The Sidekick Report - Comic Shop Pet Peeves - Resumes

I'll be honest. Our store (Stadium Comics in Brampton - come by and visit!) gets a TON of resumes each and every week. It's no secret why people want to work here, either. Potential employees see the glamorous lifestyle we lead as comic store owners - the money, the cars, the comics, the adoration, the WOMEN - and they want a piece of the action. Who can blame them?

But alas, not every person on this planet can be blessed with the title of comic store employee. It is a much-coveted occupation. According to a recent study by a group of unknown, anonymous scientists, there is an almost 0% chance of a person actually working in a comic store in their lifetime. You have a greater chance of winning the lottery, or getting struck by lightning.

And we are all well aware of what happens to comic store employees once they exit this mortal coil. We are all reserved a place in a Valhalla-like afterlife that looks strikingly similar to our parents' basement, surrounded by long boxes full of comics and 78 virgins. That's right, we get one more virgin than Islamic fundamentalists. Is it any wonder people flock to comic shops like ours to hand in their resumes?

It takes a "special" kind of person to work here!

You're probably thinking, "Kevin - with all the demand for comic store jobs in this world, you must see some great resumes!"

Well you would be wrong. Most resumes we receive are complete shit.

Seriously folks, I have a little bit of advice for you: if you want a job in a comic store don't you think it might be a good idea to let the owner of the store know that you actually like comics? I am not exaggerating when I say that 99% of the resumes we receive say nothing about comics or pop-culture.

Did your high school business teachers not tell you to personalize your resume a little? I'm not asking for much, maybe just a couple sentences that tell me what comic characters you like, what titles you read, what your favorite storylines were - anything! Even if you don't read comics, tell me why you want to work in a comic store. Now some of your teachers may have told you not to include things such as comics, or video games in your interests on a resume. But if you are applying at a video game store, don't you want to show them you know your stuff?

This is good advice no matter what kind of job you are applying for. Handing a generic resume to me that could just as easily be used to get a factory job through a temp staffing agency just isn't going to cut it. You need to stand out from the pack. You need to tell me why you deserve to work here.

With the right resume, and perhaps some form of monetary gift (I find the term 'bribe' offensive), you may find yourself living out your dream behind the counter of a comic shop like ours, enjoying all the benefits and rewards that come with it.

Oh, and just so there's no misunderstanding, the 78 virgins I referred to? They're actually not females. They're just a bunch of comic nerds who have never had sex before. Hey, even Heaven isn't perfect.


- Kevin


Kevin Hickey and Rob Sinnott are the owners of Stadium Comics in Brampton, Ontario. Check them out on their website at www.sidekickcomics.ca or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stadiumcomics