my employment experience:
- end of year 11 (technically first term of year 12, end of 2006) i worked at the local takeaway shop. They were looking for someone to work for them, so i just talked to the owner and he gave me the job (its a really small place, run by asians). I worked thursday and friday afternoons, from 5pm-9pm, i got $7 an hour (i was 16 years old then).
i quit after 2 months so i can focus on hsc, also i didnt like the job.
- throughout my year 12 (2007) i occasionally worked at the local petrol station. My cousin worked there, and i did 'training' there, so i did quite a number of hours there, learning how to use the cash register while being supervised by my cousin or the boss or someone.
Eventually i started paid work there, started off just going there occasionally, maybe once a week or month (my cousin was in charge of shifts, so he'd slot me in at random times), then when i finished my hsc i worked there often, 3 or 4 days a week, or my cousin would give me his shift if he didnt feel like going, lol. I got $8.50 an hour (i was 17 then).
- now i work at David Jones, it's a logistics position so i work at the loading dock. Boxes get taken off the trucks, get scanned, then i'd stack, unpack, unbox, load on trolley, send to the appropriate department in the store, do whatever the manager wants to be done basically.
I applied online for retail (website said there were vacancies), got emailed a week later saying there's no positions, then got called up a few days later saying there's a logistics position in my top store of preference and was asked if i wanted the job, i accepted, so i had a one on one interview, and got the job. $15.63 an hour on weekdays and saturdays, $20.?? on sundays (havnt got a sunday shift yet...), pay will go up when i turn 20 in a few months.
so basically... look around at small shops, they usually have signs out the front saying they need an extra person to work there, or talk to the manager.
Maybe even offer to work voluntarily (without pay), that way you can get experience, you'll know if you like the job or not, and the employer will notice your willingness to learn.
Also, always keep up to date with online applications for retail jobs.
) computer skills.