A furniture store is the ideal place to find what you need to make your home uniquely yours. Whether you need to update your home or you are buying a new place and want some new furniture for it, you can find whatever you want and need here. There are so many options that can be overwhelming to the consumers, but luckily there is trained staff to help them out.

A great thing about gaining employment at one of these places is that there are flexible hours and little experience required for most entry level positions. This is great for those who are looking for a second job to bring in some more money to the house or for college students working around a hectic class schedule. This can also be great for first time job seekers trying to gain experience in the workforce.

There are also opportunities that open up during the busy holiday season. This seasonal employment helps open up extra jobs not normally needed, which allows for people to get a job during the holidays. This benefits those who want to earn extra money for the holidays. This is a good industry for most people, because there are needs of people with so many different talents to work for them.

Job Opportunities

Here are some employment opportunities in an industry like this:

Design Specialist: Do you have a knack for interior design? This can be a position for you. A design specialist can work with customers to help them imagine how to set up and design the furniture to make their home really the one of their dreams. They provide a service similar to sales, and this position is commission based. A design specialist will greet customers, and walk around the show floor with them, assisting guests as needed. They should be good listeners to really understand what their customers are looking for and need to provide the best service possible. A position like this requires a person to have excellent people skills and proven experience in sales. A high school diploma is required, but a college degree is preferred. A design specialist can earn around $11 per hour, before commission.

Sales Associate: A sales associate is out on the show floor, walking around to assist in customers. From there, they will show their customers the types of furniture they are looking for. A sales associate must have great listening skills to really understand exactly what their guest is looking for. The sales person should have excellent knowledge of the products in the store, including different materials and styles that are available. They should also know all about the delivery policies to best explain it to their clients. They should know basic design information to help a customer pick a product that fits nicely in their home. They are responsible for knowing all about the financing available with their company, as well as all current sales and promotions going on or upcoming. They must be able to consistently meet all sales goals. A sales person will need to have completed high school or have a GED but a college degree or coursework is often preferred. They can earn around $28,000 a year without commission.

Administrative Assistant: An administrative assistant is the person who deals with all the clerical work and customer service. They will answer phones, assist customers by checking the status of their orders, and taking over the phone orders. They are the people who schedule deliveries, and call with the delivery time frame when that information becomes available to them. They must follow up after deliveries are made, to ensure everything meets the satisfaction of the customer. After the sales person completes the orders, they take the customer to the administrative assistant to handle the paperwork. They handle the financing paperwork, and inform the customer if they qualify. They are the ones who receive the payments from the customers and handle the invoices. They keep track of inventory to ensure the products are in that their consumer is interested in. They balance the cash box and payments to ensure everything is squared away. The assistant should have a competency with computers and have amazing interpersonal skills. A high school diploma or equivalent is required to gain this type of employment, though some college coursework is preferred. An administrative assistant can make around $12 an hour.

Delivery Drivers: A delivery driver is responsible for making sure that the product that was ordered by the consumer is delivered to their home as promised. They are tasked with ensuring the product is in good repair before entering the truck and will have to properly pack up the truck so everything is safe from being damaged on the way to the client’s house. The delivery driver will bring the products to the house and bring it to where the client wants it in their home. If contracted, they must also remove old items for them and place it on their truck. If there is assembly required for the items, they will take care of that as well. A delivery driver must have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record. They must pass drug tests. They will need to have excellent interpersonal skills. They must have a high school diploma or equivalent. They can earn around $45,000 a year.

Job Outlook

The job growth for this industry is around 11%, which is where the national average for other industries. The reason for this is because in lower level positions, a person will often move onto other careers once gaining experience here. This is also as a result of the seasonal positions that open up, creating a rotating door of employees during the holidays.