Anyone works at a major department store?

[sherry0201 0]

Would you like to share your experience?

I am now searching for a job. Well, I am having a hard time since I have never had a full time job in the US.

And, I do not speak English as my first language.

I am thinking about starting my career at a major department store like Macy's or Nordstrom.

Has anyone worked there before?

Or know anyone who works there?

Please share your experience here. It will be very helpful!

[Mononoke28 134]

I personally have not worked at a department store but have had friends who used to work in stores like that. One for Macy's and another one for JC Penney's. Back in the day they applied via the HR department but now days you can apply online. I know that they will probably need to hire a lot of people before December to get ready for the holiday season. So it could be a good time to get started as long as you have your EAD in hand.

Diana

[tanyaru 3]

Would you like to share your experience?

I am now searching for a job. Well, I am having a hard time since I have never had a full time job in the US.

And, I do not speak English as my first language.

I am thinking about starting my career at a major department store like Macy's or Nordstrom.

Has anyone worked there before?

Or know anyone who works there?

Please share your experience here. It will be very helpful!

My mother in law is a department manager in the store like Macy`s. She started off probably 2 years ago as a sales assosiate at a smaller store and worked her way up to an assistant manager. She was offered a store manager but dclined the opportunity because she though she wasn`t ready yet. Sales assosiate was her first job in US even though he already lived here for 9 years. Her english at that time was not very strong (thats what my hubby told me). Anyhow, in 2 a little more than 2 years she made it from $7 an hour to $45,000 a year (and it is in some small town in FL where rent in skyhigh 3B condo by the beach cost $1,100). Morale of the story: with hard work you can get anywhare. Retail is a good place to start.

[payxibka 10,044]

Would you like to share your experience?

I am now searching for a job. Well, I am having a hard time since I have never had a full time job in the US.

And, I do not speak English as my first language.

I am thinking about starting my career at a major department store like Macy's or Nordstrom.

Has anyone worked there before?

Or know anyone who works there?

Please share your experience here. It will be very helpful!

Once you have established a US work history, the next jobs come easier.... Do whatever/wherever you can to land the first job, even if it is not an ideal one

Edited October 22, 2008 by payxibka

[sherry0201 0]

That's what I thought. My husband always says do not get that job, you have a BA. But, to be honest with you, there are so many people who have BAs around. It can be helpful if you have a BA in IT or whatever special skills.

But, I majored communication studies which is pretty much worthless.

And I see a lot of college students who expect a lot of things after college and do not even hold decent fulltime jobs. They are all American. I am not a native speaker, but I will try hard.

I want to apply for a place where immigrants like me have an opportunity to move up. I heard that Macy's does not pay well, but they promote people quickly.

I need to establish a decent working experience here:)

[Mononoke28 134]

Well, the point is to start somewhere. There are a ton of professionals out there who started at the bottom, most of them not by choice. If you don't like the job, you can quit and get something else, but it's always a good thing to get your feet wet and some kind of work history on your resume.

Diana

[DeadPoolX 9]

Would you like to share your experience?

I am now searching for a job. Well, I am having a hard time since I have never had a full time job in the US.

And, I do not speak English as my first language.

I am thinking about starting my career at a major department store like Macy's or Nordstrom.

Has anyone worked there before?

Or know anyone who works there?

Please share your experience here. It will be very helpful!

I would consider JC Penny or some other "middle-of-the-road" department store at the moment. The reason for this is they may have less stringent hiring requirements than more "upscale" stores, like Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom and especially Saks Fifth Avenue. The other benefit to working at JC Penny (or a store like it) is you probably wouldn't need quite as fancy of clothing to work there as you would in the other four. The clientele in those department stores generally have deep pockets, which is needed, since most items cost a ton.

Something else to consider is that most salespeople work on a commission basis, so the chances of you selling more items at JC Penny is higher than at Nordstrom or Saks. With all the bank closures or takeovers and the subsequent stock market decline, many people have lost a great deal of money. They'll probably be more willing to spend less at JC Penny than more at Nordstrom.

[Vi Mazzella 4]

I have a BA in Tourism in Hospitality in my country and as some people mentioned before you need to get some experience here in the USA. My hubby used to thinK as your hubby, I started as a sales associate at the Gallery of the MET Museum, not a great salary but great experience, two years later I have a really good job, great salary, great environment and great benefits.

[MrsCat 6]

Kitty,

Sounds like you have a pretty great attitude about starting a new job and realistic expectations for your first job. I am sure whoever gives you an interview will see these qualities and want to hire you in a second.

Starting over is always hard. I'm in the same position too and finding it hard to let go of my expectations from my former life in Canada.

Hope the job search leads you to your passion!

Cat

[ginger1981 0]

Would you like to share your experience?

I am now searching for a job. Well, I am having a hard time since I have never had a full time job in the US.

And, I do not speak English as my first language.

I am thinking about starting my career at a major department store like Macy's or Nordstrom.

Has anyone worked there before?

Or know anyone who works there?

Please share your experience here. It will be very helpful!

I would consider JC Penny or some other "middle-of-the-road" department store at the moment. The reason for this is they may have less stringent hiring requirements than more "upscale" stores, like Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom and especially Saks Fifth Avenue. The other benefit to working at JC Penny (or a store like it) is you probably wouldn't need quite as fancy of clothing to work there as you would in the other four. The clientele in those department stores generally have deep pockets, which is needed, since most items cost a ton.

Something else to consider is that most salespeople work on a commission basis, so the chances of you selling more items at JC Penny is higher than at Nordstrom or Saks. With all the bank closures or takeovers and the subsequent stock market decline, many people have lost a great deal of money. They'll probably be more willing to spend less at JC Penny than more at Nordstrom.

It's not necessarily true of the upscale stores (aside from Neiman Marcus or Saks). Most upscale places realize that they aren't hiring rich people and they usually offer pretty good discounts. I used to work at a more upscale retail store and with any item over $25 we got the item at cost...which in most cases mean the item was at least 50% off. They want their employees to be wearing their clothing...and knowing that most of their employees aren't wealthy they do help you out in that area.

Also, there is always the option of going to consignment stores and finding a few nice suits there that won't require you to spend lots of money.