I Interviewed With Allbirds in 2019. I Thank My Lucky Stars I Didn't Get the Job.
Here's why
When Allbirds contacted me to interview, they were an online-only retailer. They had their sights set on expanding into brick and mortar. I was invited to travel to their headquarters in San Francisco for a three-hour interview.
I was excited about their place in the market. A new shoe company that was inventing fabrics to be sustainable and earth friendly was a mission I could get on board with.
Silicon Valley tech dudes and even Barack Obama were sporting the shoes and touting their comfort.
Wow! This company was on to something, I thought. This could be really cool. These textile advancements could be the next best thing.
The company also maintained transparency in its advancements. They invited other people to copy them and sustainably make shoes. They were the do-gooders of the shoe market, and I was intrigued.
I was ready. Wait, was I?
In December 2019, a week before Christmas, I headed to the airport on a rainy day in San Diego, headed for San Francisco. The rain had pounded the whole west coast all day, and my flight had been delayed about three times.
I was also still working my own retail job at the time, managing a staff of about fifty people. Every day was busier than the day before as we headed into the last stretch before Christmas.
Despite the flight delays and insane work schedule I'd been managing, I felt ready for this interview. I'd studied their products and textile process. I was eager to meet these people at the helm of the new retail operation.
Then, as I rounded out my first interview, I gave the worst answer imaginable in a retail interview.
OMG
When asked, "What's wrong with retail?" I replied, "The people? Some people stay in it for too long when they shouldn't." The interviewer looked like he'd seen a kangaroo walk through the door.
Oh shit. Why did I say that? I don't even believe that. Honestly, "I don't know" would've been a way better answer.
We can blame my work schedule, the delayed flights, or the fact that my interview prep sucked ( I spent too much time studying the company and not any time thinking about how to talk about leadership), but I said what I said. And while I am still so utterly embarrassed by that answer, I am so glad I did not get that job.
Mistakes can be in your favor
Three months later, my store would close due to COVID restrictions, and I can't imagine not being there for a team I'd fostered and led for seven years. That horrible, no-good answer also led me back to writing. There was no way to make up for what I said, and I had to get my words out into the world somehow, so I picked up my laptop and began typing away.
Today, as Allbirds struggles with quality complaints, culture, and their target customer, I am so glad all over again that I bombed that interview. A recent article in The New York Times reveals a lot about the company. They moved too quickly. They tried to market to a younger customer. They bet that people wanted to dress head to toe in Merino wool. They were wrong.
Allbirds also discovered that consumers say they want an environmentally sustainable product, but what they actually buy tells another story.
Life is weird, man
I wish Allbirds the best of luck and a mighty recovery.
It wasn't the right fit for me, but the interview adventure set my life on a trajectory I didn't see before that fateful day.
All failures suck to go through, but they all teach us something. The next time you bomb an interview or don't get offered your dream job, it's because your talent is needed elsewhere.
If it weren't for my Allbirds failure, The Voice of the Frontline would not exist. Sit back, put your wool running shoes up, and think about that for a minute. Weird, right? Right.
MAILBOX
I got this message after posting that corporate people must visit their stores. This store manager was waiting for their corporate visitors. I'm highlighting this section because THIS is what retail leaders do every damn day.
They make miracles happen even when they are given next to nothing.
"On day one, my onboarding lasted 90 mins with my mentor before she left me with my store keys. No access to any credentials, no access to scheduling or payroll; heck, I didn't even have a badge number for the register.
Staffing was non-existent, and those who were on board didn't even have compliant I-9s. In 6 months, I built a team and caught the store up on two years of past-due resets in the entire store. We won sales contests while I was on leave, and the team has comped every week in the past year and a half straight."
LEVEL UP
One thing you can do today to level up your leadership.
Believe in you. Even when you fail. Even when you don't get the job or the promotion you want. You are still a badass, and you can do hard things.
Every time I had the most significant leap in success, it was because I bet on myself.
Try it.
I'll see you next time.
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Even as a seasoned and successful store manager, this book was such a great read to remind me that these basics are what lead to success as a retail manager!"
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You're the absolute best.
SO helpful to know others botch things too!! Love the idea that our talents are needed elsewhere. Thanks!!
Certainly not the answer they were looking for, but I disagree it's a botch. That's a completely valid and insightful assessment of one thing that IS wrong with retail.
I "botched" my job at a retail store by not following an SOP. After 13 years working there, I did what I thought was right for the customer in the moment. I stand by "what" I did, even if I now can think of alternative solutions. The thing is, 13 years was way too long for me to be in either a retail job or still working for that company. It was time to leave. I didn't see that right away, and my employer certainly didn't do anything to help me see my opportunities outside of retail.