services render.

   More retail specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your retail specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A retail specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, retail specialists' average salary in mississippi is 32% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level retail specialists 49% less than senior-level retail specialists.
   • Certifications. A retail specialist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a retail specialist's salary.

   Average retail specialist salary

   $14.96hourly

   $31,114 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level retail specialist salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average retail specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Hampshire	$38,660	$19
   2	Washington	$36,217	$17
   3	California	$36,084	$17
   4	New York	$35,674	$17
   5	Oregon	$34,773	$17
   6	Wisconsin	$34,482	$17
   7	Minnesota	$33,115	$16
   8	New Jersey	$32,762	$16
   9	Illinois	$31,747	$15
   10	Nevada	$31,266	$15
   11	Ohio	$31,250	$15
   12	Arizona	$31,202	$15
   13	Maryland	$31,023	$15
   14	Virginia	$30,710	$15
   15	Colorado	$29,363	$14
   16	Missouri	$29,318	$14
   17	Kansas	$29,132	$14
   18	Idaho	$28,504	$14
   19	Texas	$28,434	$14
   20	Indiana	$28,319	$14

   Average retail specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$102,856	$49.45	6
   2	Deloitte	$54,660	$26.28	231
   3	Empire Marketing Strategies	$40,068	$19.26	17
   4	PepsiCo	$39,272	$18.88	8
   5	Cargill	$38,058	$18.30	6
   6	Bob's Discount Furniture	$37,512	$18.03	189
   7	Verizon Communications	$36,260	$17.43	1
   8	Shoppers Food	$35,741	$17.18
   9	The RealReal	$34,157	$16.42	8
   10	Leidos	$33,300	$16.01	10
   11	SVS Vision	$33,085	$15.91	9
   12	Compass Group USA	$32,957	$15.84	127
   13	Hudson Group	$32,857	$15.80
   14	Verizon Services Corp.	$32,776	$15.76	428
   15	Funko	$32,512	$15.63
   16	TDS	$32,077	$15.42
   17	Comcast	$31,594	$15.19	389
   18	Genuine Parts	$31,163	$14.98	10
   19	Park Ave Motor Corp	$31,152	$14.98
   20	The Mosaic Company	$31,145	$14.97	18

4. Writing a retail specialist job description

   A retail specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a retail specialist job description:

   Retail specialist job description example

   Exceeds customer expectations by providing fast, genuinely friendly customer service and by ensuring that doughnuts are fresh, meeting Krispy Kreme standards and exceeding customer expectations.
   Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Fills customer orders by obtaining items from shelves, coolers, bins, tables, or containers and dispenses beverages. Handles difficult customer situations professionally. Exhibits suggested selling behaviors such as: second dozens, up-selling other products, and up-selling sizes. Operates the POS system per standards identified in the Employee Training Manual. Operates other retail equipment, e.g., coffee and soda machines, in the proper manner. Collects cash and/or initiates credit card charge payments from customers and makes accurate change for cash transactions. Cleans/stocks doughnut shelves. Counts money in cash drawer at beginning and end of work shift. Maintains a clean, neat uniform at all times including a name tag. Handles products per procedure identified in the Employee Training Manual. Utilizes proper cleaning techniques as identified in the Employee Training Manual. Complies with sanitation standards per Health Code and Third-Party Auditor standards. Acts as a team player through the standards identified in the Employee Training Manual. Completes assigned secondary duties.
   Supervisory Responsibilities: This position has no supervisory responsibilities.
   Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
   100% knowledge of specific department standards that affect their position. Ability to work in any department that may coincide with their position. Ability to learn quickly, teach successfully and execute efficiently and effectively. Must have valid health card in applicable states
   Education/Experience: High school diploma or general education degree (GED); prefer 3 months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
   Language Skills: Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos in English. Ability to write simple correspondence in English. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of Westward Dough Operating Company, LLC/Krispy Kreme.
   Math Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
   Reasoning Skills: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.
   Other Requirements: Commitment to teamwork, a clean, professional appearance, and enthusiasm; a desire to take on more responsibility.
   Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
   While performing the duties of this job the employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts. The employee is frequently exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and moderate heat. The noise level in the environment is moderate.
   Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, climb, bend, stoop, squat, kneel, see, talk and hear. The employee is regularly required to lift, carry, push, and pull up to 10 pounds. Regular use of hands to finger, firmly grasp, handle, feel, reach above the shoulder, and reach below the waist is required.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right retail specialist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your retail specialist job on Zippia to find and attract quality retail specialist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit retail specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 specialist

   Once you've found the retail specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new retail specialist. 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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