CAREER START : WHAT’S IN STORE FOR RETAILERS : Some outfits are swamped with applicants. But there are some tricks to landing in the trade.

Retailers are suffering through the toughest times in recent memory and have just finished the worst Christmas selling season they’ve had in years.

Nonetheless, local retailers--from upper-end department stores to off-price outlets to consumer electronics stores--say there are still plenty of full-time and part-time entry level jobs available for those who really want them. The trick, they say, is being persistent, enthusiastic and flexible.

“We can always use a good person,” said Becky Nieto, human resources manager for the Wherehouse Entertainment Inc. chain of record stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Across the Southland, retailers report that openings for positions such as sales clerks, cashiers and stock people--which usually have starting salaries of $4.25 to $5.50 an hour, or potentially more if commissions are involved--are holding steady or have declined slightly from last year. Meanwhile, the number of applicants for those jobs has increased dramatically.

At local Sears stores, for instance, the number of job seekers currently outweighs openings by about two to one--a much bigger ratio than in healthier economic times, said Kevin Martin, a Sears personnel manager.

And Clyde Stuts, vice president of employee relations and compensation at Bullock’s, said the number of “walk-ins” applying for sales associate positions has grown so much in recent months that the department store chain has stopped running help-wanted advertisements for those types of jobs.

But retailers say job seekers shouldn’t be discouraged, even if they have no previous work experience. Indeed, for many retailers, a large share of their sales and stock clerk forces is made up of high school students or recent graduates who have never held other jobs. And Steve Hays, a north Los Angeles County district manager for Target Stores, said the discount chain has had great success with its program of hiring and training disabled people for various positions.

With competition increasing for a limited number of lower-level retail jobs, however, retailers offer the following advice to job seekers to help set them apart from the crowd:

* Be enthusiastic.

“It sounds cliche, but every retailer wants someone who is friendly,” Nieto said.

Particularly when applying for a job as a sales clerk or other position that involves constant contact with the public, Nieto and others say, the person most likely to land a job is the one who shows a willingness to please customers and give good service.

* Don’t underestimate your skills.

Many applicants for entry-level jobs have little or no work experience, but they might bring other qualities to the job that retailers will find useful. Nieto, for instance, said she has hired former homemakers who have never worked outside the home or wanted to re-enter the work force after spending several years raising their children.

“Mothers have innate organizational skills,” she said. “I would definitely consider that an asset to bring to the table.”

* Be persistent.

If you don’t land a job today, try again tomorrow. Many retail jobs are part-time and typically have high turnover rates, so positions can open up on a daily basis. Also, retailers say, if one of their stores isn’t hiring, try another one a little farther from home. Once you land a job, a transfer might be possible later.

* Dress appropriately when applying for a job.

“First impressions and appearances are always very important,” said Barry Sparks, a J. C. Penney Co. district manager in Los Angeles. If a job applicant is clean, well-groomed and professionally dressed, Sparks said, he or she is more likely to make a favorable impression with the person making the hiring decision.

* Learn how to interview well.

Try to be articulate, outgoing and willing to openly discuss your attitudes about the job.

* Be flexible.

Martin at Sears said preference will almost always be given to someone who is willing to work odd hours at night, in the morning, or on weekends. “That’s a major plus,” he said. “Those are the most difficult times to fill in our schedules.”

Martin added that most Sears stores are always looking for mechanics to work in their auto centers. While those jobs are more specialized and require specific skills, he said, some lower-level mechanic jobs could be filled by people who have been trained in auto repair but have little work experience in that area.

Local retailers also stress that theirs is a business that traditionally prefers to promote from within. An entry-level job today could easily lead to a more responsible and higher-paying job in a few years.

At Wherehouse, for example, more than one company vice president started out as a part-time sales clerk. A J. C. Penney employee who began in a lower-level position on a receiving dock now runs the dock. Even Sears Chairman Edward A. Brennan paid his dues working in the trenches. He began his career at Sears by selling men’s clothing.

In short, Sears’ Martin said, “Managers are always looking for aggressive, talented people.”