How to get a part-time job with way longer experience in other fields?

March 5, 2023 11:25 PM

Trying to apply for retail jobs during my slump recently and realized a possible reason that I don't get called back is my background in other fields. I used to work as a graphic artist for advertising agencies and for many reasons I am not able to perform what I knew best. I am exploring other job skills that I might be able to handle but here comes my financial situation. After high school, I worked at a local retail store in a seasonal position and liked it and shop there all the time, I thought why not get a part-time job there and then realized the possible issue of why I am not considered.

Although I mentioned that I am currently a "student" looking for a part-time job. I have the experience and skills listed in my resume that is not required for the part-time position. Should I explain more in a cover letter regarding my situation? I am going to apply more at my local stores and I am actually willing to work long-term if that's the only thing left I can do to support my family. Any suggestion for me to increase the possibility of me getting hired?

posted by lanhan to Work & Money (6 answers total)

Best answer: I think take some things off your resume. I know some employers don't want to hire people 'overqualified' for the work (ie professional skills in different areas) as they may think you'll get bored, unchallenged, etc.

It's often good to adapt your resume to the role you're looking to work in anyway. So although graphic design has some good crossover to retail, maybe tone it down a bit of what you've done. Or maybe switch to a skill based, rather than chronological.

Similarly try to connect with the store(s) hirer in person so they look to hire you based on your personality of meeting them, not on receiving something less personable like a resume, especially if they don't recognise that to you as a regular visitor to the store.

Also, speaking as a previous hirer in many roles, I would recommend to always include a covering letter personalised to that role and that company / hirer, if you want the job.
posted by many-things at 11:49 PM on March 5, 2023

Best answer: In addition to fearing that you’ll be bored, they may intuit that this job is a stopgap measure for you and that you’ll quit as soon as you land a job more closely related to your previous career.
posted by carmicha at 12:26 AM on March 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: If you can't get a bite from retail, I'd try local cafes and pubs (even if you only want daytime shifts) and agree with many-things that you're more likely to meet with success if you chat to the manager before handing anything in.
posted by london explorer girl at 4:58 AM on March 6, 2023

Best answer: Small and local businesses have the highest training costs in some ways because they usually have to squeeze it in among other priorities. They may be most sensitive to the sense you’ll leave as soon as something else comes along. So you might want to look at larger chains initially. I know that seems counterintuitive.
posted by warriorqueen at 5:19 AM on March 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Take some things off the resume or combine them into fewer lines/items, rewrite them to highlight your customer service/"work with people" skills vs your design skills and see if you can add an intro/summary/goal statement that highlights why you want to work in retail.

Agree to trying to get a few mins of face time with the hiring manager before/after submitting your resume, if possible.

Also don't overthink it or take it personally. Not to be discouraging, but at that age no one called back when I applied for "help wanted" retail jobs, even though they had people that age working there generally. The one that did call me back was Starbucks, so maybe warriorqueen is onto something with larger chains.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 9:51 AM on March 6, 2023

Best answer: I wouldn't write a fancy, formal letter for a retail position, because that along will make your application look so much different than a typical retail applicant. I do think the thing to do is to find a manager in person, as I'm guessing to them, you seem more like a customer than employee, but a conversation will clear things up.

And, yes, take some of the jobs off your resume or simplify them down. Make it seem like you haven't accomplished so much.

But, yes, a quick email/cover letter can be good. Something like, "I have returned to school and am looking for part-time work. I worked at [STORE] a few years ago and enjoyed it, and would like to work there again."

I'm writing those sentences based partly on the kinds of things my kids, who work those kinds of jobs, are expressing in their letters.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:30 AM on March 6, 2023