Choosing a strip joint -- when to run like hell

* It's dirty.
* It smells bad.
* The other girls look miserable or, worse off, abused. I'm old enough to remember the time before smoking bans. Some places had guests who threw lit cigarettes at the girls.
* The girls look obviously drunk or drugged. There will be some drugs and booze at any joint, but you don't want to work somewhere where everyone is an addict, because you will become one, too.
* The manager is an asshole the first time you meet him.
* Someone immediately tries to solicit you / pressure you for sexual favors, whether it's the manager, barman or bouncer.
* There don't seem to be enough security / bouncers to keep the girls safe.
* It's empty of customers even when it should be busy, like a Friday night.
* The girls are far less attractive than you.

All of the above reek of desperation. And you are not desperate. You are a woman making a choice on how to earn your money.
Choosing your first strip joint is really important. It establishes where you are on the stripping totem pole, and therefore your future in the business.
You don't want to aim too low. The sleezier the job, the higher chance of your being abused.
Plus, if you look like Jessica Alba, you don't need to settle for a place where the staff are toothless and have C-section scars.
But you might not be able to aim too high either -- a top gentlemen's club might not hire a totally inexperienced girl right off the street, especially if she is not a Barbie doll.

Check online reviews on strip joints in your area. If they say "filthy. $2 blowjobs" then run, run away.
If you have the cash and a supportive male friend, go one night as an undercover "customer."
Make a list of places you would like to work, and then approach them one by one.
Take your time. If you have to work at McDonald's or Walmart in the short-term, so be it. If you're a bit out of shape and being rejected by the better clubs, take time to get in better shape, then try again.