1.) A lot of people go out and spontaneously go into stores asking for applications and/or if they're hiring. If this is your strategy, keep in mind that the store you're going into is probably seeing a staggering number of young adults just like you the same day. Keeping track of faces is very difficult. It's best to attack a store during key hours or in a manner that will make the authority figures of the store remember you. What do I suggest? If you're going into a store randomly, let's use a clothing store for example, at least go in earlier in the morning or later in the evening. You want to approach at a time when traffic in the store is going to be insignificant so that you have the opportunity to engage a member of the management staff in conversation and connect with them in a personal level. I don't suggest going in and asking right off the bat for an application! Go in and start up conversation with the employees, let them help you look around their store. After you make that connection with them, you can engage in a more serious note as you're leaving and ask about hiring. Maybe hint that you're looking for a job. If they like you, they'll be more enthusiastic about giving you an application and remembering your face. Always give them your name as you leave too!
2.) Dress the part! If you're desperate for a job and plan on going as many places as you can, plan your outfits strategically. Wear clothes that are going to help you blend into the store you're going into so that you place yourself on the targeted customer level for that establishment. Don't wearing a suit and tie if you're going into a place like PacSun, Zumiez, American Eagle, etc. You'll end up being a comical conversation piece for the employees when you leave the store. By dressing the part of the store, it will be easier for you to make a good first impression and fall into place with the clique of people who work at that store.
3.) In a clothing store talking to a sales associate about getting a job isn't likely going to get you very far. Make it an effort to seek out a manager without being too blunt or rude. The further up in the hierarchy of the store the person you're speaking with is, the better chance you have of scoring a job. An associate may not be able to guarantee you a job and can still stand true as a recommendation for you to get in with the company. But who do you think they're recommending you to? Their management. On a side note, it's also true that most retail stores in today's market offer a recommendation bonus to their staff. If they recommend somebody to the store and that person gets hired, the associate (or whatever the position) may get a few extra dollars in their paycheck. Use that to your advantage when you're on the prowl.
4.) Keeping in mind everything you've learned so far, when you go into a store don't make it obvious that you're only in there to find a job. If you tell them openly that's all you're there for, odds are you're going to break any chance at making a personal connection with the employee you're speaking with. That connection is the key to finding a job on your own in the entry level workplace, especially if you don't have any inside help (i.e; somebody you know who works there).
5.) Also be sure to speak eloquently and articulately! Present yourself as an intellectual who can be an asset to the company. On the same note, be careful not to intimidate whoever you're talking with. Most retail stores don't require any level of college education to work in management on a local level. While that doesn't mean you won't stumble upon smart, witty people, you just need to make sure you don't make whoever you're talking to feel stupid or less intelligent than you are!
These five steps can help you make a good first impression and strengthen you chances of finding a job in a local store, part time or full time. Keep in mind that in any interview you want to talk yourself up without being cocky. Make sure that you bring up any accolades or accomplishments that you think could be pertinent to you impressing your interviewer. Developer on BYOND? Talk about your successful game. Talk it up in a manner that seems really official. "I worked with a team of artists to produce character and terrain designs for an online game/application".
I wanted to go into a lot more detail but I have a meeting to get to! By meeting I mean I've got a date for tacos. Maybe after I order a meal I'll chat up the workers and try these steps out again for myself. It's essentially how I got my current job and it's how I look for people I'll hire into that job.
Most of this information is based off of first hand experience and actually reverses the CUSTOMER FIRST MODEL most retail stores use to teach their employees how to sell well. The order most stores use and the order you want to follow in your encounter with store employees is: Establish a connection, Keep the connection through conversation and Establish a rapport based off of the connection. Most stores follow this model so that they can assure a sale.
You're following their own model so that you can assure a job.
They just built a new Rite Aid over here, a big one. What sucks is they're closing down the old one and bringing their entire staff to the new location. New store, old jobs.