Tweaking CV and cover letter for retail roles?

[49andFruity]

I want to apply for a few retail roles in my local town. They would suit me down to the ground because they are part time and very local which would enable me to still do different school drop offs and pickups and leave me time to do other stuff in the week.

I'm sat here looking at my CV and whilst there is a gap, the rest of it looks the opposite to a retail role. My previous experience has big, well known companies and fancy job titles. I've worked in retail before and client facing roles so know what I would be letting myself in for.

Many returners to work don't want to go back into the city in a professional role and are happy to go local. I feel that I need to tweak my CV though and not sure how to present myself to a retail role with a cover letter.

Any tips?

They'll be quite used to receiving applications from people in situations similar to yours, so there's no need to worry about presenting yourself as a retail whizz, and they won't be distracted by previous job titles etc. You have experience, and are keen to get back into this type of work - that's really all you need to put across. Highlight some relevant skills in your CV i.e. enjoy working towards achieving targets (you will have sales KPIs in any retail job), strong communication, happy to take responsibility etc.

Thanks Eskee

I've also got some jobs that aren't on my CV. For example, when I was a student I worked p/t in a boutique and a retail chain. I also worked overseas in a hotel during the summer of Uni. I think this is relevant but it is not on my CV as it wasn't relevant when I was applying for roles in the city of London years ago.