what would you need to know if you want to work in a clothing store
what would you need to know if you want to work in a store #shopping
3 answers
Jared Chung
CareerVillage.org TeamJared’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Hi Melissa. I'm going to assume that you're asking about a job as a sales associate or clerk (which is a common entry-level role for high school graduates) at a clothing store similar to The Gap or Macy's. You haven't specified in your question, so I'm just guessing. Also, I'm going to assume that by "what would you need to know", that you're actually asking about what skills or knowledge you would need to have to be hired and to remain employed as an associate.
To get the job, and keep it, you'd need to:
(1) ...be knowledgeable and enthusiastic about current fashion trends. Retail clothing stores want to hire people who care about clothing, so they can speak intelligently with customers about clothing trends and generally help customers shop.
(2) ...have great communication skills. You should be able to speak clearly, concisely, and professionally, while building friendship with people you've never met before. Why does this matter? Because the company is hiring you to represent them, and they want to know that you're going to represent the company's image, and make customers feel welcome. You'll need to hve confidence and look people in the eyes when you speak with them, and smile at them to make them feel comfortable. So far, I can already tell that you need to work on this a bit. Even the question you posed here on CareerVillage is incomplete, and you didn't capitalize or add punctuation to your question. You're going to have to demonstrate professionalism and maturity at every turn if you want to get the job.
(3) ...have great time management skills. Basically, this comes down to showing that you're going to be reliable. Retail clothing stores are staffed pretty tightly, so the managers need to know that the people they're hiring are going to show up on time, and do what they need to do on time, or else the manager's going to be short-staffed and that creates problems.
(4) ...are a good listener. Do you like understanding what people care about? Do you like helping them solve problems? If so, you're going to need to listen to them, and that's going to be a big skill the hiring manager is looking for when they're interviewing you.
(5) ...be a great team player. The hiring manager wants to know that teams are going to like you and get along with you. They don't want people who attract drama! So to show them that you're a team player, you can point to activities you have completed in high school that will show that you've got experience working in teams, including any participation in a club, sports team, religious group, extracurricular group, etc.
I'm sure there's more you could do to show your readiness for work at a clothing store. I hope that this helps. (Also, next time please give us a little more information in your question so we have more to work with in understanding you! This was a pretty hard question to answer because you didn't really give us much information about what kind of advice you were looking for.)
Well I really want to work at this store called Hot Topic and I love the store and the workers there are very nice and friendly so i wouldn't know where I should start
Melissa
What do you mean that you don't know where you should start?
Jared Chung, Admin
Have you tried applying for a job there? Perhaps you should walk up to one of the workers there and ask them if they are hiring. They'll likely direct you to a manager, and then you'll end up introducing yourself, telling them how much you like HotTopic and filling out an application.
Jared Chung, Admin
By the way, I'm not sure how competitive the job market for retail positions is where you live, but just so you set expectations right: if you want a job in retail, you need to really work to get it. My brother was looking for retail jobs in New York a couple of years ago and had to submit well over a hundred applications at stores before he got a call back that resulted in an actual job. You've got to hustle to get what you want!
Jared Chung, Admin
I have applied there but What position would i be applying for
Melissa
I'd suggest you ask the hiring manager what positions they <em>need</em>, and apply for those. I just took a quick look at the Hot Topic website's jobs section and it looks like most of their entry level roles are called "Sales Associate".
Jared Chung, Admin
what would a Sales Associate do?
Melissa
Well each store is going to be a little different. Why don't you go ahead and read the job description for the job? Hot Topic has a FAQ at http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/cs/CustomerService/Jobs/StoreFAQs.jsp and you could also search for jobs on their website and read the description for the sales associate position. Easy!
Jared Chung, Admin
Gina’s Answer
Product and store knowledge
Energy level and enthusiasm
Communication skills-- ie: Listening and selling to customers' needs
Excellent customer service
Meeting goals--as you might need to meet sales goals
Dependability
Structure
Time Management
Gina’s Answer
Hi-you should like retail hours and like clothing.