"Don't Be Embarrassed of Your Retail Job, and Definitely Don't Leave it Off Your Resume" - 10/4/17 Edition
Stephen Says Column




Dear Stephen:

I started my career in sales at Design Within Reach and was eventually promoted to the position of "Proprietor"--DWR speak for Store Manager. I was there a couple of years before the Herman Miller buyout, but best as I can tell many of the very same executives are still in charge and the work environment is similar. I loved my job and the company. I learned so much and loved working around iconic brands. More than anything, my time there gave me insight into what would sell in the future and prepared me for dealing with a smart, high-end retail client base, top manufactures, and customers with good taste. I swear I would be working there today if there was room for career growth that did not involve weekend and retail hours. I am now the president of a high end residential company.

My question isn't really about me, though. I have a friend who started at DWR with me. This guy puts his entire fab life on Facebook and LinkedIn, but nowhere is there anything about his time at DWR. I love him to death and I guess I am curious about why someone who is clearly comfortable sharing a lot of his life would go out of his way to exclude DWR from his feeds. It seems like he is embarrassed to mention that he began his career at DWR and, for the life of me, I don't understand why. After I noticed his omission, I began to realize that it was a bit of a pattern. I have another friend who was a contract outside sales rep for DWR when I was there. She recently left the

job, but when I looked her up on LinkedIn, she lists her last employer as Herman Miller with their logo and doesn't mention the DWR division at all. What gives? DWR, and their retail division in particular, was a great learning ground and still is. Are people ashamed of having worked in retail or starting at this multibrand hybrid dealer? What am I missing? None of this makes sense to me!

Yours,

Proud of My Roots
 

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Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group,
global executive recruiters located in New York.
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