macy's

Why would you rather work for Macy's than JC Penney or Sears?

-Macy's has been working to be more of an integrated omni-channel retailer, through working with technology both in-store and online -Those other stores are failing miserably

Why Macy's?

-Macy's has a unique way of being cutting edge, but also staying true to who you are and the brand - I see opportunity for growth in my career

What kind of job have you had that helped you learn how to run a business? Describe what you learned.

-The Style Shop at FIT is a business completely run by students. Last year I was the stores Finance Manager, which is similar to an accountant (with more planning roles). Through that experience I was able to see there are exponentially more expenses other than merchandise/inventory in a business that have to be accounted for. -Currently I'm the Assistant Designer Buyer. We buy from FIT faculty, students, and alumni. This has shown me the importance of communication - communicating with my designers, my team, my head buyer, and the managers in the store.

How are you analytical?

At the Style Shop I am constantly analyzing sales and looking at sell-through reports to see what our top performers are, and how we can expand our top-performing categories. Also, I am always looking to see if there is a white space for new product. I recently saw opportunity for a new product category in the store, so we have started to carry very trendy temporary tattoos.

What things do you look for to be satisfied in your job?

I have 4 major requirements to be satisfied in my job, and I can give examples of how these things have helped me in my work life. -The biggest thing for me is passion; I always want to be passionate about what I'm doing, because I believe people deliver the highest quality of work when they love what they do. For example, I am consistently one of the last people leaving the office at Zac Posen, but I have no problem with it because I love what I do. -Secondly, I want to know that I am benefitting my employer. The Style Shop as a whole is currently down for the season, but designer is up 40% to plan and up 44.7% to LY. I truly believe that this is because of how hard our team has been working. -Also, I want to be challenged to grow. Every day at my internship I am challenged to know more and do more, and because of that responsibility and trust my supervisor has in me, I feel that I have already grown in my position. With Macy's I know I would be encouraged to step outside my comfort zone so I could grow. -Finally, it is important to me that the company values align with mine. I am lucky that I am interviewing with you today, because I know Macy's values align with mine.

How do you deal with stress?

I have always believed I work well in high-pressure situations. It may seem unimportant, but I really think playing competitive sports growing up allowed me to feel more comfortable

Why do you want to work at Macy's?

I want to work for Macy's because the customers come first, collaboration and leadership is encouraged, and there is opportunity for me to develop my career. I love that Macy's emphasizes social responsibility and community involvement, and stresses the importance of diversity and inclusion.

What would your old boss say about you?

I'm efficient, self-sufficient, trustworthy, and I work as long as it takes to get the job done.

If you could be the CEO of any company, what company would it be?

Macy's

How do you define success?

Maya Angelou: "success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it

Tell me a time you faced a difficult situation with a co-worker and how did you resolve it?

My supervisor in a previous job was not performing in the managerial role. I was frustrated because some of the information coming from corporate was not being relayed to me, so I felt like I was dropping the ball. The first thing I did was ask her if she could be a little more direct with me and give me more information. When that did not happen, I went to my manager to discuss options/alternatives.

How have you fixed problems in the workforce in the past?

Something I am taking on right now at Zac Posen is working with our samples. Samples are passed from Production to PR to Sales and back again, so it is challenging to know where they are. After having to pull so many samples, I was having difficulty tracking down every style. I spoke with my supervisor, and we are working on creating a database, similar to a library system, that involves teams checking out samples.

Is following established guidelines always the best plan of action?

Yes, as long as the guidelines are ethical

Explain the My Macy's Initiative

an initiative that leverages localization, making it possible to tailor a store's merchandise to its specific, existing customer base

What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?

o DMM for Macy's. I am willing to start at the bottom and climb the ladder o I know I want to be in fashion. I'm lucky because I've loved fashion my whole life, but I didn't even know fashion could be a career - FIT has really brought my dream and my passions to life, and I'm very grateful for that.

What is Macy's MAGIC?

o Meet and Make a Connection o Ask Questions and Listen o Give Options, Give Advice o Inspire to Buy and Sell More o Celebrate the Purchase

Do you have any mentors and how is your relationship with them? How did you go about reaching out to them/initiating the relationship?

o My boss, Linda, at the children's store o When the numbers aren't the answer, she goes with her gut