How To Become A Supervisor/Sales Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a supervisor/sales associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Joseph Hancock

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a supervisor/sales associate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.38 an hour? That's $34,067 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 1,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What's a day at work look like for a supervisor/sales associate?

Joseph Hancock

Research Professor, Program Director, Former Retail Operations Manager, Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

New graduates will need to be self-disciplined and self-motivated. No one is going to hold your hand and tell you "get to work" or you will soon be looking for a new job. The new world may be one where you don't go to an office, but instead work right from home, scheduling appointments and doing your own calendar. My last years working for Target in a regional field position taught me that no one was going to motivate me each day, I had to motivate myself. Also, it can be lonely working from home as a new graduate, so find outside interests and ways to make friends. I am from the old fashion ideologies that getting a hobby is extremely important, and that hobby is not going to the gym or watching television. It includes something that enriches your life to be a better person in society.

ScoreSupervisor/Sales AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,067

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 6.95%

Black or African American 8.47%

Hispanic or Latino 17.92%

Unknown 4.65%

White 61.36%

Gender

female 60.39%

male 39.61%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a supervisor/sales associate

Explore supervisor/sales associate education requirements

Most common supervisor/sales associate degrees

Bachelor's

42.0 %

High School Diploma

26.8 %

Associate

20.8 %

Start to develop specific supervisor/sales associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	42.73%
Sales Floor	10.45%
Product Knowledge	4.67%
POS	4.12%
Customer Satisfaction	3.74%

Complete relevant supervisor/sales associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New supervisors/sales associate 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 supervisor/sales associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real supervisor/sales associate resumes.

Research supervisor/sales associate duties and responsibilities

Partner in managing operations of multiple retail outlets, including hiring, performance management, scheduling, and merchandising management.
Demonstrate knowledge and execution of all register (POS) functions; handle all cash controls and transactions accurately.
Utilize proactive persuasive/retention skills to turn requests for disconnection or downgrade into sales and save opportunities by identifying customer needs.
Demonstrate strong leadership, communication and supervisory skills by providing coaching and feedback to maximize individual and store performance.

Prepare your supervisor/sales associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your supervisor/sales associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a supervisor/sales associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable supervisor/sales associate resume templates

Build a professional supervisor/sales associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your supervisor/sales associate resume.

Apply for supervisor/sales associate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a supervisor/sales associate 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 supervisors/sales associate rate their job?

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Supervisor/sales associate reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Cons

The amount of stolen items and items simply put on any shelf.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020