In the fast-paced and chaotic realm of retail, patient, composed, and organized cashiers like yourself are the unsung heroes of the checkout line. But before you get to do what you do best, you need a well-written cashier resume to showcase your qualifications and attract potential employers.
This article will show you a professional approach to creating an effective resume. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll know all the intricacies of crafting a useful and comprehensive document with zero sweat. You’ll also learn how to emphasize your key skills and experience, how to demonstrate reliability and dedication, and much more.
Join us as we explore various proven resume-building strategies that will help you secure your position in the world of cashiering.
Key Takeaways
The best resume format depends on your situation and experience, but most candidates should go with the chronological resume format.
Most cashier resumes should be one page long with a focus on your work history.
You should read the job ad and look for keywords to find out which skills recruiters are looking for.
By making an effort to write and submit a cover letter that matches your resume, you show motivation and enthusiasm right from the start.
What Is the Right Format to Use for a Cashier Resume?
Before you start adding details to your cashier resume, you need to determine its format and layout first. The right format optimally conveys information about you to recruiters and ensures you pass the ATS check.
There are several formats to choose from, but the chronological resume format is usually the best choice for most cashiers. It puts your latest job first and neatly presents the rest of your work history in reverse-chronological order, making it favored by recruiters.
If you have no work history whatsoever, you can consider using the functional resume format, which makes your skills the main section.
Lastly, if you don’t have any experience working as a cashier but have picked up relevant skills doing other jobs, you can take advantage of the combination resume format. It also highlights skills but backs them up with relevant achievements.
Resume templates
Resume templates that are designed to help you win a jobResume Layout
Did you know that recruiters sometimes spend less than 10 seconds skimming through a resume before moving on to the next one? That’s why a good format alone isn’t enough to ensure you grab their attention. You also need a visually appealing document to maximize your chances of success.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a graphic designer to create a pleasing resume layout. You can simply follow these guidelines:
Resume Layout Guidelines
Keep your resume brief, concise, and one page long in most cases.
Use bullet points for your cashier resume instead of blocks of text whenever possible.
Set your line spacing to 1 or 1.15.
Pick a resume-friendly font and set its size to 10–12 pts. Increase section heading font size by 2–4 pts.
Have at least 1-inch margins on all sides with proportionate white space between sections.
What Sections Should a Cashier Resume Contain?
The five must-have sections in a cashier resume are:
Mandatory Resume Sections
Contact information
Resume objective/summary
Work experience
Education
Skills
To stand out among the competition, you can include optional sections such as:
Optional Resume Sections
Awards and certifications
Languages
Hobbies and interests
Now you should have enough information to start composing your document. But before you grab a Word sample of a cashier resume somewhere online and start working on it, you should know that there’s a better way.
We built a specialized resume-building tool that produces professional, industry-standardized, and ATS-proof documents. The whole process is rather simple, as you get to pick a ready-made cashier resume template, customize it using an extensive set of controls, and fill in the preset spots with your details.
Here’s one of many cashier resume templates that you’ll find in our collection.
Cashier Resume Template
Name and Surname
Phone number: 000-000-0000 | Email: namesurname@gmail.com | Location: City, State
[Adjective] [your job title] with [years of experience, if applicable] in [your area of expertise, if applicable] looking for a [position] job at [company name]. Eager to apply [relevant skills] gained through [work/volunteer/other experience] to help [company name] [mention what you can do for the company].
Work Experience
Most Recent/Current Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Previous Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Oldest Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For older jobs, use 2-3 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Education
[Degree] in [Major] [University/college name] [Start date] - [Graduation date]
Skills
Soft Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Hard Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Additional Sections
Add any relevant additional sections (languages, licenses, publications, hobbies, etc.)
Cashier Resume Contact Information
Let’s start the resume-building process simply with a clear-cut section that is your contact information. This part goes at the top of the document—in the resume header—and it should feature the following details:
Contact Information Mandatory Details
Your name
Professional title, which should match the one in the job ad
Phone number
Email address, which should feature a professional format (e.g., firstname.lastname@example.com)
Mentioning your location isn’t mandatory, but you should include your city and state if the job ad asks for it. You can also add relevant social media profiles. In most cases, that’s going to be a LinkedIn profile.
Here’s an example:
Good Example
Arlette Rhodes
Cashier
+ 781 633 8844
arletterhodes@example.com
Canton, MA
linkedin.com/in/arletterhodes55
Cashier Resume Objective or Summary
Your resume objective or summary is where you should be a bit creative. The purpose of this section is to showcase your key strengths right off the bat and persuade recruiters to read the rest of your resume.
You can achieve that by writing 2–4 highly effective sentences at the beginning of your cashier resume.
If you’re an entry-level candidate who’s light on experience, you should write a resume objective to emphasize your skills and motivation. On the other hand, you’ll write a summary for your cashier resume as an experienced applicant, pointing out a couple of your most impressive work-related achievements.
Cashier Resume Objective
Let’s start with a well-written example of a cashier resume objective:
Good Example
“Motivated restaurant server with 2 years of experience providing exceptional service to customers. Adept at organizing 15-person staff and communicating with customers while monitoring wait lists. Seeking to apply my people skills to successfully fill in the cashier role at [name of the company].”
Notice how the candidate managed to use the skills obtained during their job as a restaurant server to their advantage. Now compare that to a subpar resume objective that offers no concrete information about their competence:
Bad Example
“Entry-level cashier with no experience looking to learn on the job.”
Cashier Resume Summary
A strong resume summary helps you put your best foot forward by making your most impressive achievements prominent right off the bat. Here’s a good example:
Good Example
“Accountable retail cashier with 5+ years of experience exceeding KPI benchmarks at [previous company]. Adept at establishing trust with customers and using advanced upselling techniques to surpass sales targets by 11%. Seeking a cashier role at [name of the company] to leverage impeccable customer service skills and extensive product knowledge.”
However, simply mentioning that you’re an experienced candidate without offering any proof can leave you with a poorly-written resume summary, like in the following example:
Bad Example
"Accomplished cashier with many years of experience looking for a new job.”
Cashier Resume Work Experience
The work experience section is a vital part of your cashier resume and often the main focus of recruiters. Let’s see how you can make it shine.
General Tips
Let’s start with a format that your work experience section should follow:
Position name
Company and its location
Dates of employment
Bullet list of responsibilities and achievements
Having 3–5 bullet points for each previous role is a sweet spot, allowing you to convey enough valuable information without cluttering your resume with redundant details. You can make these bullet points more prominent by utilizing these few tricks:
To truly demonstrate your competence, you should emphasize outstanding results over everyday tasks.
Include numbers and statistics to quantify your accomplishments and add value to them.
Use action verbs and power words that are memorable and can make this whole section stand out.
Cashier With No Experience
If you have no experience as a cashier, you can use the functional resume format that we talked about. However, it would be even better if you managed to leverage relevant experience obtained doing other types of jobs. Many jobs that involve customer service would be a good fit.
Here’s an example of a candidate using their past role as an administrative assistant to write a strong entry-level cashier work experience section:
Good Example
Work Experience
Administrative Assistant
Hess Offices
Birmingham, AL
November 2021–January 2023
Provided comprehensive administrative support to a team of 11 professionals, ensuring efficient workflow.
Successfully managed a high volume of incoming calls, resulting in a 97% customer satisfaction rating.
Handled office supplies, reducing unnecessary expenses by 17% through strategic inventory management.
Experienced Cashier
As an experienced cashier, you want to display a range of competencies that extend beyond what the average candidate has to offer.
In the following example, the applicant highlights their prowess as a cashier but also demonstrates their interpersonal, managerial, and leadership skills:
Good Example
Work Experience
Retail Cashier
Super Stores
Austin, TX
June 2020–Current
Processed an average of 200 customer transactions per day, ensuring efficient and error-free checkout experiences.
Successfully assisted customers and resolved their concerns, achieving a 96% satisfaction rating on post-transaction surveys.
Trained and mentored 9 new cashiers, teaching them company policies and providing guidance on best practices.
Cashier Resume Education Section
While you don’t need any type of formal education to get a job as a cashier, showcasing a degree on your resume can improve your chances with recruiters. A degree represents proof of your abilities and shows that you’re a diligent candidate and an achiever. Creating the education section is simple. Follow the formula and include these details:
Education Section Format
Your degree
The institution issuing it
Dates of attendance
(Optional) Notable achievements
Good Example
Education
High School Diploma
Lincoln High School, Austin, TX
2016–2020
It’s often enough to mention your latest degree and call it a day. However, if you’re an entry-level candidate who lacks a work history, you can put more emphasis on this section. You can include a high GPA, relevant courses, honors, projects, extracurricular activities, and more.
Cashier Resume Skills
Figuring out what are the best skills for your cashier resume is as important as listing them properly. A restaurant cashier resume, for example, will likely feature a different set of skills than a grocery store cashier resume. That’s why you need to do research to find out which abilities recruiters want to see to maximize your chances of success.
So, before writing your cashier resume, read the job description and look into the company that you’re applying to. That way, you’ll end up with a relevant list of abilities required for the particular position that you’re going for.
After creating the skills section for your resume, you should also prove your abilities to make them concrete in the eyes of recruiters. That’s best achieved by mentioning your key skills in association with relevant achievements. That means adding them to your resume summary, objective, and work experience sections.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are technical and specific to cashiers. You can include some of the following in your resume:
POS systems
Product knowledge
Basic mathematics
Computer skills
Cash handling
Returns, refunds, and exchanges
Soft Skills
Soft skills are people skills, and they are transferable between professions. You should include a select few of the highly desired ones, such as:
Interpersonal skills
Endurance
Communication
Teamwork
Time management
Problem-solving
Flexibility
Attention to detail
Cashier Resume Optional Sections
Optional sections allow you to personalize your resume and include additional valuable information.
Awards & Certifications
Awards and certifications are a testament to your skills and diligence. Whether you were an employee of the month or you have a certification that adds credibility to your competence, you should list it in your resume.
Languages
Being proficient in one or more foreign languages allows you to communicate better, understand different cultures, and create more meaningful relationships with colleagues and customers. Depending on the position that you’re going for, the language skills section can even be mandatory.
When adding this part to your resume, you should pick an accepted language framework and list the languages you know in descending order.
Hobbies & Interests
This section speaks more about who you are than what you can do. That’s important, as it helps recruiters see you as a unique person and not just another candidate. While this section should be brief, don’t be afraid to mention something completely unrelated to the job as long as you’re truly passionate about it.
Should You Submit a Cover Letter With Your Cashier Resume?
Cover letter templates
Create a cover letter by filling in a free template and sharing it for freeUnless a potential employer states that they don’t accept cover letters, you should write and submit one that matches your resume.
A cashier cover letter is a 3–5 paragraph document that supplements your resume, adds more content to your application, and shows your commitment to going the extra mile. That makes it one of the easiest ways to get ahead of the competition.
Expert Tips for Creating a Cashier Resume
Let’s wrap up this guide with a few expert tips:
Your job title and skills (among other details in your cashier resume) act as keywords for the ATS. That’s another reason to include relevant skills and ensure that your title matches the one in the job ad.
If you submit your cashier resume as a PDF file, you’ll ensure it preserves its formatting no matter the device it's viewed on.
Make sure to proofread your cashier resume before submitting it. Not only will you end up with a professional document, but you’ll indirectly demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail.
It’s usually best to write a resume objective or summary last. That way, you can easily select the most impressive bits of your resume to put in the introductory paragraph.
Closing Thoughts
In conclusion, a standout cashier resume can be your ticket to the world of opportunities in the retail world. By presenting your qualifications and abilities with a mix of modesty and professionalism, you’ll have the potential employer’s attention in no time.
Remember that your cashier resume isn’t just a plain list of skills and experiences; it’s a reflection of your personality and work ethic. So, once you’ve properly demonstrated your efficiency and customer service skills, you should try to find something that sets you apart from the competition.
After all, by following these tips and guidelines, it won’t be long before you are exchanging playful banter with co-workers and bringing smiles to customers’ faces.
