What does a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer do?

Plan and erect commercial displays, such as those in windows and interiors of retail stores and at trade exhibitions. Day to day that includes work like plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers and Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches.

What skills should a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, and Coordination among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Apple iOS. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Display Associate, Merchandiser, Visual Merchandiser, and VM. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 39% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer resume example

A resume for a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer needs to show the work itself: plan and erect commercial displays, such as those in windows and interiors of retail stores and at trade exhibitions. Day to day that means work like this: plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers; arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Display Associate
Merchandiser
Visual Merchandiser
VM
Visual Merchandising Specialist
Decorator
Display Decorator
Display Specialist
In-Store Marketing Associate
Apparel Merchandiser
Display Artist
Display Coordinator
Display Designer
Display Trimmer
Draper
Fashion Merchandiser
Freelance Displayer
Grocery Merchandiser

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers.
Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches.
Change or rotate window displays, interior display areas, or signage to reflect changes in inventory or promotion.
Place prices or descriptive signs on backdrops, fixtures, merchandise, or floor.
Consult with store managers, buyers, sales associates, housekeeping staff, or engineering staff to determine appropriate placement of displays or products.
Maintain props, products, or mannequins, inspecting them for imperfections, doing touch-ups, cleaning up after customers, or applying preservative coatings as necessary.
Develop ideas or plans for merchandise displays or window decorations.
Assemble or set up displays, furniture, or products in store space, using colors, lights, pictures, or other accessories to display the product.
Install booths, exhibits, displays, carpets, or drapes, as guided by floor plan of building or specifications.
Select themes, lighting, colors, or props to be used.
Consult with advertising or sales staff to determine type of merchandise to be featured and time and place for each display.
Attend training sessions or corporate planning meetings to obtain new ideas for product launches.

24 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Change or rotate window displays, interior display areas, or signage to reflect changes in inventory or promotion, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Place prices or descriptive signs on backdrops, fixtures, merchandise, or floor, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Creative Cloud software
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Apple iOS
Autodesk AutoCAD
Computer aided design CAD software
Email software
Google Docs
Graphics software
IBM Lotus Notes
Inventory control systems
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Internet Explorer

25 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Air brushes
Artists' brushes
Claw hammers
Desktop computers
Digital cameras
Dollies
Glue guns
Hand saws
Ladders
Locking pliers
Personal computers
Phillips head screwdrivers

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

CAD
Graphics

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Critical Thinking
03Speaking
04Judgment and Decision Making
05Coordination
06Reading Comprehension
07Social Perceptiveness
08Time Management

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Customer and Personal Service
Sales and Marketing
English Language
Administration and Management

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

39%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
20%Some College Courses
18%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer do?: Plan and erect commercial displays, such as those in windows and interiors of retail stores and at trade exhibitions. Day to day that includes work like plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers and Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches.
What skills should a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, and Coordination among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Apple iOS. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Display Associate, Merchandiser, Visual Merchandiser, and VM. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 39% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmer role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.