If you love fashion and shopping, a career in retail clothing can be the best outlet for that passion. As one of the most successful retailers, Forever 21 offers plenty of great job opportunities for talented professionals. One of the most sought-after Forever 21 careers is that of a visual merchandiser. To become a merchandiser for Forever 21, make sure you have the required experience, including at least two years of retail experience, and search job openings on the Forever 21 website.

Become a Forever 21 Merchandiser

The position of a Forever 21 visual merchandiser can be fun and challenging, allowing you to exercise your creative talents to help the store boost sales. You may already work for Forever 21, in which case it might benefit you to ask to assist the current visual merchandiser as an assistant in order to learn the ropes. If you aren’t already employed by Forever 21, solid retail experience can be the best way to position yourself to land a visual merchandising job once one becomes available.

Forever 21 jobs are typically posted online along with a link to apply. You can find a list of openings by position and/or location on Forever 21’s website at www.forever21.com/us/shop/info/careers. Additionally, Forever 21 often has job fairs across the country that can give you the chance to meet someone from the company in person and ask about local job opportunities.

Forever 21 Visual Merchandiser Description

If you’ve ever even passed by a Forever 21 store, you’ve seen the work of a Forever 21 visual merchandiser. The store’s merchandisers are responsible for the overall look of the store, including dressing mannequins in the store windows and making sure each store is optimized for maximum sales. Some of this requires using your own creativity, but the corporate office has standards to help ensure that each store has a consistent look.

Although merchandisers aren’t required to have a college degree to work for Forever 21, it is preferred. You’ll at least need to be 18 years old and hold a high school degree. You should also have at least two years of experience in retail, preferably with at least some time in a supervisory position.

Visual Merchandising Industry Outlook

As with many brick-and-mortar shops, Forever 21 has struggled to remain relevant in an era when online retailers offer fierce competition. However, Forever 21 careers are among the most secure in retail, thanks to the company’s ongoing efforts to stay ahead of the market. One issue troubling Forever 21, though, is its tendency to own space in indoor malls, while many shoppers choose strip malls and lifestyle centers for their shopping excursions.

Although Forever 21 jobs may be strong, merchandisers will likely want to expand their career aspirations to include as wide a pool of retailers as possible. You’ll find the most visual merchandising jobs in California, Texas, Florida, New York and Michigan, and there are more than 128,000 jobs nationwide.

Years of Experience and Salary

Forever 21 careers are in line with many other retail positions, with manager salaries starting at $38,000 and topping out at $79,000. Even at $38,000 a year, though, managers make almost double what sales associates make, with an average pay of $8 to $12 an hour. Visual merchandisers are paid slightly more, at $10 to $19 an hour, with an average annual salary of between $20,000 and $44,000.

Some visual merchandisers may choose to remain with Forever 21, advancing to store manager for an increase in salary. However, Forever 21 jobs can also be the start toward a higher-paying position in merchandising for a larger store or another career that puts those same skills to use, such as interior design.