Jumping into the workforce late

Dizzen

I just recently gained my driver's license, and with the new found mobility I was hoping to land a job and start gaining a bit of financial security. However, I've never had a proper job before, and so I don't really have any job history or references. Also, and this may add quite a bit to the previous sentence, I am twenty-three years old.

Basically, I live in a part of the US with next to no public transportation, and so I didn't know how to move on with my life without having the ability to drive. I now have my license, and I'll probably manage to get a car soon, so I'm excited and happy and such, but I'm a bit uncertain as to how I should go about entering the workforce. I have spent the past five and a half years trying to figure out a way to get my license or a way to gain employment without one, so the situation I am in now is one I have not seriously considered in quite some time.

With my complete lack of experience and skills, I was hoping that I could take advantage of the season and find some seasonal retail work, as I hear that many retail stores hire on a considerable amount of workers for the holidays and then either let them go our drastically reduce their hours after the holidays are over. If that's the case, then I was hoping they might be willing to overlook my lack of experience. However, I really do not know much about the process of finding a job, and I don't exactly have anyone in my life I can talk to about the matter.

So, any advice? With no skills or experience with, well, anything, and having nothing to show for my last five years, I'm trying to think of places that might overlook those faults, and ways to present myself to make the best of the situation. Any words of wisdom or critiques of my situation would be greatly appreciated.

Trowizilla

If you're just looking for retail, it's going to be very easy. Just go around to different stores and ask if they're hiring; most places will at least let you fill out an application.

You need:
proof of citizenship/legal worker status
personal references
a reasonably nice outfit for interviews

That's pretty much it. For references, as people that aren't related to you and who will say nice things about you. Older friends of the family are good. If you've taken any classes lately, teachers are good.

Don't worry about your lack of experience! Retail jobs don't need any; they'll teach you store procedures after you're hired, and everything else is just being polite and helpful to people and doing what you're told.

Lord Yod

Retail jobs care way more about attitude than experience - most of them prefer that you have little or no experience, actually. (At least for seasonal hires)

Show up, dress nice, don't smell. Smile. Fill out the application, then call back a week or so later and ask about it. Try and talk to the manager when you're there, if possible.

Also, when I was first looking for work I dropped off about 70-80 apps before hearing back, so don't get discouraged.

Oh, and grocery stores - it doesn't take much in the way of skills to put things in a bag or on a shelf. Around here, they hire literally anyone.