What Does a Key Holder Do?
Key holders are employees that are tasked with the opening and closing of a store. They may also be managers and are trusted associates that often complete administrative duties when starting and ending the workday. As they may be working with customers throughout the day, they need to be competent and knowledgeable about their company. Their primary responsibilities will be opening and closing the store, assisting customers, ensuring a clean workspace, managing codes and alarms, and setting employee schedules if needed.
Key holders should be skilled in operations and have experience managing and working as an associate. They may work in retail businesses, hospitality businesses, healthcare, and more. With excellent sales skills and a self-motivated attitude, key holders are important to the smooth functioning of any business.
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National Average Salary
Key holder salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.
The average U.S. salary for a Key Holder is:
$30,100
Key Holder Job Descriptions
The first step when hiring a great key holder is a well-crafted job description. Below are real-world examples to help give you the best chance of success on your recruiting journey.
Example 1
[Your Company Name] is searching for an experienced key holder. We are in need of an exceptionally responsible candidate with great communication and organization skills who is able to work full-time. A key holder is the first one to arrive at the store and the last to leave, ensuring that all is in order before setting the alarm system for the night. This position comes with a lot of responsibility. You will need a reliable form of transportation and a minimum of three years of experience in the retail industry.
Typical duties and responsibilities
- Assist customers
- Ensure quality customer service
- Confirm that the alarm system is working properly
- Make sure that the store is organized and presentable each day
- Oversee deliveries and other staff members
- Arrive early to unlock the store and leave late to lock up
- Communicate any concerns with management
- Assist staff across the store when needed
- Store the security alarm codes and ensure no one else has access
- Aid with management responsibilities when they are absent
- Oversee maintenance and cleaning staff
- Supervise the storefront
- Train and support new coworkers
- Coordinate staff schedules
- Manage the register and safe
- Manage paperwork, emails, and phone calls when needed
Education and experience
- High school diploma or equivalent
- 3-5 years of retail experience
Required skills and qualifications
- 18 years or older
- Strong product knowledge in the industry you’re working in
- Entry-level computer skills
- Strong time-management skills
- Punctual and dependable
- Able to multitask
- Able to stand for long periods of time
- Be able to lift objects up to 50 pounds
- Exceptional organizational skills
- Strong leadership skills
- Great communication skills
- Reliable transportation to get you to and from the store
Preferred qualifications
- Experience in the retail industry
- Experience in the customer service field
- Ability to speak multiple languages
- 5 or more years of experience
- Certifications applicable to this position
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite
Example 2
We are seeking a passionate and dynamic Key Holder for our community who will drive sales and service, support management team with boutique, opening/closing duties, and sustainability through respectful, collaborative, agile, determined, and driven interactions with clients and team members.
Our culture empowers us to provide quality coffee, experience-focused customer service, growth opportunities, and a variety of benefits with perks. Join our team as we cultivate coffee as an art to grow the best in each of us.
Responsibilities:
- Be an agile coffee expert. You bring the passion, we provide the training, and you share it with the customer
- Drive personalized coffee experiences, using storytelling to share your knowledge of our coffee and our sustainability practices with customers. Did you know that our 100% recyclable capsules are the least wasteful way to consume a cup of coffee
- Cultivate respectful customer relationships. Though many customers shop online these days, the store is where we meet many of our customers for the first time
- Care about safety. We are determined to create a safe, healthy environment for our employees and customers
- Collaborate – whether it’s assisting with cleaning, organizing stock, or innovating a better way of doing things. Share your feedback and ideas to contribute to our overall success
- Support boutique management team to complete special projects, inventory management duties, adhere to all opening & closing and cash management & return procedures
Requirements and skills:
- High School Diploma or GED, required
- 1 year or more experience in retail, direct customer sales & service, or hospitality, preferred
- A real passion for coffee, respect for sustainability, and curiosity to educate oneself and others on our coffee culture
- A respectful, agile, collaborative, determined, and driven mindset
- Ability & willingness to work flexible hours including but not limited to: opening & closing shifts, Saturday or Sunday shifts, & holidays
Example 3
A Full-Time Key Holder helps drive the business through leadership and is actively involved in ensuring a differentiated customer experience. Key Holders should be assertive, analytical, and trustworthy as a leader of a multi-million dollar business. They utilize applied learning to evolve as a business leader and improve store results. The Key Holder leads a team of associates to ensure operational tasks and procedures are successful as well as opening and closing routines being completed, all while keeping the customer at the center of everything we do.
What you’ll do
- Training and Development
- Customer Experience
- Communication
- Store Presentation and Sales Floor Supervision
- Asset Protection
- Policies and Procedures Adherence
Qualifications
- At Least One Year of Customer Service Experience
- Work Ethic
- Assertiveness
- Applied Learning
- Attention to Detail
- Analytical Skills
- Adaptability / Flexibility
- Multi-Tasking
- Stress Tolerance
Example 4
The Keyholder provides exceptional customer service by creating a unique, inviting, entertaining, and educational multi-brand shopping destination and demonstrates their artistry skills with clients upon request. In addition, the Keyholder must bring a positive presence, creating a collaborative work environment on the sales floor, and provide excellent service to meet and exceed store financial goals. The Keyholder will assume role of Manager on Duty as needed and be responsible for operational task follow through, opening, closing, banking, and security of the store.
Sales
- Provides the full ABC Company customer service experience in store, delivering sales to meet or exceed targets
- Meets or exceeds all personal goals to positively contribute to the team and the store
Service
- Provide excellent customer service and product knowledge, offering full service experience and/or simple service depending on customer’s need
- Positive representative of the ABC Company brand, always demonstrating professionalism and poise
- Support promotions, events, and launches to deliver the intended experience for customers
- Consistently elevate own artistry skills and the artistry skills of the team
- Attends all required trainings and completes educational and developmental tools as assigned
- Develops knowledge of trends in industry to provide best service possible and share with the squad
Leadership
- Contributes to a productive and dynamic ABC Company squad by connecting with employees, customers, and influencers
- Act with professionalism and respect in all interactions with customers, co-workers, manager, and business associates
- Fulfill Manager on Duty responsibilities, including all opening and closing responsibilities, banking responsibilities, managing down time to be productive, maintaining cleanliness standards, and always ensuring customer service standards are met and prioritized, as well as making sure the sales floor is a welcoming environment
Operations
- Must adhere to all company policies and procedures. Immediately report any variances to a Manager or the People team
- Completes opening and closing responsibilities accurately and efficiently and ensures cash handling standards are met and company funds are secured
- Assists in execution of visual displays, merchandising, and marketing standards ensuring the store is consistently replenished
- Assists in the preparation and completion of accurate physical inventory as assigned
- Assists with non-sell tasks as assigned by Management and as part of the daily responsibilities
- Use the POS accurately and train Beauty Artists on POS in addition to other operational tasks
- Arrives to work on time and consistently follows the ABC Company personal appearance guidelines
- Follows all safety and emergency procedures
- Identifies potential loss prevention issues
- Perform additional duties as assigned
Qualifications
- 2 years retail experience, previous sales experience required
- Excellent customer service, communication, and organizational skills
- Ability to multitask and build relationships
- Flexibility and the ability to handle change in a positive manner
- Cosmetic artistry experience preferred
- Management experience a plus
- Demonstrated ability to support business growth and exhibit professional behavior
- Have and maintain flexible availability
- Must have open flexibility to work during peak traffic times including evenings, weekends, and holidays
- Able to lift, push, and pull up to 50 pounds
- Able to stand on your feet for up to 8 hours
Candidate Certifications to Look For
- Certified Sales Professional (CSP) – Knowledge of sales as a key holder is especially important. This certification helps candidates better understand sales. It also leaves them with knowledge relating to business and time management. Often received by those working in sales occupations, this certification is especially helpful if a candidate’s work is commission-based. Renewal of this certification is required every three years.
- Professional Credit Associate (PCA) – This is the most common certificate in the credit industry. This certificate increases a candidate’s knowledge and improves their overall skill. Renewal of this certification is required every five years.
- National Professional Certification in Retail Management – Key holders are often thought of as managers, and there is a lot candidates need to know when working in retail management. This certification provides them with the skills needed to advance their career in retail management. Renewal is required every three years and they’ll learn the retail basics, such as managing a team.
Sample Interview Questions
- Have you ever arrived at the store early to open but then realized you forgot your key at home? What did you do?
- What is your process like when you arrive in the morning? What about closing at night?
- Has there ever been a time when you saw someone shoplifting? How did you handle the situation?
- What are the top qualities to have as a key holder?
- Issues with customers arise at times. If a customer is being difficult, how do you handle the situation?
- Can you tell me about a time when you were in a stressful situation? How did you handle that?
- Would you consider yourself self-motivated?
- What do you like most about our brand?
- How do you measure your success for the business?