And then I printed one out for Hot Topic because they had a "Now Hiring" sign...

But then my mom asked me if I really wanted a job dealing with people. And... no, I don't, really.

I mean, face to face, I'm terrified of people. I can't make eye contact or speak normally with strangers unless I'm in a very specific mood, or if people I know are around.

Sometimes when I go to Bath and Bodyworks people think I work there and ask me for help, and that's okay, but my mom is there...

So yeah, I'm kind of worried now. :/

I've never filled out an application before and I don't know how to do it. I mean, it seems like it should be obvious, because there are boxes for everything, but I don't know my social security number or how to verify that I'm allowed to work in the U.S. and all this other stuff looks straightforward at first and then gets so confusing and I just can't...

I wish this wasn't so hard.

---

And I need a work permit too? Great. So I can't even try looking until school starts. :|

---

My default Away message...

Somewhere over the rainbow
The grass is greener on the other side
And Skittles taste like lemon drops
As they fall from the sky like rain
The leprechauns are always stashing their gold
In the most obvious places-
Usually the bank or under their mattresses
If you find any
Remember to recycle

you better memorize your SS # because you won't believe how many places you'll need it in the future...I swear, I use mine every single day.
» lazypuppy on 2008-08-02 12:14:30

Maybe the job will help those issues with people. OR, it could give you a way to start over with strangers and act like you're always that sociable. All the people at Hot Topic, I always assume, are really nice and outgoing.
» Unicornasaurus on 2008-08-02 12:20:03

lazypuppy is right. you'd be surprised just how often you'll need your social. even more places use the last 4 digits as verifications. it's crazy. once you get the hang of filling out apps, you'll quickly get annoyed that every app is basically the same. you'll get very sick of answering the same questions over and over. and over and over lol
» LostSoul13 on 2008-08-02 12:37:14

I use to seriously think I'd never be able to get a customer service job, until I jumped in and got one and tried it. Now I like it. :P
» umbreons-shadow on 2008-08-02 03:02:48

I wish my job was more customer-based sometimes. Instead, I work with the cold mechanical, yet very hot (in temperature), deep frier who hisses at me and spits fiery saliva. :3

Usually, you just need your SS# for applying for most part-time jobs. For most places now, their applications are online giving them the ability to make ridiculously long applications. For example: Panera Bread. The best advice I could give you with being able to "work" with people, have a comfortable, suitable environment. For some it's easier to find that environment niche. I wish they'd hire me at Books-a-Million but I'm content with working in the kitchen where the pressure of time is ever present and everything is in motion around you. Timers going off, meat meeting hot grill (:3 "meat meeting"), cooks yelling. It's a wonder that no one gets hurt with the amount of dangerous temperatures and sharp knives in such a limited working environment but the people that become regular employees are those who can survive in such an place.
» yourcupoftea on 2008-08-02 04:16:45

Randy. It's ok. I used to avoid human contact at all costs as well. Just give it a year or two and the shell will break...I don't know if you want to wait that long for a job though haha. Oh well, stretching your comfort zone is never that bad, either.
» The-Muffin-Man on 2008-08-02 09:33:02

I don't think you'd want a job dealing with people, ESPECIALLY at Hot Topic. Th 40% discount might be nice, but think about the sorts of people (other than yourself) that you know that shop there. I thought about it when I was 17, but now I realize that about 90% of the people I know that shop there are totally dramatic and blah.

Sure, I still go every now and again, to check out the clearance rack... but I don't spend oodles of mommy's money there like I did for about that year in high school.

The paperwork aspects of it isn't all that hard. Name, address, social, proof of birth/residence (usually a report card/license/permit and a birth cert or something).
» ikimashokie on 2008-08-02 10:04:47

Cool away message.
I don't think you need to worry about verifying that you are allowed to work in the US, I'm pretty sure that's just legalese for "Please check here if you are not an illegal immigrant." I usually bring my passport to prove citizenship, and if you don't have one then they should be fine with a birth certificate or social security card (I'm not 100% on the birth certificate so you should probably call Hot Topic to verify). It's all stuff your parents probably have stowed in a safe deposit box somewhere.

As for the work permit, you can often reach someone who works for your school year-round and can prepare one for you during the summer. Here in New York, it's just a little green card that basically confirms that you are enrolled in school and thus allowed to work X hours/week. It took my dean's secretary about 5 minutes to fill out and sign for me.

As for customer service jobs, they're not so bad. I used to work in the office of a summer camp, answering phones and handling parents. I'm not exactly a people-person either, and it had its ups and downs, but most of the downs involved angry parents who were frustrated by our ban on direct parent-to-child phone calls (to prevent homesickness), and thus felt the need to call us office aides every day and demand a status report on their child. I'm guessing that you wouldn't have that problem at Hot Topic, so I'd say go for it. Get a little extra spending money and gain some life/work-experience while you're at it. Honestly, it really does come in handy (both the money and the experience).
» ManOfDarkSunglasses on 2008-08-02 02:47:13

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