retail experience?

[CARiiSSA]

so, i am looking forward to applying at MAC soon after i turn 18.. i've done some stuff for my friends and i'm sure i have enough material to make a portfolio.. but i was wondering how important it is to have retail experience? i worked at a movie theatre for a little over 6 months, and i'm pretty sure i can get a hostess job, because i've been looking for a retail job but NO ONE is hiring after christmas! so my question is, is it more important to have job experience or RETAIL experience? thanks!

 

[Shimmer]

above and beyond it's a retail job, with what seems to be a lot of upselling. If you're not comfortable and experienced in that environment, you might want to start getting experience doing that before applying.

 

[MellissaG]

My suggestion would be to apply for a body&health image store like Aveda, sephora, or something similar. They are easy to get in to if you know how to kick butt in the interviews, and have a nice resume written up.

If even those fail, try something else like a clothing store. In fact, I know that PLENTY are hiring right now.. at the mall I work at , anyway. Everyone is trying to recruit people and find people. Everyone is going back to school after christmas, so a lot of stores are caught understaffed. Just make sure youre applying to the right stores/places that reflect the image YOU give. (Dont bend for THEM)

THEN, after a while in that experience..apply to a cosmetics counter in a dep store.

I wouldnt recommend going to mac right away, I dont know about other locations but in toronto the mac stores are EXTREMELY picky, and it takes 6-12 months for your applicated to be processed. You need at least a year of retail experience, and 2 years of cosmetic experience..or something of the such. I dont know how hard it is to get in at other locations though? Might be a good idea for a thread..hmm..