'm currently a freshman in college, 18 years old, and hoping to get a part time job at a retail store. i've been thinking about applying to a local j.crew store, as i shop there often and love the store. how difficult would it be for me to get the job since i have no experience. i've never worked before. if they ask for references, what should i do? also, i would have to apply in store, so what would i need to bring with me? i'm nervous as this would be my first job ever.

also, is it true that most when you work in retail, they work more around your schedule? i'd probably only be able to have a part time job as i am a full time student. do i have a better chance of being hired as it gets closer to christmas and wintertime? thanks in advance.

They'll probably be hiring for seasonal employees around nowish-- possibly towards the end of the month.

Chances of you getting hired without experience... depends on the manager. When I was a store manager, I loved hiring part-time employees with no experience... that way, what I taught them was what they knew. Rather than thinking they already knew everything.

But honestly, the scheduling is going to be difficult. You may be able to find a manager to work around you. But ESPECIALLY during Christmas, we need people who are available-- basically all the time. If someone calls out and we call you, you need to come in. If you are on-call, you have to act as though it's a regular shift and be able to come in on time. Weekends are huge-- you're gonna need to be available on weekends. And nights during the week. At my store, we try to ONLY hire people with open availability-- that means no school, no other jobs to work around, etc.

^ The scheduling flexibility varies immensely. Some places will, as already mentioned, want someone who has completely open availability, while some will be very flexible around your schedule. I had a job in retail for a little while. I was in school full time and they worked around my schedule (mostly they needed nights and weekends people and, voila! a student who only has nights and weekends available!)

I also had very little experience when I started there--the only somewhat-retail-related job I'd had was hostessing. My advice is to just apply to a bunch of places and be very up-front about the fact that you are a student looking for flexible part-time. I'm sure somebody would be happy to hire you.

Good luck!

As for references...
Have you babysat? Do you have any families that know you well. They could be a reference. Do you have any volunteer experience? Teachers can also make good references.

Everyone has to start somewhere. And let me say, it is way better that you do this now than when you need to get your first big girl job after college and have no work experience or references.

The reason people say retail scheduling is flexible is because retail stores are open longer than the normal Monday-Friday 9-5. Being open 7 days a week and 12 hours a day means that you are able to be much more selective about when you work. Additionally, being a part time employee means that you won't be working 8 hours shifts very often. Only having to fit in a 4.5 hour shift means your choices of where you fit it in to your day are numerous.

This is actually how I got my first job. I waited until one of the software stores in the mall was hiring for Christmas help, got the job, and busted my hump. As they were in the process of hiring me, their sister store had a giant staff turnover (like, all 10 employees quit, in the space of about four days), and they asked me if I'd consider transfering to the other store. I said I would, and ended up working there a year and a half. Take your chances - what's the worst that can happen, they tell you no?

Thanks for all your answers. I'm just nervous I won't get the job because I really won't be able to work nights, only weekends. I go to college on Staten Island but the job is in Manhattan, so I'd have to take the ferry over, then hop on the subway up, so my commute would be somewhere around 45 minutes. My classes end at 4:40 on Monday/Wednesday and at 5:50 on Tuesday/Thursday. I have one class that ends at 12pm on Friday and usually nothing on Saturdays/Sundays. I'd be willing to give up going home on the weekends. Would not being able to work nights be a strike against me?

Or, can you think of any other part-time jobs I might be able to get? My school does have on-campus jobs, but the deadline to register for them was last month, and as a freshman, I wasn't sure that I'd want to throw myself into that right away. I also do not have a car, so I can't drive anywhere on Staten Island to get to a job. My school isn't in a secluded part of Staten Island or anything, it's just that you need a car to get anywhere.

Would not being able to work nights be a strike against me?

It's so varied, that no one can say for sure. As a long term employee, you sound like a scheduling nightmare, to be totally honest. But coming in to the holidays when employers just need as many faces as possible, you might get lucky.

I really think you need to apply to more than one store if you are serious about getting a job, especially with preconditions like scheduling. When I was your age, I thought the same thing, the world is waiting for me,and I'll be able to get a job at my favorite store and it'll be great. But unfortunately it didn't work like that, 6 years later it still doesn't, the job market is tough. Apply to as many places as you can that are within your commuting range and maybe you'll get lucky and one of them will be willing to work with you.

You can always apply at j.crew, but with such a commute I would also consider more local options. I mean, I'm sure that the local shops aren't nearly as 'sexy', but it's just a job while you're in college, you're probably not looking into staying there for the next 20 years or so, right?
And won't the commute just about eat up all you earn (sorry, I'm not from the US so I'm not sure about income vs travel costs)?
I agree with others that you should apply at a few different stores.

I've got to agree with applying for more than just one job. I spent 4 or 5 months looking for a retail job with only a little experience, if you're really set on getting a part time job you might need to put your CV out there to more than one place (who knows, you might get lucky and land it first time).

rosalinde wrote:

...but with such a commute I would also consider more local options.

And won't the commute just about eat up all you earn (sorry, I'm not from the US so I'm not sure about income vs travel costs)?

i don't have a car to get from my university to anywhere, and it's a highly residential area. nothing is within walking distance, and the bus system is not great. a 20-minute drive to the nearest mall took an 1.5 hours on the bus. nightmare.

as for travel costs, all i would have to pay for is subway fare. the shuttle from my school to the staten island ferry is free. the staten island ferry is also free. so the subway ride to the store and back to the ferry is a total of $4.50.