Retail, Buying and Selling
Research careers and find opportunities in retail, buying and selling
About
Retail and sales are competitive markets. Customer service is a key focus to help drive sales and create success for companies.
The retail sector is the UK’s largest private employer, employing 3.1 million people in 2021.
Buying online is extremely popular, with the peak being during the pandemic. In December 2006, internet sales accounted for 2.5% of retail sales. In November 2022, internet sales accounted for 29.6% of all retail sales (Office for National Statistics).
Buying is dictated by what the customer wants, the new brands, the market and the trends. You have to spot and react to the most exciting opportunities that may spring from nowhere.
Job profiles
Have a look at Prospects and targetjobs to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them. These are some of the job profiles available:
Retail
- Retail manager
- Retail merchandiser
- Visual merchandiser
- Warehouse manager
- Bookseller
- Call centre manager
- Customer service manager
- Antique dealer
- Commercial art gallery manager
- Stylist
Buying
Selling
- Sales executive
- Sales manager
- Medical sales representative
- Technical sales engineer
- IT sales professional
Skills employers look for
- commercial awareness
- an understanding of what makes customers buy products
- customer-centred
- effective communication skills
- adaptive, flexible and collaborative
- accountability
- the ability to motivate and manage people effectively
- creativity and design skills
- technical and IT skills
See also targetjobs: Discover the skills and qualities needed for buying and merchandising
Salaries
Starting salaries for graduate jobs in this sector can vary depending on the position. To get an idea of typical starting salaries use the following resources:
- our Discover your Earning Potential Pathway offers access to The Pay Index. This shows you how salaries vary across different roles, industries and locations
- job profiles, such as those listed on Prospects or targetjobs
- vacancy sites such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn
For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit Handling job offers.
Inspiration from people working in the industry
- browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
- use LinkedIn’s Alumni tool to find out what Newcastle graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started or watch our quick tutorial on Getting inspiration from others [3:13]
- attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop, to hear directly from our graduates
- sign up for mentoring support with Graduate Mentor and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting
- attend events, including recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights. Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions
Online reviews
Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.
Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:
- RateMyPlacement - placement year reviews written by students.
- The Job Crowd – graduate job reviews
- Glassdoor – company reviews from employees
Not sure what you want to do?
If you’re not sure exactly what you want to do, we can help. You can book a guidance appointment via MyCareer. Our careers consultants can help you explore your options or plan your career.
Career guides
Read career guides for this sector, such as:
- targetjobs: Retail and Sales
- Prospects: Retail and Sales
- Rethink Retail - information and advice on starting a career in retail
Industry news
Use online magazines and journals to follow news from your industry. Reading about trends and developments can be useful for applications and interviews.
Retail
Supply and Procurement
Specialist Retail
- Drapers - fashion industry news
- The Grocer - grocery sector news
- Talking Retail - grocery sector news
Attend events
Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.
See our Events and workshops page for upcoming events, including recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights.
Student societies
Join societies, such as NUSU's Fashion Society show your interest in the retail industry.
Social media
Use social media to find industry insights
Join sector-specific groups on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on X and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.
Find out more about how to use social media for your career.
Professional bodies
Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network
Professional bodies often:
- run networking events
- have specialist groups you could join
- post vacancies on behalf of their members
- have member directories, useful for speculative applications
Key organisations include:
Retail
- British Retail Consortium
- The Institute of Customer Service
- Booksellers Association
- Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS)
Buying and selling
- Institute of Sales Professionals
- British Antique Dealers' Association
- Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers - includes a member directory.
Finding professional bodies worldwide
GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide.
Guide to finding opportunities
There are various ways to find internships, placements and graduate opportunities. We’ve added some tips below to help you get started.
- search for advertised vacancies using the vacancy sites listed below
- look at the careers sections on company websites for student and graduate opportunities.
- use Researching employers to help you gain insights into companies
- attend events such as recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights
- contact employers speculatively – see 'non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs' to help you find organisations to approach
- follow companies on social media for latest news and updates
- consider registering with a recruitment agency for graduate jobs
- register with EmployAbility if you are disabled, neurodivergent or have a mental health condition. They can offer advice and support on applications to Newcastle students. They also run first year, internship and graduate programmes with inclusive employer partners.
- consider alternative ways to find relevant experience and develop your skills
- create your own opportunity by starting your own business or working freelance
Advertised work experience
Gaining work experience in customer service or sales is essential when looking to start a career in this sector.
Placements and summer internships do exist in this sector, but are less common. They are usually aimed at undergraduate students in and above their second or penultimate year of study. Some companies will also consider first and final year students.
Search for work experience
Use our resources to get started:
- MyCareer - search for internships and placements in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
- Internships, placements & shadowing - links to vacancy sites
- Global work experience - for internships or placements abroad
See the following external sites for advice and advertised work experience:
- targetjobs: Finding experience in merchandising
- targetjobs: Finding experience in fashion design
- prospects: How to get into buying and merchandising
- RateMyPlacement
Work Experience in auction houses:
- Bonhams - internships in London and the US
- Christie's - internships in London, Amsterdam, Asia and the US
NCL internships
The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage.
- Search for these under Vacancies on MyCareer. Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.
- You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March.
Worldwide experience
Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:
- additional vacancy websites
- CV, application and interview advice
- Advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world.
Looking for ideas
If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our NU Work Experience Directory. You can see where our students have had internships and placements in the last five years. To see all results in a search category, keep the search field blank.
When to apply
The resources in this section advertise both graduate jobs and graduate schemes. See our graduate jobs page to understand the difference between them.
For graduate schemes, apply as early as possible.
UK applications typically open early in the academic year from September or October. Some close as early as November-December. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled.
Graduate jobs tend to be immediate start positions which can be available all year round. You are more likely to apply for these towards the end of your studies.
Vacancy sites
Use our resources to get started:
- MyCareer - search for graduate schemes and graduate jobs in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
- Graduate Jobs – lists graduate vacancy sites
Search the external sites below for more opportunities.
Vacancy sites for retail, buying and selling
In the North East
- Eldon Square and the Metro Centre - vacancy websites
- North East jobs
UK wide
- JobsRetail
- RetailChoice.com
- The Guardian Jobs - retail and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) vacancies
- Drapers Jobs - includes fashion retail vacancies
- Grocer Jobs - fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) vacancies
- ClearlySalesJobs.co.uk
- Simply Sales Jobs
- Prospects: Graduate job search
- TARGETjobs: Retail, buying and merchandising graduate jobs and schemes
- Christie's - graduate internships in London, Amsterdam, Asia and the US
Graduate schemes & entry level jobs
- Search for vacancies on My Career
- Prospects: Graduate job search
- TARGETjobs: Retail, buying and merchandising graduate jobs and schemes
- Christie's - graduate internships in London, Amsterdam, Asia and the US
Worldwide vacancy sites
See for details of overseas vacancy sites.
Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:
- additional vacancy websites
- CV, application and interview advice
- advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world
Non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs
Not all internships, placements and graduate jobs are advertised. In fact, many people create opportunities through:
- networking and making contacts
- developing their own business ideas
A speculative approach is common for finding internships and placements and graduate jobs. This is where you approach a company directly to ask if they have any opportunities available.
How to access hidden opportunities
Start by identifying organisations you are interested in. Our guide to finding organisations below can help. Then use the following steps to approach them speculatively about possible opportunities:
- Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in.
- Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company.
- Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated.
- If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying!
How to find organisations
- find organisations on MyCareer. Select ‘search' then 'organisations’
- use the business directories and databases on our Researching employers page
- search for companies on LinkedIn. The Find Alumni tool shows you where Newcastle graduates are currently working
- browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
Use the resources below to find organisations in the North East, UK and worldwide.
In the North East
- Eldon Square and the Metro Centre - list of stores
- North East Chamber of Commerce: Business directory – search for companies in the North East
- Journal Top 200 - 200 largest companies in the North East
- International Newcastle - member directory
UK wide
- Booksellers Association - search for bookshops
- Society of Fine Art Auctioneers And Valuers - members directory
- Yell.com - online business directory
Worldwide organisations
Search GoinGlobal’s employer directory for company information in 196 countries. Their country guides list professional bodies around the world.
Specialist recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies can be useful for finding graduate jobs in sales and retail. These tend to be for immediate start positions. It's worth registering with one or two agencies towards the end of your course.
Specialist agencies include:
- Retail Human Resources
- Talisman - recruitment consultancy specialising in fashion and lifestyle retail vacancies
- Pareto Law - specialist recruitment agency, which advertises nationwide graduate sales positions
- BMS Performance - specialist sales recruitment agency
See Recruitment Agencies to find more agencies.
Finding overseas recruitment agencies
GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of recruitment agencies in specific countries. They are listed under the following headings:
- staffing agencies and temporary help firms
- executive recruiters and search firms
Recruitment agencies may not operate in the same way in different countries. In the UK agencies are free for job seekers, but this may not be the case elsewhere. Explore the terms and conditions of an agency before signing up to use them.
Other ways to gain relevant experience
We've added some suggestions to help you develop your skills and gain relevant experience.
- Part-time work is common in the retail and sales. A part-time job in a supermarket or shop is a great way to increase knowledge of the sector and see if it's for you. See finding a part-time job for vacancy sources
- Voluntary work in a charity shop is helpful experience for the retail sector. Voluntary work as a fundraiser would also be helpful for a career in sales.
- Complete a free virtual internship. For example, with Forage, you can filter by career interest to find virtual internships in sales and management.
- Build a portfolio of work to demonstrate your skills and interest. This would particularly apply to fashion roles.
- Enter a sales related competition - prizes can often include internships. For example, Management Undergraduate of the Year with Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
- sign up for free online courses to develop new skills.
Work for yourself
Working as self-employed or freelance is common in the retail sector.
Many large companies offer retail business opportunities in the form of franchises. In the UK, franchising is regulated by the British Franchise Association. The BFA website offers in-depth information and advice for those thinking of joining a franchise.
Our START UP team can help you explore working for yourself at any stage. Whether you want to explore an idea or have already launched a business or freelance career, you can access the following help:
- support with idea generation
- provide tailored advice
- help you develop your skills
- introduce you to like-minded peers
- refer you to further support from mentors
- award grant funding up to £3,000