The page trackers tell me that Google views this as a good site to get advice on “jobs at game stores.” One of the oddities of having the domain be WordPress, I suppose. Still, it implies that I might want to put some actual solid advice out there. So…
First off, and far and away most important: You are applying for a job. In many cases, a rather hard job with rather poor pay. You are not applying to get paid for reading comic books. You are not applying to get paid to play Magic. You are not applying to get paid to paint miniatures. You are not applying to get paid to talk to your friends. And you are certainly not applying to get paid to do nothing.
This is, unfortunately, a common attitude among applicants. If possible, I would choose to hire someone who has extensive retail service, because they are more likely to understand what a retail job entails than someone who simply thinks that it’s cool to work at a game shop. There is tons and tons of work to get done in this kind of store, most of it in the nickel & dime categories. For example, bagging comic books. OUr weekly comic order averages just under 1000 books (we’ll call it even for the simple math). Say it takes you five seconds to insert a board into a bag, insert a comic into said bag, and tape it shut (it takes that long, provided that you don’t get one piece caught on something, or the comic is thicker than average, or your hand cramps, etc.). At peak efficiency then, you’ve spent 5000 seconds, or 83 minutes, or an hour and a half bagging comics, each week. A little job, that no one thinks about, and yet so much time spent. If you apply to work here, you’re gonna end up doing that sort of job with the majority of your time.
Next, look presentable and professional. Now, I’m not saying wear a suit to the interview (although, honestly, it can’t hurt). I am saying that you need to be able to sell yourself as a product. That’s really what you’re doing. You’re coming into the store, looking to convince us to lease “Bob” for a few years. We’re gonna ask the kind of questions that any prospective buyer will. Does Bob get good gas mileage (how efficient is he at getting things done)? Are other customers satisfied with Bob (references and review in order)? How does the crash safety stack up (….actually, that one already translates pretty well…)?
If you don’t have these things in order, don’t expect to get a job. In retail in particular, image is exceptionally important. You end up putting your image to work, every day, in support of the store. If your image isn’t consistent, or lacks certain qualities, than the store cannot rely on it, and you won’t get hired.
I’ve been talking about oversights here, but I suppose I should also mention the obvious. If your image is bad, you won’t get a job, period. Bad images can come from negative reviews, or other application specific data. Bad images can also come from your behavior in the store previous to the interview. If you neglect to shower regularly, we’ve probably noticed, and you’re not gonna get hired. If you’ve been consistently rude and/or abrasive when playing with other, we’ve probably noticed it, and you’re not gonna get hired. Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with these traits; we’re not judging you as a person, we’re judging the suitability or your image for the store.
Third, knowledge of the products helps. Sure, we can teach you about the various merchandise we have, and selling stuff is a skill all on it’s own. But it’s ten times easier to sell a game if you can say “Sure, I’ve played it. I thought…” Not every product line, of course. But applicants that are familiar with two or more or our product groups (Mini, CCGs, RPGs, Comics, Board Games) get a fast bump to the top of the list.
Forth, bribery is not a dirty word. Yes, it may seem a little unfair, but that’s what makes the world go ’round. Sometimes this is on the up and up; volunteering to DM a game, run a demo, cleaning up, convention freebies, and so on into the multitudes. Sometimes this is illicit; juicy gaming gossip, home-made cookies, and that sort. In either case, the act shows not only that you are willing to help the store already, but that you can be a friendly, nice guy (which ties back into point two).
Fifth, don’t bank on it. We’ve got five employees right now, and there are a bunch of stores smaller than us. We get about ten applications each month. No matter how cool it might be, do not put all your hopes in one basket. Odds are, even if you’re perfect, we’re not going to hire you. Sorry.
And a final word on gender. If you’re female, do not expect to get a job at a comic or game shop. I know that sounds sexist. It’s also the way the world works. There’s a multitude of factors against you. Many gamers are, let’s be honest, intimidated by females. Even if the hiring manager isn’t one of that sort, that fact affects your salable image poorly. There’s an automatic assumption that women are less knowledgeable about this hobby than men. Again, even if the hiring manager doesn’t buy it, he has to consider it, since it may mean that customers will not purchase from you. And you will be weirded by the all day long stares from the regulars. By all means, take the time to apply if you’d really like a job. But point five goes doubly or triply for you.
