If you're limiting your job search to the obvious sources like newpaper want ads, job website, and Craig's List, then you may find your application on the bottom of a really big pile. If you don't want to spend your entire summer interviewing, then you need to find a way to outsmart your job-seeking competition. Use these tips to sidestep the competition and find a retail summer job fast.
1. Socialize
It’s time to get all those friendsters, buddies, and cyber contacts you’ve been collecting working for you. Get as many locals as you can on your buddy list and then send out a note asking them who’s hiring. Surely somebody will know somebody who’s looking for somebody. Isn’t that what networking is all about?2. Get in the Stack
When there are more candidates than positions, retail operations don’t need to advertise their job openings because they already have a stack of unsolicited job applications. You’ve got to get yourself on the top of “the stack” if you want to get hired by these stores. In your best interview outfit, walk into the store with your resume in hand and tell them you’d like to work there. This type of cold calling works best with the stores that sell the stuff that you like to buy because then when you’re asked why you want to work there, you can honestly answer, “Because I love your…”3. Think Small
While it may be easier to conduct your job search in the air-conditioned comfort of your local mall, your efforts might yield better results if you focus on stores that receive less foot traffic. Less traffic and fewer applicants mean less competition for you!4. Look Before You Weep
Don’t conclude that a certain store isn’t hiring just because there’s no ad in the newspaper and no sign in the window. Unless there is an urgent need, many companies will only advertise job openings on their own websites.Visit the company’s website and look for links like “careers” or “about us” or “company info.” Click around these pages until you find the listing of available positions in the company. When you use this strategy, hiring managers will get the impression that you found the job opening because you are specifically interested in their business. This is a good impression because every company thinks it’s special, and they want their employees to think so too!
5. Search By the Hour
There are several websites that are specifically promoting jobs that pay an hourly wage. Since many hourly wage jobs are in the retail industry, a search of these hourly-pay sites will reveal positions that are not even listed on Monster, HotJobs, or CareerBuilders.If you know that you specifically want an entry-level position, it’s more efficient to go to these hourly-wage websites because you won’t have to wade through all the salaried jobs to find what you’re looking for.
6. Take Stock in Stocks
You don’t need money to get a great return from the stock market. When you invest some time reading the latest stock market news, your effort can yield some important job-hunting inside tips. While many companies in the retail industry are suffering right now, there are also several retailers that are thriving.Focus your job-hunting efforts on the companies who are doing well, because they’re the ones who need employees and have the money to pay their wages. No matter how much Office Depot likes you, you’re probably not going to get hired there on the heels of their 55% sales drop last quarter.
