Exploring Retail CareersExploring Retail Careers

Sources of Career InformationSources of Career Information

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Chapter Objectives

Describe career opportunities in retailing.

Identify personal traits desirable for retailing.

Identify career information to research.

Explain career paths.

Name sources of information about retail careers.

Describe the ways to apply retail-career information.

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The World of Retailing Careers

No matter what your interests are, there is a retail career that relates to your interests.

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Personal Interests

When you have determined your personal interestspersonal interests, you can begin to match them to jobs that require the same or similar interests, aptitudesaptitudes, and skillsskills.

personal interests activities and pursuits that you enjoy most

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aptitude a natural ability to do and learn something

skill the ability to do something

Careers in Retailing

Careers in retailing include:

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Marketing and advertising

Store operations

Loss prevention

Store management

Finance

Human resources

IT and e-commerce

Sales and sales-related careers

Distribution logistics and supply chain management

Careers in Retailing

entrepreneurship the process of owning and managing your own business

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trade associations organizations made up of individuals and businesses in an industry that work to promote that industry

continued

Merchandise buying and planning

EntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship

Retail-industry support– Trade associationsTrade associations

Central Central administrationadministration

central administration the top-leadership branch of a company

Traits Required for Retail Careers

Traits required for retail careers include:

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Ability to work with and get along with people

Responsibility

Reliability and trustworthiness

Punctuality

Honesty

Loyalty

Leadership potential

Operating an e-tail business on an electronic channel—the Web—can be costly, due to design, delivery, returns, and operating expenses.

Though Many larger dot-com companies crashed in the 1990’s, small stores like Harris Cyclery of West Newton, Massachusetts, actually increase sales using a basic Web site. Today, a third of Harris’s bicycle business rides in on the Web to get hard-to-find parts and personal service.

Describe an e-business’s home page to your class after viewing one through marketingseries.glencoe.com.

Internet safety is a major concern for online shoppers. So most e-tail stores use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption to secure financial transactions.

Dot-Con Protection

The technology scrambles and separates the bits of data in the transaction before they fly into cyberspace. When the credit-card numbers reach a vendor, they fall back in order—safe from electronic pirates.

For more information on retailing, go to marketingseries.glencoe.com.

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Why is the career area of loss prevention important?

Which career area of retailing deals with a company’s overall leadership?

What are three desirable traits for employees in all career areas of retailing?

1.

2.

3.

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Getting a Job in Retailing

Investigate the job forecastjob forecast for the career you are considering.

job forecast an estimate of the number of jobs that will be available for a career in the next five to ten years

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Research the career pathcareer path for the career areas that interest you.

career path the series of job experiences that you need to reach your career goal

Where to Get Career Information

Beyond books and Web sites, people can be your best resources.

Your school counselor or your marketing teacher may have information about retail careers.

You can get the best information about day-to-day retail work from retailers themselves.

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Where to Get Career Information

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Monster.com

CareerBuilder.com U.S. Departmentof Labor

U.S. Departmentof the Census

OccupationalOutlook Handbook

National RetailFederationFoundation

The Internet

Libraries

OccupationalOutlook Handbook

Career Guide toIndustries

School Counselorand Marketing

Teacher

RetailProfessionals

TradePublications

Using the Information

Study the career information that you gather and relate it to your personal goals.

values the factors that determine how you want to live your life

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lifestyle the way you live your life and spend your timeBroad personal goals

include your valuesvalues and the lifestylelifestyle you want to pursue.

What is one question you should answer when gathering career information?

Name one government publication that can provide useful career information.

Regarding your personal goals, what are two factors to consider when making career decisions?

1.

2.

3.

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Career opportunities fall into several areas: marketing and advertising, store operations, loss prevention, store management, finance, human resources, IT and e-commerce, sales, distribution logistics/supply-chain management, and merchandise buying and planning. Additionally, there is entrepreneurship and retail industry support.

1. Career paths are the series of job experiences necessary to reach career goals.

2. Ability to work with and get along with people, responsibility, reliability, trustworthiness, punctuality, honesty, loyalty, and leadership potential.

3. Information includes how much education is necessary after high school, how long is a typical workday, what is the salary range, what is the job forecast, what are the career paths.

4.Describe career opportunities in retailing.

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Explain how career paths function.

Explain the traits required for working in retailing.

Identify the kinds of career information you need to research.

Checking Concepts

continued

1.

2.

3.

4.

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List sources of career information.

Explain how to apply career information in your life.

Define personal values and list five of your own.

Internet, libraries, school counselors and marketing teachers, retail professionals, and trade publications

5. The information must be related to your personal goals including your values and lifestyle.

6. Personal values are the factors that determine how you want to live your life, the things that are important to you and the things in which you believe. Your personal values will vary.

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Checking Concepts

continued

5.

6.

7.

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Critical Thinking

Explain why it is a good idea to get as much experience as possible with running a retail business before becoming an entrepreneur.

The more you know about retailing and running a shop, the less likely you are to fail. Many shops fail because the owner did not understand what he or she was getting into. Because the entrepreneur is probably using his or her own money, the best course is to lower the risk as much as possible.

8.

Checking Concepts

8.

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