Career profile for Display Specialist

What does a Display Specialist do?

Display Specialists plan and erect commercial displays, such as those in windows and interiors of retail stores and at trade exhibitions.

What kind of tasks does a Display Specialist perform regularly?

Display Specialists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers.
Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches.
Change or rotate window displays, interior display areas, or signage to reflect changes in inventory or promotion.
Place prices or descriptive signs on backdrops, fixtures, merchandise, or floor.
Consult with store managers, buyers, sales associates, housekeeping staff, or engineering staff to determine appropriate placement of displays or products.
Maintain props, products, or mannequins, inspecting them for imperfections, doing touch-ups, cleaning up after customers, or applying preservative coatings as necessary.
Develop ideas or plans for merchandise displays or window decorations.
Assemble or set up displays, furniture, or products in store space, using colors, lights, pictures, or other accessories to display the product.
Select themes, lighting, colors, or props to be used.
Install booths, exhibits, displays, carpets, or drapes, as guided by floor plan of building or specifications.
Consult with advertising or sales staff to determine type of merchandise to be featured and time and place for each display.
Attend training sessions or corporate planning meetings to obtain new ideas for product launches.
Collaborate with others to obtain products or other display items.
Construct or assemble displays or display components from fabric, glass, paper, or plastic, using hand tools or woodworking power tools, according to specifications.
Obtain plans from display designers or display managers and discuss their implementation with clients or supervisors.
Take photographs of displays or signage.

The above responsibilities are specific to Display Specialists. More generally, Display Specialists are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Thinking Creatively		Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Performing General Physical Activities		Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
Handling and Moving Objects		Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Thinking Creatively

Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Performing General Physical Activities

Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Handling and Moving Objects

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

What is a Display Specialist salary?

The median salary for a Display Specialist is $30,810, and the average salary is $34,550. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Display Specialist salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Display Specialists earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Display Specialists earn less than $22,440 per year, 25% earn less than $26,450, 75% earn less than $38,890, and 90% earn less than $51,750.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Display Specialists is expected to change by 4.4%, and there should be roughly 13,200 open positions for Display Specialists every year.

Median annual salary: $30,810
Typical salary range: $22,440 - $51,750
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 4.4%

What personality traits are common among Display Specialists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Display Specialist are usually higher in their Artistic, Enterprising, and Realistic interests.

Display Specialists typically have very strong Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Also, Display Specialists typically have strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Lastly, Display Specialists typically have strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Display Specialist tend to value Relationships, Independence, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Display Specialists strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Display Specialists moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, Display Specialists moderately value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Display Specialists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as attention to detail, cooperation, and dependability.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Display Specialists, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Cooperation		Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Innovation		Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Cooperation

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Innovation

Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

What education and training do Display Specialists need?

Display Specialists often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Display Specialists usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Display Specialists

3.8% did not complete high school or secondary school
31.4% completed high school or secondary school
26.9% completed some college coursework
7.2% earned a Associate's degree
24.9% earned a Bachelor's degree
5.2% earned a Master's degree
0.6% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Display Specialists

Display Specialists may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as customer and personal service, sales and marketing, or administration and management knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Display Specialists might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Sales and Marketing		Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Design		Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Computers and Electronics		Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Sales and Marketing

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Computers and Electronics

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Important Abilities needed by Display Specialists

Display Specialists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Display Specialists need abilities such as visualization, oral comprehension, and oral expression in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Display Specialists, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Visualization		The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Clarity		The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Fluency of Ideas		The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Visualization

The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Speech Clarity

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Fluency of Ideas

The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Critical Skills needed by Display Specialists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Display Specialists frequently use skills like active listening, speaking, and critical thinking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Display Specialists, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making		Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Reading Comprehension		Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Display Specialist

Display Specialist

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