Great Employers - Sears Canada

In my Great Employers series, I continue with Sears Canada. I started working for Sears in a local retail store when I was 18. The primary reason I was interviewed was because I beat my manager (who had an MBA and a MSc) on the aptitude tests.

I was supposed to work on the floor, putting kids clothing away, answering questions, getting cribs and car seats out for customers. I didn't have kids. I knew nothing about kid stuff. However, I excelled working at the cash terminal. Whenever anyone had a problem with the computer, I was the one figuring it out. It was a blast.

Through college, I worked in the store one weekend each month to hold on to the job. They paid well and that there was an opportunity for promotion. When I completed my schooling, I applied to head office.

When I went for the interview I thought I screwed it up with my physical appearance. I am 5'9". I wore 3" heels. The department director was a 5'4" man. I stood up to meet and be interviewed by the department manager. He too was 5'4". Dear Lord, I knew that if those men were not confident in their manhood, I was NOT getting that job. They were. I got the job. They were great to work with.

I LOVED working at Sears Canada headquarters in downtown Toronto. I met people from all over the company and worked with great vendors like IBM and the SAS Institute. I learned a lot. I did some fun things, like providing support for laptops when they were still a novelty technology. I was the project manager on an installation that IBM said was the best, most organized national install they had experienced for a company.