How To Become A Sales Representative/Assistant Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sales representative/assistant manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Bill Thorne,

Ashley Strausser

The average sales representative/assistant manager salary is $56,377. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-8 years of experience to become a sales representative/assistant manager. Sales representative/assistant managers with a Certified Sales Professional (CSP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 23,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a sales representative/assistant manager?

Bill Thorne

Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation

Retail is the largest private-sector employer in the country, directly employing 32 million people and supporting 52 million jobs overall - roughly one-quarter of the U.S. workforce. While COVID-19 has presented new and unexpected challenges, retailers have continued to showcase the industry's resilience and adaptability time and again. The safety and security of customers and employees remains our greatest priority. It is no doubt that the professional environment has changed this year, but retail continues to offer a plethora of career opportunities for graduates and seasoned veterans alike.

ScoreSales Representative/Assistant ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,377

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 4.07%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.82%

Unknown 4.41%

White 78.23%

Gender

female 39.23%

male 60.77%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sales representative/assistant manager

Explore sales representative/assistant manager education requirements

Most common sales representative/assistant manager degrees

Bachelor's

46.8 %

High School Diploma

24.1 %

Associate

21.0 %

Start to develop specific sales representative/assistant manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	35.17%
Customer Satisfaction	4.73%
Product Knowledge	3.64%
Sales REP	3.48%
Repeat Business	3.36%

Complete relevant sales representative/assistant manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales representative/assistant managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sales representative/assistant manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales representative/assistant manager resumes.

Research sales representative/assistant manager duties and responsibilities

Manage and run the business until the store are sold.
Process cellular phones sales using POS.
Used POS systems to operate and conduct monthly inventory; and perform heavy cash handling and financing.
Complete weekly scheduling process according to payroll policies.

Apply for sales representative/assistant manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sales representative/assistant manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do sales representative/assistant managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Sales representative/assistant manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Cons

Insurbordination, failure to deliver on tasks and targets.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020