Jennifer Louise Owen

106 Sandalwood, Westhoughton, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL5 2RQ

01942 817261 / 07761 566 951
21 January 1991
JOwen3@uclan.ac.uk

Profile
I am a second year Retail Management student with three years of retail experience. I hope to
put my knowledge into practice and gain experience in a role that I am passionate about.

Education and Qualifications

2009 to date University of Central Lancashire:

Studying for a degree in Retail Management (Fashion)
Year 1: 66% - 2:1

2007 to 2009 Westhoughton 6th Form:

A Levels: Performing Arts
Media Studies
English Language and Literature

2002 to 2007 Westhoughton High School: 14 GCSEs A* - C including English, Maths and
Science

Work Experience

February 2008 to date Marks and Spencer Customer Assistant, Food Department, Bolton:
• I have been employed as part of an evening fill team in the food department for almost
three years.
• My duties include stock replenishment, tilling, customer service and waste removal.
• I am recognised by my employers as paying great attention to detail, ensuring that visual
standards are met. I have great commercial acumen and ensure that I am consistent in
driving performance and applying my product knowledge.
• I have progressed by receiving training on the service desk. I am also given the
responsibility of till co-ordinating, which includes answering phones, assisting staff and
directing them to their next duties.

July 2008 2 weeks work experience St Georges Primary School

• Working within an environment of teachers and picking up skills with regard to organising
motivational activities and supervising lessons.
• This was a positive experience, as I learned how to manage young children effectively and
was given responsibilities such as creating activities, enabling me to have my input.

Key Skills

• Ability to use own initiative/Manage ambiguity I have repeatedly used my initiative as

an employee of M&S. Managers do not work during evening fill, so when presented with a
problem, I am able to manage ambiguity by making a decision at pace and utilising the
resources I am provided with.

• Good communication skills/Teamwork Whilst at university, I am able to communicate

my ideas effectively through essay writing and seminar discussion. I also did two modules
in journalism during the first year of my course, which provided me with the ability to
phone/approach and question people who I had never been in contact with before. At
work, I have built upon these skills by answering phones, dealing with customer enquiries,
 and expressing ideas about ambient moves, adapting to deal with different situations and
aiming to improve performance.

• Organisational skills I have always been well organised, but this skill has been required
most predominantly throughout my university course, which needs to be balanced well
with my part time job.

• IT/Administration skills I am proficient MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint and have the
ability to complete an M&S online order form.

Interests and Achievements

• Foreign Travel: I enjoy travelling and being able to experience different cultures. Most
recently I have visited New York and Rome, which are both cities with a great deal of
history.
• Fashion: My interest in fashion has increased significantly since I started work at Marks
and Spencer and even more so since I began my degree. I am not only able to appreciate
visual merchandising as a customer, but also from a business and management
perspective.
• Running: I run regularly and like to challenge myself by setting weekly targets.

References
Ms Cheryl Gordon (Senior Lecturer in Retail Management and Personal Tutor)
Greenbank Building 265, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2HE
Tel: 01772 894772
Email: cgordon@uclan.ac.uk