Seven things every candidate should know about working in airport retail

Part of the buzz of going on holiday is the excitement of getting through security and walking through the airside retail section. With a couple of hours to kill before your flight, it’s great fun to browse through the shops and buy yourself a treat, such as makeup, perfume, new clothes, or even just a giant Toblerone! If you’re visiting friends or family, this is the point at which you can pick up a nice gift and a bottle of wine or spirits. Even people travelling for work need to stock up on essentials or buy gifts for clients and colleagues. So we’re looking for candidates to serve the thousands of passengers passing through an airport every day. If you think this could be the perfect job for you, here are a few things it’d be useful for you to know before you send us your CV.

1. You’ll need loads of positive energy

So many of the people who pass through departures are excited because they’re off on holiday or travelling for pleasure, and that means they’re in the spending mood. You’ll need to match their energy and excitement in order to give them a fantastic experience, so you’ll need to be as enthusiastic, outgoing and positive with customers at the end of your shift as you were at the beginning.

2. It’s all about the customer experience

Anyone can learn to use a cash register and stock shelves, but not everyone can be an airside retail superstar. Our candidates are the type of people who’ll naturally go above and beyond in order to give customers a great experience. You won’t just be asked to work behind the counter, you’ll also be asked to help out with promotions, experiential marketing and demonstrations, so you’ll need the confidence to stop traffic and the personality and energy to engage with people and give them a positive experience. Your friendly smile and willingness to help will be appreciated by passengers, colleagues and managers alike.

3. Be prepared to sell anything

As our clients include World Duty Free, you must be happy to sell alcohol and tobacco as well as skincare products, cosmetics, fragrances, confectionery and souvenirs. We also need candidates with experience working with luxury skincare, makeup and fragrance products who can talk knowledgeably about their subject as well as demonstrating products.

4. The work provides you with tremendous flexibility

You’ll need to be flexible with your time when working in travel retail because opening hours are between 4am and 10pm, including weekends and bank holidays. However, this works brilliantly for many people who need the flexibility of a job that fits around their lifestyle. Given the nature of the work and qualities needed to thrive in airside retail, these jobs are ideal for actors and performers, students, makeup artists, parents who need to work around childcare, etc.

5. Artisan People has supervisors on site

We have contracts with retailers at all the major airports and have an on-site Artisan People travel retail supervisor based at each of these airports. Our supervisors will be available to sort out any issues as well as set your work rotas, so you can rest assured there will always be someone you can talk to.

6. Airside security checks

As you will be working airside, you’ll need to go through the same security checks as you do when you’re travelling abroad – before and after every shift. You’ll also be required to carry your passport with you at all times – so make sure it’s in date before you apply for work with us. The extra security means we’ll need to do thorough background checks, including obtaining references for the past five years. You’ll also need to purchase an Airport Pass before you can begin working airside, and there can be up to a three-month wait for it to be issued while you are DBS checked and your documentation is verified. We will endeavour to find you high street retail work while you’re waiting for your Pass, but we cannot guarantee it.

7. Artisan People does it better

We have a great reputation for supplying airside retailers with superstars. That’s because we look for personality before experience. Having the right personality for the job is far more important because that’s something that cannot be taught – everything else is training… which we also do. So if you think you could be an airport retail superstar but have no retail experience, don’t worry – we’ll train you so you can hit the ground running from day one. If you’d like to apply, click here to register your details and we’ll be in touch soon!