Happy Holidays from the MFRM Talent Acquisition Team

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

Comparison is good, right?

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Starting my career in sales I have always been used to comparing my sales numbers to others and using that friendly competition to hit my goals and make myself better. But is there ever a point where comparing yourself to others becomes detrimental to your success?

After recently becoming a mom to my now 10 month old, Ripley who is smart, handsome, funny, charismatic, strong and the best baby boy of all time (can you tell I am a proud mom?) I realized that sometimes comparing yourself (or in this case my son) to others is not always a good thing and can actually do more harm than good.

So I know what you’re thinking… why is being a new mom relevant to the topic of comparing yourself to others in a work environment? Well, I will tell you that becoming a new mom has taught me a lot. One of the biggest lessons I have learned pretty quickly is that I cannot compare my son to other babies that are around his age. I heard this advice time and time again from my pediatrician and in every mommy blog out there…but this is something I am very much guilty of. “Why isn’t Ripley rolling over yet?” “Why isn’t Ripley crawling yet?”  “Why isn’t Ripley getting any teeth yet?” and the list of “why’s” could continue on and on.  I understand the importance of hitting milestones and the importance of watching for developmental delays, but this is different from comparing to what others are doing and at what pace. Everyone has told me that kids develop at their one pace and unless your Dr. says to worry, don’t.  What I learned is that this stress and worry about what other babies were doing or not doing in comparison to my own son could go on forever and ever if I continue with this comparison game. And I don’t want to be “that mom” who is always trying to push my child to be better than “Johnny, or Betty or Paul.” I just want him to be the best that he can be! I found that this comparison game was taking away from the developments  that he was achieving and the excitement that I should be feeling when he started to crawl or roll over or got a tooth… it was more of a “finally he is hitting this milestone”, versus this is an exciting moment!” Luckily I realized this now and not when he was 30… (Why isn’t he married yet?)

So as I think about my own professional career and development I realize that there are performance standards and “milestones” that I need to personally hit in order to maintain my job and be successful, but comparing my own performance to that of others can at times cause unnecessary stress and anxiety and take away from those accomplishments I have made. As long as I know I am meeting or hitting my own personal goals and I know that I am doing my best every day, that should be the satisfaction I  need.  After all, everyone is different and everyone does develop at different rates. I have also learned this through managing my team. I have to be careful about comparing my team members to one another, because after all, everyone is different and develops at their own pace.

Now I am not telling you to throw out that friendly competition or to be oblivious to what are the set expectations, this is just a reminder to do your personal best each and every day and don’t get caught up in the “my baby is better than your baby” game.  It is a slippery slope that can lead to un-needed pressure and stress which can alienate you from others and derail your accomplishments. So celebrate your personal victories no matter how small they might be!

amanda.robbins@mattressfirm.com

There are few things sweeter than a three day weekend...

Do you Know Your Strengths?

Have you ever given your personal strengths much thought? I know I hadn’t until I was asked to read Now Discover Your Strengths and present on my findings. As I read along I found that I was an empathizer, restorative, intellectual, adaptable, and I like to look back (context.) Here is what my strengths mean:

 

Empathy-I can sense the emotions of those around you. I can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are my own.

Restorative-I love to solve problems. Whereas some are dismayed when they encounter yet another breakdown, I can be energized by it. 

Intellection-I like to think and like mental activity.

Context-I look back. I look back because that is where the answers lie and to understand the present. 

Adaptability-I live in the moment. I don’t see the future as a fixed destination. Instead, I see it as a place that I create out of the choices that I make right now.

This was interesting because it reaffirmed things about myself that I already knew, as well as learned things that I had never thought about. You may be wondering why you need to know your own strengths or better yet, why you need to know the strengths of those around you? In simplest terms, it’s to better yourself both at work and in everyday life. You have the opportunity to know what you are good at and how to maximize these. If you are on the management side of things, wouldn’t it be great to know how to better relate to your employees or see how you can connect two team members together? If you would like to discover your own strengths, please visit http://www.strengthsfinder.com/home.aspx.  

 

 

Please feel free to share your findings with me! erica.siri@mattressfirm.com

Don’t forget to get “wowed!”



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It’s easy to get caught up trying to “wow” a future employer that sometimes we can forget that choosing a position and a company really is a mutual selection process.  Future employees have to want the job and the company just as much as the company has to want him or her to join their team.   Details during the selection process can speak volumes about the organization and how you may fit their culture and how they may offer what you’re really looking for.

 

Think about these details the next time you’re searching for a new professional opportunity…

How does the environment feel?  From the first phone call to the first person to welcome you to the interview, these details are telling of the company culture and environment.  Were the phone calls warm and inviting? If onsite, do the current employees seem to enjoy themselves and their teammates? Is this the type of environment and team I see myself enjoying?
 

Communication is key.  Was communication as timely and detailed as projected? Was the information consistent across all parties that you communicated with? Do you feel like you have a real understanding of the position and the company?
 

Are your professional goals attainable? Does this company have a developmental plan to lead you to the role you ultimately want?  Will you be satisfied with your progress in three years or five years? 

Remember, you’re not the only one making a first impression!  Make sure you want the job as much (maybe more!) than you want the company to want you. 

Considering Mattress Firm career opportunities?  Contact mackenzie.wilkins@mattressfirm.com and prepare to be “wowed.”