Rounding Your Wheel

A wise man once told me that round wheels roll easier.  Not really a shocking piece of advice at first glance, but in reality, some of the best I’ve gotten.  You see, we all have our “wheel house” – those things that we are really good at.  The better you are at a variety of things, the more indispensable you become to employers.

 

If you’re currently employed, you can look at your wheel as different aspects of your business. The more you know the more valuable you are because when you know something about everything, you’re able to wear several different hats. 

 

A wonderful example of this is one of our Vice Presidents.  He started with Mattress Firm as a delivery driver many years ago.  As soon as he started, he began rounding his wheel by learning as much as he could about the beds he was delivering and providing the best customer service possible.  This led him into the sales division of our company.  He continued rounding his wheel by learning as much as he could about management – reading books by experts and talking to his own managers.  Eventually that led him to become a Regional Manager in charge of over 100 stores, but his wheel wasn’t complete yet!  This gentleman continued to learn as much as he could about every aspect of our business, from online sales to back office administration.  Even though he didn’t have any specific experience in Human Resources, when the company was in need of a dynamic individual to lead such an important department, it was clear that with such a round wheel, he would be able to roll right in!

You can work on rounding your wheel even if you’re not currently doing a job that’s going to be your career.  You can round your wheel with personal characteristics too!  For instance, here is my wheel based on the Forbes list of leadership attributes:

       

In order to make myself as marketable as possible, I need to work on being more creative, and more confident in my abilities.  By drawing out your own wheel, you become more aware of the areas you excel in and the areas in which you could continue to develop.

The exciting thing about rounding your wheel is that the process is never finished!  There is always more to learn, and as we focus on one area, another area might lose some traction.  It is a continuous process that can make us all more effective in the work place.  

For more information on becoming a round wheel with Mattress Firm, contact me at lara.ashley@mattressfirm.com

You’ve Got a Friend Indeed

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We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s not what you know it’s who you know.” Well this is a true statement.

Employers love hiring referrals; as they:

1)      Are typically a better quality.

2)      Are a faster time to fill: Employee's hired through employee referral are hired 55% faster than those who came through a career site. *

3)      Stay longer: not only does it take a shorter length of time to hire a qualified candidate via employee referral, those hired stay longer. 46% of employee referrals stay for three years or more while only 14% of those hired from job boards stayed. *

If the above statements are true, referrals sound like the better investment to an employer, right? A referral has a better understanding of the company and the responsibilities of the position. And if the referral is coming from a solid employee, employers will trust that birds of a feather flock together.

So how can you become this referral? You probably already are. I’m sure you have a friend indeed.

1)      Social networking- LinkedIn is a great way to link back up with a lost friend, old work acquaintance or college buddy. Find out if they work for a company that you are interested in, or find if their company is hiring.

2)      Networking- Go to networking events. They may have access to job opportunities. Who knows, you may meet a new friend.

3)      Join a Professional Organization- May professional organizations have exclusive job opportunities or they may know someone to put you in contact with. You can even join online network organizations on LinkedIn.

So, get out a pen and pad and start brainstorming ways to network and reach out to friends. Let the job search begin!  

For more help with becoming a referral, contact daja.pope@mattressfirm.com.  

 http://recruiting.jobvite.com/resources/recruiting-data-employment-statistics-by-jobvite-index/#sthash.b0l8EmUe.dpuf