“At least I can get a job at McDonald’s.” That’s something I’ve often said when I’ve gotten mad at editors I’ve worked for and pondered quitting, or I had a feeling my job was going to be downsized.

It’s not that I wanted to work at Mickey D’s — not that there’s anything wrong with that — but having this fast-food backup plan helped quell my anxiety that I’d end up in financial ruin if I lost my job.

Well, the McDonald’s backup plan isn’t so secure anymore.

Retail jobs, everything from fast food joints to departments stores, are not as plentiful as they once were thanks to the economy.

Every day we hear about yet another retailer cutting back or filing for bankruptcy. Circuit City and Linen N Things are two recent examples. Total employment in retail has actually dropped about 2 percent this year, according to the Department of Labor. And that’s bad news for so many of you who see retail as a great temporary, or long-term alternative to an office gig that doesn’t work out, or you just can land.

And with the expected-to-be dismal holiday shopping season, don’t expect a flood of merchants begging workers to do some ho, ho, hoing at stores this season. Seriously folks, even Santa’s hours at the mall are being cut back.

I had a feeling there would be a retail crunch when I recently noticed tons of people filling out applications at my local Target. I blogged about that recently. And it’s not just kids looking for part time work. Many displaced corporate workers are looking for ways to make ends meet until the economy turns around.

While most career writers spend their time writing about strategies for getting ahead in Corporate America, I think it’s a good time to offer some words of wisdom on landing, what is becoming, a coveted retail job.

Here’s some advice from retail guru, SnagAJob.com’s Shawn Boyer:

* Bring a positive attitude – both to the interview and the job itself. SnagAJob.com has done several studies of hourly hiring managers, and they have said the No. 1 thing they look for in an applicant is a positive attitude.
* Apply online and in person. Get in contact with hiring managers every way possible, applying online and by walking into a store or location.
* Have a flexible schedule. Emphasize exactly when you can work, including nights, weekends or early mornings. You want to demonstrate exactly when you are available to work, being more flexible than the applicant walking in the door behind you.
* Be prepared to talk about why you want the job and why you’re a good candidate. You may enter a store or location thinking that you’re only going to fill out an application, but it is possible that you may have an on-the-spot interview with a manager.
* If you’ve had a part-time job in the last couple of years and you left in good standing, go back to that location and employer and see if they’re hiring. You will likely have a leg up on other applicants because you can get up to speed quickly and you have proven yourself.
* Apply where you are a consumer. If you are knowledgeable about a product and have a genuine enthusiasm for it, hiring managers will see that that energy will be shared with shoppers.

“This is one of those years when there are many more applicants than there are seasonal openings.,” says Randall Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of career development website Quintessential Careers.

Here’s some of his advice:

Because the competition will be so much tougher, it’s even more important for job-seekers to customize their resumes and applications to show fit with the retailers — they can do this by going to the company’s Website and using some of the same lingo that company uses to describe itself. For example, if the company talk about making every shopping experience a thrill for consumers, the job-seeker can talk about his/her philosophy (or past experience) making customers thrilled with their purchases.

Job-seekers are also going to need to spend more time and effort to land one of these jobs. So, besides sharpening their resumes, they should also prepare for interviews in which they can demonstrate their fit.

Finally, job-seekers should use their network to see if they have any connections to retailers — because a recommendation from inside the company is going to give a job-seeker an edge over someone unknown.

It’s a good idea to call the retail store before you head in. Try to get the store manager on the phone and tell him or her you’re interested in a job. They will probably tell you to come in and fill out an application but the advance call may have them looking for you if you say you’ll be there at a specific time.

So do you really need a resume to land a job at McDonald’s? Probably not if you’re just out of school but for mid-level career folks it can only help.

I figured I’d talk to a former McDonald’s executive to find out what it really takes to start selling Big Macs. (My favorite junk food, by the way.)

“You have to differentiate yourself from the run of the mill,” says Paul Facella, CEO of consulting firm Inside Management and author of “Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s.”

Facella started out at McDonald’s at age 16 as a “crew member,” aka counter guy, and ended up a regional vice president.

Here’s his take on what it takes to get a job at the burger mecca:

Every retailer wants the very best person in customer service. They want people who have a passion for the job and a passion for the consumer.

And first impressions are the most important so you have to be dressed well and neatly. If someone comes in sloppy they are going to go to the bottom of the pack.

I always looked form someone who could look me straight in the eye and had a nice manner about them. Someone you’d want to sit across form and have a casual conversation.
If you come in with an attitude you’re not going to get the job.

At end of day, employers wants an employee to be engaged in work, passionate about what they do, come in on time, do their work, and ask for more things to do. They want someone who stands out. That’s who they want on their team.

He also suggests that workers who are interested in advancement bring up the topic of upward mobility. But don’t let that be the first thing out of your mouth if you’re applying for an entry level job, he stresses. “In the course of a half an hour interview you can casually mention that you’re interested in finding out about chances for promotions from within. That signals to me that a person may aspire to do more. That’s a good thing,” he maintains.

Yes, there are opportunities to climb the ladder of success in retail.

Facella pointed out that 40 percent of the mid management and above, and 30 percent of the owner operators at McDonald’s started as crew members.

“So many people enter retail, like myself, not thinking it can be a career,” he says, “then suddenly you think, ‘I like this place.’”