Are you looking for retail management jobs? If so, keep reading on before you start your job search. Below, you'll find a number of helpful dos and don'ts that can assist you in your quest to find a job in retail management. ™ DO job search online. When we think of retail store jobs, many of us automatically think of applying for jobs in person. You can drop off your application to local retail stores, but the process for hiring managers is different than hiring store managers, team leaders, and department managers. You are more likely to see a manager job listing online than a sign in a store window. Moreover, when it comes to hiring say a retail store manager, a district manager is typically the individual in charge of hiring. District managers can go months without visiting a local store; therefore, your resume may sit untouched for months. DON'T be afraid to apply for jobs if, according to the retail management job listing, you don't officially meet the job requirements. With that said, coming somewhat close is advised. Don't expect to get hired for a management job if you have only been a cashier part-time for six months. On a personal note, I was a retail store manager for a small discount store for 3 years. At this time, I applied for a Merchandising Display Manager job with a national retail store. Although the listing stated 5 years prior management experience, I still applied for and was offered the job with my "meager" 3 years. DO know that many retailers now require managers to attend training. These training seminars may be a week long or a month long and they will likely take place in a different city or even state. Referring back to my experience as a retail store manager, the company I worked for had a small presence in my state. When I was hired, I was trained onsite (at my store) by a neighboring manager. Fast forward to 8 years later, all managers are required to attend a three-week training seminar three hours away. If an extended off-site training is required, it will typically be mentioned in the management job description, so be sure to read closely. DON'T wait too long to apply for management jobs. As soon as you see a job listing online, you should be ready to apply. If you haven't already, now is the time to create a resume. Management jobs are in high demand, even in the retail industry. A company will likely let a job listing linger online for at least one week. This gives them the chance to obtain a number of resumes from qualified job seekers; however, the individuals who submit their resumes first are more likely to land a job interview. DO be friendly to all store employees. As mentioned above, you stand the best luck job searching online. There are cases however in which you are required to apply for jobs in person. Referring back to my personal experience, I would accept applications for new store managers in neighboring communities. My district manager would pickup the resume. When doing so, he'd always ask me or my assistant manager "what was this person like," "did they have a positive attitude" and so forth. Even if you drop off a resume or application for a store in which you are not applying at, keep in mind that the individuals you encounter may have a small say in your ability to obtain a job interview. Everyone knows about the bad economy. We read about it, hear it reported on the news, on the radio --- everywhere. Sometimes job seekers think this means there's no work to be had out there. But they're wrong ----- there is, they just have to compete harder for it. They have to vanquish their competition. Perhaps in a stronger economy, these same job seekers had no trouble landing a position. Because of that prior experience, they've come to feel that being hired is a given, or a right: if they show up for the interview, the job is practically guaranteed, right? Wrong. Job seekers of that mentality face a lot of disappointment if they're expecting to automatically win a position in today's market. And they're kidding themselves if they think there aren't at least a hundred equally, if not more, qualified people, seeking the same opportunity. To win, you have to emerge as the best. The fact is, people aren't being hired because they're not the top of the line candidate. And when they apply for jobs for which they're less than ideally suited, they set themselves up for rejection, and the resulting discouragement that comes with it. I see this in my position as a headhunter on a daily basis. A company that hires me to locate the best talent possible for its industry doesn't want someone who fulfills 70 or even 80 per cent of its needs; that company wants someone who can meet 95 per cent of its needs. That company wants someone who's at the top of her game; someone who's demonstrated that she's the best there is. Someone who leaves everyone else in the dust. Therefore, in my experience, job seekers need to remove their rose-colored glasses and start being realistic. Just because you once worked for a Fortune 500 company, doesn't mean they still want you. Most Fortune 500 companies thrive on size; they have hundreds, if not thousands, of people in place, waiting for well-deserved promotions. In fact, encouraging employee longevity is how many of the Fortune 500s earned their place at the summit; they draw talented staff fresh from college, then keep them on board through continual promotions and increased responsibility. It simply makes better business sense to promote job websites from inside; they use the resources already in place, rather than bring in an outsider. This strategy is not only economically sound, but also rewards and reinforces those still "waiting their turn." Therefore, when you send a resume to a big name company, or even a company looking for someone to do something for which you're not the best, or at least, very, very good, you're spinning your wheels. It's simply unrealistic. The odds are against you. You're not in the running. Consider this the next time you're sending out resumes: would you hire you? If you were tasked with just one thing, which is to hire the best possible candidate for the job, would you hire yourself? Do you have the breadth of experience to do that job better than anyone else? If the answer is "yes," then by all means, go for it! If the answer is "no," then direct your search elsewhere. If you know in your gut that someone else can get the job done no matter what, that someone else can beat you to the punch and outperform you, you're not effectively competing. So, what should you do? Where should an experienced job seeker look for a position? Consider value as your goal: where can you best bring value to a company? Without a doubt, an SME, or Small to Medium Entrepreneurial business, is the route to go when you're experienced, possibly settled in your life, and looking for a new job. Why? Because a new company, or a smaller company, needs what an experienced worker brings to the table. If the owner needs to delegate, or even comes across an unaccustomed scenario, he or she will want or need someone familiar with that situation to offer input. A small or medium company can benefit from exactly what a middle-aged or older worker may offer: experience, familiarity, knowledge, and a potential end date in sight. By the time someone who signs on with a new company at 55 is ready to retire, many small to medium businesses have sufficiently established themselves, and are ready to begin recruiting fresh talent, with the resulting innovation, drive, and risk associated with youth. That once-fledgling business can now absorb quick arrivals and sudden departures, and the experienced employee will have contributed to that stability through her experience and diligence. I've talked before about the differences between "A" and "B" or "C" players. In a down market like ours, the "B's" and "C's" reveal themselves quickly, often by repeating their mistakes, or failing to increase their efforts when necessary. A "B" or a "C" slacks off; going on vacation during a key season, or despite a company downturn. In this economy, an "A" player concentrates his efforts accordingly. He knows where, and how to shine. He consistently makes the extra effort. The "A" player is the one beating his competition by outworking, and outperforming any contender for his job. Some people hope to make it through troubled times by winning the lottery. Others make do with unemployment or loans from family and friends. It's the "A" players who look around, see what they're up against, and redirect their focus. They may work for free for a time (an opportunity internship), they may consult to show what they're made of, but whatever they have to do, gets done. They seek, and then they find, an opportunity. They look harder, and then they work harder. And they win.
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