How I Got My Job
For over a quarter century, I have worked in iconic roles within an iconic company, EILEEN FISHER. And the question most frequently asked is, “How did you get your job?” It’s simple. I was in the right place at the right time, at a company that gave me the space to figure out how to activate my personal values within the workplace.
My path definitely wasn’t traditional. An undergraduate degree in Chinese led to a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language. Not exactly the obvious precursor to a pioneering sustainability and human rights career.
There’s a theme here, though. You see, when I was growing up, I liked helping people. I befriended the kids who were being bullied. (I was one of them, after all.) I reveled in becoming the best Girl Scout I could. I helped my teachers with small tasks. And, when I got to college, I worked with refugees settling into their new lives in Washington, DC.
The thing is, I couldn’t quite figure out how to make a career out of service. I wasn’t cut out for social work or nursing or law. So, I headed for teaching. I would work with immigrants and refugees, anywhere in the world.
That idea lasted as long as it took for me to get my master’s degree. The problem? As an introvert, I was exhausted at the very thought of holding a classroom’s attention for more than an hour. Not to mention three or four classes a day.
So, off I went to the world of non-profit. Giving back to the community by raising funds seems like an admirable and rewarding option. What I didn’t count on was that fundraising involves making presentations to boards of directors. And schmoozing with potential donors. And hearing the word “no” more often than “yes.” It was more than my introverted self could tolerate.
At age 32 — after four jobs in nine years - I was physically and emotionally exhausted. And I was no closer to achieving my career of service than when I had graduated from college. That’s when I landed on one path I hadn’t explored: fashion. Growing up, I made all of my clothes. I used to wonder what it would be like to do that for a living. So, I took a couple of courses at NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology. And then I subscribed to Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), the fashion industry’s publication of choice.
It should be noted that, in those days (the early 1990’s), people still got jobs from printed “Help Wanted” ads. So, imagine my excitement to see two ads, side-by-side one Thursday: “Assistant to the CEO” and “Assistant to the President,” both for EILEEN FISHER, a small women’s clothing designer I had never heard of. “Those are jobs I can do for a couple of years while I figure out my next career move,” I thought.
Within months, I found myself doing whatever was needed for this growing company: Buying holiday poinsettias for the office, writing press releases, running warehouse sales, editing our employee newsletter, ordering birthday cakes, and setting up wardrobing workshops. In my fourth year with EILEEN FISHER, I was named the company’s first Community Relations Manager, where I established our first processes to support our communities. Soon thereafter, I was asked to develop a human rights program for our supply chain. And then expand our work to include environmental sustainability.
A quarter century later, I have built a brilliant team of Social Consciousness “instigators,” helped to position the company as a leader in sustainable fashion, and have contributed to the global Sustainability movement in ways I never would have imagined. I couldn’t imagine a better way to be of service to the world while serving my own inner spirit.
That’s how I got — or, rather, created — the job of my life.