With the Sinterklaas and Christmas season coming up, The Paperback is looking for a new bookseller to join our small team for (at least) the next six months. We’re looking for someone who can be flexible during the busy holiday season and who would like to continue working with us afterwards, mainly on the weekend.

What will you be doing?

You’ll help us make The Paperback a welcoming place where people love to browse, discover and talk about books. Next to that, you’ll be handling purchases and payments, wrapping books during the holiday season and helping out with other day-to-day tasks when needed.

During the Sinterklaas and Christmas period, you’ll mainly provide extra support on busy weekend days. This means there will be two of us in the shop: while one person is helping customers or handling payments, the other can give recommendations, restock shelves or wrap gifts. After the holidays, we expect most of your shifts to be on Saturdays, working alongside Marleen.

You won’t necessarily have to work in the shop by yourself at first, but we are looking for someone who would be comfortable doing so eventually 🙂

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for someone who genuinely gets excited about books. You don’t have to know every book on our shelves, but good and broad book knowledge is important. Ideally, you read across different genres and feel comfortable recommending books to everyone. If you don’t know the answer, you’re curious enough to find a perfect book for this person. We’re looking for someone who..:

• Is preferably between 16 and 19 years old;
• Can start working in November;
• Lives in Delft or the surrounding area;
• Has good book knowledge and loves talking about books;
• Speaks English well;
• Speaking Dutch, German and/or Spanish is a plus;
• Is social and comfortable approaching customers;
• Has a proactive attitude and notices what needs to be done;
• Is flexible and available on weekends, and during the Sinterklaas and Christmas period:
• Is generally available on Saturdays after the holiday season;
• Is comfortable spending a large part of the day on their feet and occasionally lifting boxes of books (we’re standing a lot and books are heavy);
• Is comfortable around dogs and isn’t allergic to them, since Chloé is regularly in the shop :).

Previous retail experience is a plus, but definitely not required. Your enthusiasm for books, willingness to learn and attitude are much more important to us.

What do we offer?

• You’ll receive a zero-hours contract for six months, for approximately 0–12 hours per week;
• There is a possibility of extending your contract afterwards;
• The number of hours will vary. You can expect more hours during the busy Sinterklaas and Christmas period, while after the holidays your shifts will mainly be on Saturdays. Occasionally being able to step in for an extra shift is a big plus;
• Your hourly wage will be discussed together and will be above the statutory minimum wage applicable to your age. And, of course,
• All shifts are during the daytime, so you won’t be expected to work evening events;
• You’ll get to work somewhere surrounded by books ALL DAY(?!). You’ll get overwhelmed with all the books you want to read even more.

Does this sound like the perfect job for you?

Marleen loves to hear from you! Apply sending an email to [email protected]. Applications are open until 19th of October and you’ll hear from Marleen no later than 26th of October about whether we’d like to invite you for an interview.

We hope to see you soon!