New Lowe's Home Improvement | Home Design

Many companies have recognized the importance of the above issues to their recruiting success. How important are they to your company’s business operations?

A lot has changed in the world of home improvement since Lowe’s started as a small-town hardware store 63 years ago.  Some trends have stood the test of time while some have left us wondering what our mothers and fathers were thinking!  (Plush kitchen carpet?) 


But with all the changes we’ve seen, the most important part of Lowe’s business that has evolved over our history is our customer.  Today, Lowe’s customers are men and women from all backgrounds, so we are challenged daily with providing a broad range of products and services that will appeal to everyone who walks through our doors.  The fact is, not only do we value diversity, we rely on it. 


From a recruitment standpoint, Lowe’s recognizes that a workforce with diverse talents and thoughts will be better able to live up to our vision, which is to provide customer-valued solutions with the best prices, products and services to make Lowe’s the first choice for home improvement.  A few years ago, we made a decision to change our slogan from “Improving Home Improvement” to one that better reflects our commitment to helping people not just improve their homes, but enrich their lives.  We settled on “Let’s Build Something Together”.  That concept of building something together goes hand-in-hand with our commitment to Diversity.  If Lowe’s is going to remain competitive, we have to have a workforce that reflects our broad array of customers.


3. How would a candidate impress you?? I’m asked this question frequently, and the answer depends on where you are in the consideration process. 


First, the resume… As any recruiter will tell you, one requisition could potentially draw hundreds of resumes, many of which are highly qualified.  So the question becomes, how do I stand out in the crowd? 


Since most application systems (including Lowe’s) are automated these days, the important thing to do is to look at it from a recruiter’s perspective.  Ask yourself how you would view your resume if you’d already looked at 100 other resumes that day.  For one thing, formatting is important.  A good resume doesn’t need to be “fancy”, but it’s vital that it be easy to read and follow.  A common fault of MBA-level candidates is to “fluff” the beginning of the resume, either with a wordy objective or a laborious listing of all their qualifications.  Keep your intros simple and relevant.

As for resume content, less is more.  That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to keep the resume to one page, but do try to keep it as concise and understandable as possible.  Most recruiters like looking at a chronological work history because it’s simply easier to scan through.  Remember, recruiters are the front line, and your resume has to pass through them to get to the hiring manager.  While the hiring manager may be impressed by a wordy explanation of what you did at your last internship, the recruiter isn’t trained (and likely doesn’t have the time) to decipher the jargon and will simply move on.

Keep in mind too that when your crafting the descriptions of your experience, be sure to think in terms of “key words” (as in, the exact words that describe your knowledge, skills and talents and are applicable to what the job posting requests.)  For instance, if you’re applying to a management level position, you can bet that your resume won’t get a second look if you don’t have the word “manage” in there somewhere. 

I’m also asked frequently about cover letters.  I participated in a discussion about changes in the recruiting world with a panel of employers and Career Services professionals recently, and the general consensus was that the traditional paper resume is nearly defunct.  Naturally, with its demise we’ve also seen the departure of the cover letter.  Still, there is something to be said for a short introduction to the one or two-page document that’s meant to make the recruiter realize you’re perfect for the job. 


My suggestion is to craft a succinct, well-worded, relevant paragraph or two that you can plug into the cover letter field or use in the body of your email.  (Don’t bother attaching it to an email, it won’t be read.  It needs to be immediately accessible.)  Try to avoid the common pitfall of simply summarizing your resume.  Instead, use it as an opportunity to strike a personal note (as in, “I’m interested in working for your company because,”) or to point out a relevant talent that a recruiter may not pick up on from the resume (such as, “My six years of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity has taught me a lot about the home improvement industry.”)

But once you’ve landed the interview, the question becomes, how do I prove that I’m exactly what the company wants for this job?  There are the obvious things you should do to impress the employer- dressing a notch above what the work culture dictates, bringing extra resume copies and being optimistic and upbeat throughout the interview.  But the one thing that impresses me most, which I find is very often lacking in candidates, is coming prepared with a lot of good, thought-provoking, substantive questions.  Recruiters and hiring managers love to talk about their great company and why everyone should be knocking down the doors to get in.  Come prepared to any employment related affair (networking event, interview, panel discussion, conference, etc.) with a few well-thought out questions.  It’s fine to be specific (as in, “Can you tell me more about the challenges this division encounters in a down economy?”), and it’s even acceptable to get personal (such as, “What keeps you at Lowe’s in light of all the difficulties in the housing market?”) 

However, the cardinal rule (as any recruiter will tell you) is that, ultimately, you must be yourself.  I have a friend whose son I set up for an interview with our IT division.  He was typically a very shy, introspective type.  I thought he would be perfect since he was very analytical and project-focused.  The hiring manager didn’t select him.  I asked for feedback, and the comment was that he was very hyper and almost obnoxious during the interview!  I asked him why he’d acted that way and he said, “It was a job in a team atmosphere, and I was afraid they would think I wasn’t a team player if they knew I was shy.”  Big mistake.

A lot of times, candidates don’t realize how much time and effort is put into developing the selection process for a position.  Companies spend a lot of money and manpower to come up with a process that helps them find the exact right person for the job.  However, if you’re not acting like yourself when you’re going through that process, it’s going to be very obvious to the folks on the other side of the interview desk.  Especially in this economy, we employers are placing more emphasis than ever on finding someone who is a real fit for our jobs.  It’s the best way to ensure that we can pull together as a team… and that’s more important than ever if we want to get through these tough times.

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