I won't just hire any Martian!

I got this comment from an anonymous poster. I thought the comments posed were worth writing about in an actual post:

Anonymous said...

Hi there, im a big fan of tru drama but sometimes i feel intimidating to shop there, because it possess an "asian only vibe." I Just think it would be nice to see a range of different race working instead of just chinese asian, because i dont always understand what they're saying .But i do understand that you prefer to recruit within family and friends.

A couple of years ago AE got sued for hirinf caucasian surfer like guys only, just giving you a heads up to avoid this.

February 3, 2008 10:04 PM

We certainly don't strive to have an "asian only vibe". However, I can see your point of view. We do our very best to have a diverse team and we've had visible non Asians working for us in the past. The mix of the store may be not as intimidating once I share some information with you.

It would be a dream if I could staff my store with family. I could pay them very little and work them like dogs! Alas, none of the staff are related to me. The store staff might have a very homogeneous look to them it but in reality the store is quite diverse. The countries currently represented are Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, China and Vietnam. We may all be Asians but that's like saying Italians are really the French... a comparison both would deny and despise.

Even I can only communicate with one other staff in my own store in my native language! Both of my past assistants share only one language with me. I can't speak either Mandarin or Korean so English was it. Our store policy is to speak English at all times unless the customer needs help in a language one of our girls speak. I'd like to think most of the girls follow the policy.

I hire on the basis of ability and attitude, race has never been an issue. The applications the store gets a majority are Asians. The ratio of non Asian resumes is probably 1 out 20. I believe that's got something to do with the neighborhood we're in. So the choices I have are pretty narrow. We also have low turnover, I think we have 1/3 the normal industry rate. Combine all that with the the limited amount of actual hours available for new staff... well it's pretty tough for anyone to crack the team.

I would love to have a more diverse team at Tru Drama. However, I will hire the best candidate regardless of their background. I'd hire a Martian if I thought he/she/it had the right stuff! Right now I've got an opening for a full or near full time staff. So send your resumes to jobs@trudrama.com.

I'll work you hard but you'll look good doing it

Want to get a job at Tru Drama? Most applicants fail to get very far because of problems with their resumé or on their interview. So here's a quick guide to help you get further.

On your resumé:

• When emailing your resumé, please send it in a text or Microsoft Word format (please not the Vista version). Why send a file that isn't in a format everyone can read or is in the world's most common word processor format?
  
• State the hours and days you're available to work in a week.
  
• Take the extra step to find out who you need to address your resumé to, that's a positive!

At the interview:

• Be pleasant and have a professional manner when you hand in your resumé or when you show up for the interview. All the girls write down notes for me or my assistant. Because they may be your coworkers, consider them to be your first part of the interview process. The notes help me decide who we get to interview. Some of the more interesting notes on resumés from staff have been: sloppily dressed, smells weird, was sleepwalking and the always popular rude.
• Be punctual. If you're late, I can pretty much guarantee you're not getting the job. Someone who can't come to an interview on time is unlikely to show up to work on time. So show up 10 minutes early.
• Understand what company you're trying to work for. You're at this website, use it to understand our clothing brands and what we're trying to achieve for the customer.

This above information applies to us but really applies to any situation where you want a job.

Our annual Christmas dinner is always a blast.
Last year it was at Watermark at Kits beach.

Most of the girls have been with us for a while so job spots are always hard to come by. However, we're always open to exceptional individuals joining us. So besides great coworkers there are some fringe benefits that not many other stores can offer:

• Snacks galore! We all love to eat, so don't get it in your mind that we starve ourselves, far from it! Snack wise, I have my favourites, but my girls have introduced me to a world class spread of snacks and candies. Some really weird yet delicious stuff. Want some menthol preserved plum? Come on over!
  
• You'll never be the last one to get your hands on that Dereon hoodie! Unlike other places we have an extremely generous employee discount program.
  
• Be a buyer! Over time if you show some ability and scheduling issues aside, I often go with one of the girls from the store to markets or trade shows. So cramped economy flights, long hours, (if we can't avoid it) mediocre food and insincere clothing reps... yup it's glamorous!

Although experience is important, I value enthusiasm, hard work and a bit of brains even more. If I haven't scared you off, apply at the store or e-mail your resumé to us.