1. What is one of the common myths about careers in retail that you can dispel?
2. What type of a training program can help prepare someone for a job in retail?
3. What is some advice you would give to someone considering a job in retail?
4. I love working in retail because….

.

About the Retail: an Inside Look video blog series: At NRF’s 2010 BIG Show, NRF Foundation videotaped five-minute interviews with attendees, who work in different facets of retail, from a Director of Sales to a Vice President of Human Resources. These interviewees discussed their climb up the retail career ladder and gave us insight into some of their favorite aspects of the industry.

We hope these videos will inspire those who have the energy, enthusiasm and passion for retailing to take a closer look. We think many will be delighted to learn about the diversity of opportunities from these seasoned retailers and the unique pathways each have taken. For others, who have already decided on a retail career, we hope these videos confirm your decision to be a part of this incredible industry.

We hope these videos will inspire those who have the energy, enthusiasm and passion for retailing to take a closer look.  We think many will be delighted to learn about the diversity of opportunities from these seasoned retailers and the unique pathways each have taken.  For others, who have already decided on a retail career, we hope these videos confirm your decision to be a part of this incredible industry.

Our first video features Jared Ellis, Director of Retail Sales at Michael Stars.  See what Jared has to say about his experience in the retail industry!

Don’t they look happy? That’s Zappos letting employees be themselves.
photo from Jake Chessum, Inc.com

The company, and the CEO, have been profiled in virtually every business and trade publication. Everywhere you turn, there’s an article on how the company has sky-rocketed to fame and fortune (Amazon recently bought the company for over $800 million). Just a week ago, I saw that New Yorker magazine published a thorough inside look about the company.

Then, a colleague of mine forwarded me a slideshow on Inc.com, highlighting the company’s best practices in customer service and employee engagement. There were five simple points (view the slideshow for more details):

1. Try everything — such as offer free shipping, free returns, have 24-hour (attentive) customer service
2. Let people be themselves — allow employees to make decisions without consulting managers
3. Get serious about training — require a rigorous training regimen for new hires and long-term employees
4. Open up — encourage employees to Tweet, give customers (fans?) tours of company headquarters
5. Get happy — bring joy to customers and employees

Tony Hsieh is rumored to be writing a book, tentatively titled Delivering Happiness. Hsieh tells the New Yorker, it will focus on a “combination of Zappos, the culture, core values, and the science of happiness.” When core values include: Create Fun and a Little Weirdness, Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit, and Embrace and Drive Change — yes, those are things I can’t get enough of.

But, this week, I’ve been particularly excited by a number of interesting news articles that have highlighted the retail industry. Interviews with retail executives, tips for landing retail jobs, managing retail employees — these are the kind-of articles I like to read — the ones that focus on real people in retail.

Here’s a digest of my favorite articles from the week:

(1) You Want Insights? Go to the Front Lines
New York Times, Corner Office, August 15, 2009

Every Sunday, the New York Times interviews top executives about the challenges of leading and managing. This week they interviewed Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy, who discussed leadership lessons he has learned (when you’re asked what you think, tell people what you think), and how he uses technology (monitors Best Buy mentions on the web and on Twitter; uses Skype to watch NBA basketball with his kids).

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Learning from people who are actually doing the work.”

“Be really careful about what you believe about yourself. You’re never as good as they say or as bad as they say. When I was made C.E.O. on June 24, I didn’t wake up that morning smarter. I didn’t wake up with a massive I.Q. expansion. I did wake up with a new responsibility.”

Read the full article.

(2) Your Career: Landing a Retail Job in a Recession
New York Times, Business, August 17, 2009

Retail jobs are harder to find in this economic environment. Read about what individuals and universities are doing to find jobs. One example: University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School has been working with retailers to develop short-term projects, in areas such as operations and merchandising.

Other tips include:

• • Focus on financially healthy chains.
  • Look for jobs at stores where you regularly shop and that you’re passionate about.
  • Meet the managers: Don’t just drop off your resume
  • Be flexible. Working in retailing can mean long work schedules, particularly as the holiday season approaches.
  • Play up your experience in customer service.

Read the full article.

(3) Unlocking the Potential of Frontline Managers
McKinsey Quarterly, August 2009

The managers of frontline employees are crucial, yet often overlooked.

This article highlights the importance of the district/area managers, store managers, site or plant managers, and line supervisors. These managers direct as much as two-thirds of the workforce and are responsible for a crucial part of the company that typically defines the customer experience. Yet, they often have too limited flexibility in decision making and too little room for creativity.

Read the article (full article requires subscription).

Did you miss these articles in the news? Don’t miss out on any more. Sign up for a number of free NRF publications and get the latest retail news.

This week, “Talking With…” features Terry Lundgren, who started his career as a trainee with Bullock’s department stores in 1975, and is now the President and CEO of Macy’s, one of the best known retailers in the world.

Below is a section of the interview that I wanted to share with NRF Foundation’s Retail Careers Community, as it highlights how Mr. Lundgren got his start in retail, why he thinks it is important to listen to young associates, and what he loves about the industry. You can read the full interview on the Shop.org blog.

When you received the Gold Medal Award at NRF’s Annual Convention several years ago, you talked about the importance of cultivating young professionals within the Macy’s organization and said you meet with a select group of young talent on a regular basis. What have you learned from those meetings and have you made any changes because of them?

I learn a lot each time I meet with a group of associates who are early in their careers with Macy’s. I work hard to devote at least 30 minutes a week to them, and it is among the most rewarding things I do. These individuals are brimming with good ideas and insights we can apply to our business, and we do take action on them. For example, the development and rollout of the BCBGeneration product for young career women, as well as the Rachel Rachel Roy launch, were directly related to a meeting of my “Breakfast Club.” The group told me we had a gap in our assortment for this younger working customer, which included our own trainees and assistant buyers, and we moved very quickly to fill it.

You’ve spent more than 30 years in retail. What do you like most about this industry?

The constant change. You can’t stand still in retailing. You must always be innovating and pushing the envelope. The competitive landscape is always changing. The customer is always changing and evolving, and so must we. I like being challenged in this way. I just love this business. It’s a privilege to come to work every day and do something I absolutely love to do, even in this very difficult economic environment. We get our performance review every day at the cash register. I love the challenge because I know our strategy and our organization structure is right and we have the talent to win.

Tell me something that’s especially vivid from your first days at the company.

I was recruited to Bullock’s in Los Angeles as I was graduating college at the University of Arizona. I had several other job offers, but what struck me about Bullock’s was the unbelievably talented people I met in the interview process and potentially would be working with and for. That’s what attracted me to retailing and what has kept me in this industry.

Retailing thrives on smart, aggressive, fast-moving people who know how to spot and capitalize on opportunity. You are responsible for your own P&L statement early in your career as a buyer or a store manager. I am very proud of the fact that Macy’s, Inc. is known for having the very best training programs, which in turn has attracted the best people in retailing.

Read the full interview on the Shop.org blog.

Helen Gurley Brown also became known for her management style, which led to her cultivating an incredibly loyal staff (many top editors and her personal assistant staying with her for more than 20 years). Given her success, Fortune magazine profiled Brown in 1996, inviting her to share her insights about successful management. Some of her tips include (from pg. 157 of “Bad Girls Go Everywhere”):

• • • • Spending money is good; wasting it is dumb
      • Don’t lose your temper, as you already have control
      • Listen to ideas, but have your vision in place and stay loyal to it
      • Leave your door open, but try to visit others so you can control the time spent together
      • Don’t show off good people, just give them responsibilities
      • Give credit to employees, sometimes even when it was your initial idea
      • Put up with employees who need to deal with family issues on the workplace clock
      • Fraternize with the staff when it feels right, as some may become close friends

Her final piece of advice, which rings true for any setting and accounts for a great deal of success: “work harder than everyone else.”

Over a decade later, Jack and Suzy Welch, in a BusinessWeek article, offer some strikingly similar advice to college graduates, “The way to get ahead is to overdeliver. Expand the organization’s expectations of you and exceed them.”

The Welch’s go on to expand their “overdeliver” credo to include:

• • • • Get off your computer – build relationships by talking and maintain them electronically.
      • You’ve got to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues – in this marketplace, flexibility is a reward, not an entitlement.
      • Love everyone – shed the cynicism and listen to every voice.
      • Stop apologizing – there’s no need to feel shame about business; it is a force for progress in the world.

I’d say that is some snappy advice from Brown and The Welch’s. And, advice that is fitting for all of us whether you are a jobseeker or currently employed, working in retail or another workplace. In short, we all need to work harder and overdeliver.

BusinessWeek recently ran a story about Universum USA’s annual survey of 60,000 undergraduates about their picks for “ideal employers.” Candidates coming out of college have differing opinions about what makes an “ideal employer.” For some, an appealing employer is a company that has a lot of prestige. For others, a company that stresses work/life balance is a top characteristic jobseekers value. One common trait more and more people are mentioning, and no surprise in this economy, is stability is a major factor in their top choices for ideal employers.

Top Five Ideal Employers:
surveyed by research firm Universum USA from December 2008 to April 2009

1. Google
2. Walt Disney
3. Apple Computer
4. U.S. Department of State
5. FBI

See a slide show of the top 25 employers. See the full list of 100.

I was thrilled to see two companies with retail operations in the top five. Apple is a shining example of the variety of jobs one can find in retail. Job opportunities at the store-level range from “personal shopping specialist” to “genius,” and the company is growing. Several other retailers placed in the top 50 “desired companies,” and even more in the top 100. Retail is an industry with over 24 million employees (about one in five American workers), and sales of $4.6 trillion (in 2008). It is an industry full of prestigious companies, advancement opportunities, growth, stability, and, contrary to popular opinion, work/life balance. In an earlier blog post, we asked for, and shared, examples about retail being an industry where your passion can be your work. Share your retail story, and let’s continue to spread the word about the industry you love.

Retailers in the Top 50 Listing of Ideal Employers:
surveyed by research firm Universum USA from December 2008 to April 2009

• Nike (#15)
• Coach (# 34)
• Target (# 36)
• Starbucks (# 41)
• Amazon (# 47)
• Macy’s (# 49)

As someone coming out of college, or with many years of experience, how would you define your “dream employer?” What attributes are most attractive, and why? Share your comments below.

“Sales – when done right – is more than a job. It is an art.” – Ben Stein

Ben Stein, the lawyer, writer, actor and economist, recently wrote a great article for The New York Times about the sales profession, and the respect he has for it. His first job was selling shoes for Shoe Giant. He recounts special memories of people who have sold brilliantly, including car and insurance salesmen, and says that each of us (doctors, lawyers, waiters, etc.) sell something every day. We sell ourselves, our beliefs, our services, our products, our daily specials.

Stein goes on to describe sales as, “It is learning the product you are selling, learning it so well that you can describe it while doing a pirouette of smiles for the customer and talking about the latest football scores. It is knowing human nature so well that you can align the attributes of your product or service cleanly with the needs and wants of your customers.” Sales is a balancing act, and an art form.

Have you encountered an excellent salesman? How do you sell yourself? Share your comments below.

• Good publicity
• Tracks items people no longer want
• Increases store foot traffic
• Convenient spot for recycling

Visit NRF Foundation’s Learning Activities webpage, submit your answer, and view the results!

Do you love working in retail? NRF Foundation wants to hear from you!

Having been a part of this industry over the last three years, I’ve already heard so many unique and inspiring stories from retailers about how they got their start and why they love doing what they do. Like the man who went to work for a home improvement store because he spent so much time there while renovating his house. Twenty years later, he’s still there. Or, the guy who sells outdoor apparel and sporting goods, and is super successful because it doesn’t feel like selling when you’re talking to people about the stuff you love. Then, there’s the young manager of a toy store who is constantly energized by the chaos that comes with working in a toy store.

Retail is an industry where your passion can be your work. It’s an industry that has so much variety – marketing, advertising, buying, and logistics. And, it’s an industry that employs a lot of people — about one in five workers.

Here’s how you can participate:

• Share a Twitter-style comment below — make a quick statement telling us why you love retail.
• Write a blog post. Sign up as an author on our blog and share your personal experience about working in retail. Pictures are encouraged.
  
• Record a video and send it to us. As an example, check out last year’s winners of the Intercollegiate Retail Challenge who recorded a video about their experiences.
• Join our Facebook group and write a message on our Wall.
  
• Send us an email, or mail us a good old-fashioned letter. We still like those too.
  

We can’t wait to hear your story!

• Abraham Lincoln
• Barack Obama
• Ronald Reagan
• John Adams

Visit NRF Foundation’s Learning Activities webpage, submit your answer, and view the results!

FINDING A JOB WEB 2.0 STYLE

1. Blog – Blogging can be about sharing and highlighting your expertise. You can either start your own blog, or regularly contribute and make comments on others. Yes, there are a gazillion blogs out there about fashion and marketing and advertising. Unless you have a clever twist on one of these topics, you may want to rethink starting your own and concentrate on contributing to others. Like this one
2. Social Networking Sites – Join them, if you haven’t already. Even Zappos.com’s CEO Twitters. And, LinkedIn‘s popularity has soared. According to TechCrunch.com, unique visitors rose 22 percent in January, and total minutes on the site doubled. If you’re on Facebook, we have a Retail Careers & Advancement Group. It is just as important to network with others looking for a job as it is potential employers. Others in transition can be a great source of information for trading tips, not to mention morale support.
3. Start using #1 and #2 Together — If you’ve authored a blog post or made an insightful comment, make sure you share it with your social network.

FINDING A JOB THE TRIED AND TRUE WAY

1. Have a Focused Resume – Customize your resume to each company and position you are applying for, placing emphasis on the experience that is most applicable. A resume recently came across my desk where the candidate created a chart with one column showing the qualifications we were looking for and one column indicating how his qualifications matched up. I thought this was a great idea.
2. Get Out and Meet People – Don’t spend all your time on the computer. Go out and meet people and network. Initiate breakfast, lunch, or coffee. Consider consulting work or volunteering.
3. Internships – This obviously applies to the younger job seeker, but they should not underestimate the importance of internships. Internships provide work experience, connections, recommendations – all things necessary to make your resume stand out.

Have other successful strategies? Please share them by making a comment below!

——————————————–

Resources used in this blog post include:
career-resumes.com
careerbuilder.com
ocregister.com

• Environmentally-friendly Home Furnishings
• Trendy Fashion Lines at Affordable Prices
• New Luxury Brands
• Baby and Maternity Products

Visit the NRF Foundation’s Learning Activities webpage, submit your answer, and view the results!

When I saw this Retail Sales Training video from Beyond the Box, I was reminded that associates don’t have to be pushy, but they also shouldn’t be afraid to ask for the sale. Retail is, after all, a sales driven business. And, that being said, there’s no better way to advance your career in retail than success on the sales floor.

Beyond the Box Retail Sales Training Tip Video

NRF Foundation has a number of resources to help improve performance in the areas of gaining customer commitment, offering add-ons, closing the sale, and implementing a follow-up plan. We also have a National Professional Certification in Sales that formally documents that a candidate has the knowledge to apply sales skills and make a judgment about what is best to do in a sales situation. So, if you are in need of some new sales training resources, don’t be afraid to ask for that either.

• Crate & Barrel
• PetSmart
• Best Buy
• Walgreens

Visit the NRF Foundation’s Learning Activities webpage, submit your answer, and view the results!

NRFF will create this “community” through the new Retail Careers Center website, this blog, and our social networking group on Facebook.

These online features will help us create awareness, generate excitement, and promote the diversity of retail career tracks and opportunities.  And, we can’t wait for you to join us!  Please join our community, and share with us why you love working in retail.

NRFF is committed to ensuring a knowledgeable next generation of retailers, and assisting retailers and business partners recruit, manage, and develop talent.  Through NRFF’s industry training and professional certification programs, the Foundation will challenge, educate, and excite tomorrow’s retailers.