Don't Burn a Bridge, Build it!

You’ve been in the job search for a while now. All of a sudden, you are landing interviews back to back. Then one day, you are surrounded with offers. Oh my! You need to make a decision, but you know that a few companies will be on the losing end of the stick. After careful deliberation, you have made your decision. But should you let the “losing” employers know? Wouldn’t it be easier to just not sign the offer or not pick up the phone when they call?

Your story may not play out this exact way, but you may have been in a situation where you had to make a decision between employers. What is the best way to handle that? The idea is that you want to build bridges and not burn them. You never know, you may find that the job that you accepted wasn’t actually a fit. You may want to later apply for another position with the company that you originally turned down. You may cross paths with the “losing” recruiter…it is a small world after all.

So how can you politely decline an employer and build that bridge? All it takes is a simple call. 

1. Call the employer personally.  Let them know that you are turning down the offer and why.
2. Let the employer know in a timely fashion. That way, the employer can explore a different candidate.
3. Be polite and professional.  Recruiter’s document each encounter with candidates. If you ever apply again, they will be able to reference the past conversations.
4. Offer assistance. If you know someone that is in the career search and would meet the employer’s requirements, refer them to the employer. This could help the employer fill the position since you are now pursuing something different, and you are paying it forward. 

 I know it’s easier said than done, but I promise that you will feel better letting the employer know the direction that you are taking.  Who knows what paths you may take in the future, as you may need to travel on the bridge that you once thought of burning.

If you are looking to build a bridge with Mattress Firm, Inc., please email me at daja.pope@mfrm.com.  

Interviewing Curveball

With baseball season in full swing and the hometown team currently sitting #1 in the American League West (Go Astros!), I got to thinking – in baseball, you have a fastball, the slider, a changeup… and then there’s the always tricky curveball. But what happens when you are thrown a curveball in everyday life? Better yet, what happens when you have a curveball thrown at you during an interview?

Glassdoor.com recently published the “Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions of 2015.” How would you answer “Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman”? Or “Describe the color yellow to someone who is blind”.  Companies are starting to become more adventurous and creative when it comes to interviewing, recruiting and retaining top-tier candidates. Are you someone who can think on their toes?

While we try our hardest to prepare for an interview by researching the company, reading reviews and asking friends and family if they have any suggestions, also remember to keep an eye out for a curveball that can be thrown your way.

For the full list, please check out:

http://www.glassdoor.com/Oddball-Interview-Questions-LST_KQ0,27.htm

Have you been on the receiving end of an oddball question? Share with with us at erica.siri@mfrm.com

Mattress Firm Open House

Hey DALLAS FORT WORTH! Are you or anyone you know looking for a new opportunity? Come meet some awesome members of the Mattress Firm team at an open house on January 28th or February 18th! See you there!

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

promobiledj.com

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?

myrkothum.com

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