MAKING THE CASE FOR RETAIL AS A CAREER

A good way to ensure retail-favorable job readiness in students is to familiarize them with the varied opportunities in retail. O’Brien encourages educators in departments like finance, marketing and IT to use retail-based case studies from major brands alongside typical examples from Silicon Valley and Wall Street. Companies like Target, Kohls, Macy’s and The Home Depot are “giant tech companies,” O’Brien says. “But without changing or reformatting how that’s discussed, if you’re a tech person, you think you need to go to Silicon Valley.”

Listen to the episode to hear how the new generation of “digital natives” can see themselves in the industry more easily, and how their perception of retail is likely to shape the industry’s future.