Books take people to different places, enrich their creativity, and tickle the imagination. Even in the digital age, bookstores continue to thrive because of the appeal of the written word. Since the first printing press was invented, printed books have continued to appeal to man’s thirst for knowledge and truth. While it may be true that the popularity of books dipped with the arrival of Kindle, iPad, ebooks, and other forms of digital content, there’s no denying that bookstores will continue to grow and expand all over the world. Aside from leisure reading, textbooks on different subjects are still sold on a regular basis, and this means that people will still be going to bookstores.
If you’re looking for jobs in the Book Store industry, you’ve got a pretty good future ahead of you. A career where one is surrounded by volumes upon volumes of great reading materials is surely a good thing. Contrary to what people believe, you don’t have to be a librarian to work inside a bookstore. As with any organization, there are plenty of careers that can be furthered in the bookstore industry. You can start with entry-level Book Store industry jobs and eventually work your way up the corporate ladder. For example, a store clerk who is initially assigned the task of organizing the books inside the bookstore can later on become a store manager or a team leader in charge of other staff.
Book Store industry careers are relatively relaxed compared to, say, food establishment jobs. Unlike restaurants, there are no peak or rush hours inside a bookstore. There may be a particularly busy season, such as shortly before the school year opens and during Halloween and Christmas when people are busy buying books and other reading materials as gifts for their family and loved ones. Furthermore, the pace of work inside a bookstore is not as harried as, say, a grocery store or a 7-11 convenience store. This is one place where people still stop and take the time to browse through their favorite books or check out a new title from an up-and-coming author. In fact, there are bookstores which have established reading corners. Here, people are allowed to read as much as they want for as long as the store is open. There is no obligation to buy anything at the end of the day; you can just stay at the bookstore for the simple pleasure of reading good material.
For people who want careers in the Book Store industry, the store itself is a good place to start. You can ask the staff or manager if they have an opening within the store; or if their company website has a career page where applicants can send in their job applications and resumes. Most often than not, there are online application pages within the company’s website. The page details the positions and areas where there are openings as well as the requirements for them. Most career pages have questionnaires for the applicants to fill up. The form is then submitted and evaluated by a screening committee made up of HR personnel. They evaluate the answers to the questionnaires and check the merits of the resumes and other information in the Book Store industry job applications that they have received.
Alternatively, if you’re not comfortable sending in your job application online, you may also hand in your resume and job applications in the Book Store industry to the store manager personally. The only disadvantage is that you can be missing out on other opportunities by limiting yourself to one job post. There could be other positions for which you may be qualified to apply. Or, there could be an opening at a different store within your area. The advantage of filling out online applications is that you can apply for multiple positions at different branches. This way, you will always have second, third, or even fourth choices.
One of the most important things that you must remember if you want to work in the book industry is that you must sincerely love books. In order to be convincing, you yourself must pick up several titles a month to further your knowledge. If a customer asks you your opinion about a certain title, you should at least be able to give a helpful comment to him or her. It is not necessary to read everything on the shelves, but a sincere love for literature or history will get you very far in the book industry.
