Do I need a degree to become a visual merchandiser?

No. Many visual merchandisers start as sales assistants or display assistants. A portfolio and practical experience count for a lot, and a course in art, design or visual merchandising can help.

What should be in my portfolio?

Photos of windows, displays and layouts you have made, with a line on the brief, the budget and the result. Keep it to your best ten or so images.

How can I show creativity on a CV without a design background?

Describe displays you built, ideas you suggested and how customers responded. Even a simple table display that sold well is good evidence.

Visual merchandiser CV example

A strong visual merchandiser CV shows an eye for display backed by practical skills: following planograms, dressing windows to a brief and changing over a store to a deadline. It should point to photos or a portfolio and show how your displays supported sales, not just how they looked.

// visual merchandiser

Ella Richardson

ella@example.com | 07700 900120 | Leeds

01 — Profile

Creative but practical visual merchandiser who plans and installs window and in-store displays for a high-street fashion and homeware store. Skilled at working from planograms and seasonal briefs, sourcing props on a budget and finishing changeovers before opening. Understands how displays guide customers to products and support sales.

02 — Experience

Visual Merchandiser

a department store's fashion and homeware floors

Dressed four window displays and two in-store feature areas each season, working from head office briefs

Followed planograms to lay out shelves and rails, and adapted them to fit the store's real space

Completed overnight and early-morning changeovers ahead of opening, including Christmas and sale periods

Sourced and made low-cost props, keeping displays within the agreed budget

Photographed finished displays for head office and my portfolio, and checked them again every week

Display Assistant

a garden centre's gift and homeware department

Built seasonal displays for spring planting, summer outdoor living and Christmas gifts

Moved stock and display fixtures safely following manual handling training

Used sales figures to decide which products to place at eye level and on the front tables

Kept displays tidy and refilled them every day

Worked with the department manager to plan the next month's display changes

03 — Key skills

Window dressingPlanogram and layout complianceSeasonal changeoversMannequin stylingProp sourcing and budgetsColour and layoutWorking from a briefManual handling and working at heightPhotography for a portfolioWorking with store teams

Example · fictional candidate · Terminal design · Use this design

Tips for a visual merchandiser CV

Add a link to an online portfolio or say that photos are available; it is the most useful thing on this CV
Show the practical side, such as planograms, changeovers, ladders, props and budgets, as well as the creative side
Link displays to results where you can, such as a display that helped sell a feature product
Mention the deadlines you worked to, such as overnight changeovers or a full store reset
List any relevant courses, such as a Level 3 in art, design or visual merchandising, and any software you use
Include manual handling and working-at-height training if you have it

Applying with a cover letter? See our visual merchandiser cover letter example.