Shops, warehouses and delivery firms take on extra staff every year for the Christmas peak and the January sales. Some of that hiring starts in early autumn, but plenty of roles are still open in November, and stores often recruit again for January when returns and sales stock arrive. Managers hiring temporary staff move quickly and read CVs fast. They are looking for two things: can you work the hours we need, and can you cope on a busy shop floor?
This guide shows how to make a retail CV that answers both on one page, whether you are a student, a parent looking for extra hours, or someone who wants a temporary role to turn into a permanent one. For the general rules, see the complete UK CV guide.
Put Availability Near the Top
For seasonal work, availability matters more than anything else on your CV. Make it impossible to miss.
Available from 20 November to 10 January. Can work weekends, evenings until 10pm, late-night shopping and Boxing Day. Flexible on shift patterns.
Be honest. If you cannot work Christmas Eve, do not say you are fully flexible. If you are a student, say when term ends and when you return.
The Personal Statement
Three lines: who you are, your relevant experience, and what you are looking for.
Customer-focused sales assistant with two Christmas seasons in a busy department store. Confident on the till, with returns and on the shop floor during peak trading. Looking for a temporary role this Christmas with the option to stay on.
University student with a year of part-time bar work, used to fast service and handling cash. Available full-time over the Christmas break for retail or warehouse work.
See more in the personal statement examples guide.
Skills Retail Managers Look For
Show these through what you have done, not as a list of adjectives:
- Till and cash handling: cashing up, card payments, refunds and exchanges
- Customer service: helping customers find products, handling complaints, staying calm in queues
- Stock work: receiving deliveries, replenishing shelves, stock counts, merchandising
- Speed and accuracy: working quickly under pressure without mistakes
- Teamwork: covering breaks, swapping shifts, helping other departments
- Sales: add-on sales, loyalty sign-ups, promotions
Before: Responsible for working on the tills and serving customers.
After: Served up to 200 customers a shift on the tills during December trading and handled returns and exchanges in the January sale.
No Retail Experience? Use What You Have
Many seasonal workers have never worked in a shop. That is fine. Hospitality, call centre work, volunteering and even school roles all show the same skills.
- Hospitality: fast service, cash handling, working late shifts
- Call centres: handling difficult customers, using computer systems
- Volunteering in a charity shop: pricing, sorting stock, serving customers
- School or college: events, fundraising, a part-time role helping in a family business
If you are writing your first ever CV, the school leaver guide shows how to lay out activities and education instead of paid work.
Warehouse and Delivery Roles
Online orders rise sharply over the festive period, so distribution centres and delivery companies hire seasonal staff too. For these roles, highlight:
- Pick and pack experience, and any rates or targets you hit
- Manual handling or health and safety training
- Forklift licences (counterbalance, reach truck) and when you got them
- A full UK driving licence, for delivery roles
- Willingness to work nights or early starts
Warehouse operative (seasonal), regional distribution centre, November 2025 to January 2026: picked and packed online orders on night shifts, regularly above the pick-rate target.
A One-Page Example
DANIEL REYES Birmingham, B29 · 07700 900321 · daniel.reyes@email.com
Availability From 17 November to 11 January. Weekends, evenings and late-night shopping. Can work Boxing Day.
Personal Statement Second-year student with a year of part-time retail experience in a sports shop. Confident on the till, with stock deliveries and helping customers choose products. Looking for a temporary Christmas sales assistant role.
Experience Sales Assistant (part-time), sports retailer, Birmingham, September 2025 to present
- Serve customers and run the till on busy Saturday shifts
- Help unload and process weekly stock deliveries
- Signed up the most customers to the loyalty scheme in my store last March
Volunteer, charity shop, summer 2024
- Sorted, priced and displayed donated clothing
Education BSc Sport Science, University of Birmingham, 2024 to 2027
Skills Cash handling, stock replenishment, Spanish (fluent)
Turning Temporary Into Permanent
Plenty of retailers keep on their best seasonal staff. If that is what you want:
- Say so in your personal statement ("with the option to stay on").
- Ask about part-time contracts at interview.
- Ask your manager for feedback during the season.
- After January, update your CV with the season's results while you remember them: customers served, targets hit, extra responsibilities.
Applying
Most large retailers use online application forms, and many include short questions or a situational judgement test. Keep your CV ready anyway: you can copy from it, upload it, and hand a printed copy in when you visit local shops. Smaller independent shops often prefer a printed CV handed to the manager on a quiet weekday morning.
CV Templates That Parse Cleanly
Classic CV Template: standard headings, one column, no graphics. Set the paper size to A4 and it is the safest default for UK employers and recruitment agencies.
Sterling CV Template: a serif body with clear rules under each heading, built for large-employer portals and public-sector applications.
Classic Serif CV Template: a clean one-page layout for students, school leavers and graduates.
Related Guides
- How to Write a CV in the UK (2026)
- School Leaver CV: Your First CV at 16 to 18
- UK Cover Letter: Format, Length and a Template
- Skills to Put on a CV
Frequently asked questions
When do shops start hiring for Christmas?
Many larger retailers begin recruiting seasonal staff in early autumn, but roles keep appearing through November, and some stores recruit again for the January sales. Apply as early as you can, and check local shops in person.
Do I need a CV for a Christmas temp job?
Usually yes, or at least the information from one. Many big retailers use online forms, but small shops often ask for a printed CV, and having one ready makes forms quicker.
What if I have no retail experience?
Use any experience that shows customer service, cash handling or working under pressure: hospitality, volunteering, school events or a family business. Put your availability at the top.
Should I mention I only want temporary work?
Say what you are available for. If you would like to stay on after Christmas, say that too, because employers often keep their best seasonal staff.
Next Step
Upload your CV to the free ATS CV checker to see what an employer's system pulls out of it, then fix the gaps before you apply.
