No

What is your background? What types of degrees, skills, experiences are necessary for this field?

Bachelor's Degree required. I have an MBA, as well. For best success in retail technology, business knowledge is essential. My undergraduate degree was a BS in Business Logistics. A technical degree would be very beneficial, as well.

How did you get started in this field?

I was a supply analyst in the petroleum industry for Mobil Oil. At the time, Mobil had just purchased about 1000 gas stations from British Petroleum (BP), so they needed marketing representatives. I've been in retail ever since (about 12 years). It's a fun area to be in. Everyone can relate to what you do, because everyone shops.

What college (if any) courses have been most helpful for your career?

When I was working on my MBA, I found my Organizational Behavior classes most invaluable. They really help you to understand how/why companies and people function as they do. A few that were particularly beneficial for me were: Adult Learning/Behvior Modeling, Organizational Architecture, and Business Process Reengineering.

What are your specific responsibilities?

I have a staff of 25 individuals, with 5 people reporting directly to me. My team and I are reponsible for:
-POS systems in all Guess? clothing stores (those are the cash registers where your clothes are scanned and credit card is swiped, etc.)
-All systems that manage our clothing line from HQ (to replenish inventory at the stores, and place orders to be delivered to the stores)
-All accounting and analytical systems for each store and the chain.

Describe a typical workday and workweek. What do you do during a typical day?

I typically attend meetings with my internal client groups to work on initiatives that will help our stores or our employees at HQ more efficient. For instance we recently set up a system for scheduling labor at our stores. It will help reduce labor costs, plus save the maangers' time in creating a manual schedule to post.

Name 5-7 job skills that are needed for your job.

-Leadership
-Team-oriented
-Innovative
-Detail-oriented
-Technically-oriented
-Firm understanding of business operations
-Persistent

Are you in a team-oriented position?

Yes. I rely on my team, and they rely on me. They rely on one another. Great team work is the single most important factor in building a great and successful staff.

Do you have flextime? Vacation time? Work at home? Telecommute?

Unfortunately, my company does not offer flex time or telecommuting options at this time. I hope we can move in that direction in the near future.

We do have the customary 2 weeks of vacation. Three at your 5-year anniversary.

How many hours per week are expected or warranted for peak performance?

45

Are many evenings or weekends required for your job?

No. Some people on my staff are on pager rotation for trouble-shooting at night. If they have to come in the the office, we'll "comp" their time.

How much travel is involved with a job in your field?

Fairly minimal. Some people need to go to stores during major systems upgrades, or to work on projects. I personally don't travel too often. I attend about 3 retail systems trade shows per year.

Could you give me examples of projects that you are working on?

-Labor Scheduling system implemtation(mentioned before)
-Allocation system implementation(system that figures out the best assortment for each store, like sizes and colors).
-Integrating the systems of our Canadian affliate. We just purchased the chain of 30 stores in Canada.
-"push" reporting technology for our field and store personnel. System looks for anomolies or factors set up (i.e. stores below plan, or cash shortage), and sends reports to directly to people's laptops or pagers.

Could you describe your work settings? Offices, machinery, resources etc.

It's an office environment.

What personal qualities do you think are necessary for someone to be successful in this occupation?

Same as listed in "skills" above.

What is the major challenge you face at work?

-Managing my internal clients' expectations about what our systems can do, and when we can deliver changes or systems they've requested.

What aspects of your job do you find most rewarding? (Pros) Least rewarding? (Cons)

Pros-- Having internal clients pleased with new systems, technology, or new reporting. Also gain satisfaction from employees succeeding and getting promoted.

Are you confronted with difficult decisions or situations in your position?

Yes. I have had to lay off people. I have had people very angry about some systems not being operational.

Do you have a lot of interaction with a certain occupation? I.E. media, engineers, etc.

Buyers, Retail field personnel, attorneys for contracts, accounting personnel, other technical support functions like LAN/WAN and telecomm.

What is the Female to Male Ratio in your position/field?

My staff (retail systems personnel) is 60% male, 40% female.

Describe the changes taking place in your field. Project future trends?

Wireless technology. We use RF (radio frequency) hand held computers for inventory, price checks, etc. But I believe in a few years that technolgy will be prevalent in more areas.

What is the turnover rate like in your field?

Actually, quite low in my experience. In 18 months, I've only lost one person on my staff. At my previous two companies, the turnover rate in the retail sytems areas was below 10%

Do you think women avoid technical careers? What do you think can be done to encourage girls to get more involved in the technology field?

I don't think women avoid technical careers. I have girl friends who are programmers that are afforded very flexible schedules. Our EDI Manager here is a woman, and only works three days per week.

If flexibility isn't that important, you can focus on operational systems, or application management. You are very linked to the "business side" (like I am), while still having a technical career. Which is very rewarding and pays well.

Do you believe that women will be in more technical jobs in the future?

Yes.

Do you have any advice for women and girls that are interested in going into the field?

You have to enjoy what you do. You may not absolutely love your job (that's why it's called "work"), but you need to enjoy the people you work with and find aspects rewarding. If you don't you should move on to something or somewhere else.

Also, don't assume that a field is flawed if you are unhappy. Companies are just as important as the field you are in.

If you are interested in a career in retail technology, it's important to have a firm understanding of both technology and business. Be certain to have base knowledge of such areas as PC operations, LAN/WAN, EDI, etc. Also, bone up on your business and operational knowledge.