“最佳雇主”求职亲历

    职务：总经理

    任职公司：康泰纳零售连锁店

    从德州农工大学（Texas A&M）取得建筑学位毕业后，约翰•阿尔宾决定反省一下。2001年，他回到家乡芝加哥，一边自我提振，一边寻找兼职工作。

    由于接受过系统的建筑学专业教育，因此阿尔宾决定在自己经常去购物的康泰纳零售连锁店（The Container Store）申请一份工作。我接受了连锁店时任经理泰瑞•威廉姆斯的面试。“她问我是否会考虑把零售业作为自己的职业。你如果问问她，她肯定说我当时回答的是：‘见鬼去吧，我才不会。’实际上，我在面试的时候从来不会用‘见鬼去吧’这样的字眼。”

    不过，阿尔宾并没有在那里工作太久，虽然他曾经承诺只要在那里工作就会全身心投入。威廉姆斯聘用了他，他说：“她把改变我的想法当成了自己的任务。”

    最终，阿尔宾开始了商店产品“elfa”的营销工作。康泰纳零售连锁店的员工会使用店铺的商品，为希望组织屋内空间的消费者提供自定义设计。而这让阿尔宾的建筑专业背景有了用武之地。他发现，自己很擅长帮助人们有效管理空间。

    突然之间，他发现自己喜欢上了这份工作。“从那以后，我一直都没有再回过学校。在这里，我找到了巨大的乐趣，这就是最好的解释。”目前，他在明尼苏达州伊代纳市担任店铺总经理。他与妻子便住在那个城市。两人正是在康泰纳零售连锁店相识。他说，他们家组织得井然有序。

    Title: General Manager

    Company: The Container Store

    After graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in architecture, John Urbin decided to do some soul-searching. In 2001, he was back in his hometown, Chicago, looking for a part-time job while he got himself together.

    Being the organized architecture major that he was, Urbin decided to apply to work at The Container Store, a place he had often shopped. He interviewed with the store's then-manager, Teri Williams. "She asked me if I would ever consider a career in retail. If you ask her, she says I said, 'Hell no,' which, I would never say 'hell' in an interview."

    Nevertheless, Urbin didn't see himself at the store for long, though he promised to give his the company his all while he was there. Williams hired him and, he says, "She made it kind of a personal mission to change my mind."

    Urbin eventually started working with the store's product "elfa." Container Store employees use the product to create a custom design for customers looking to organize spaces in their houses. Here's where Urbin's architecture background kicked in. He found he was good at helping people manage space efficiently.

    Suddenly, he was surprised to find he liked going to work. "I never went back to school, I was just having too much fun, is the best way to put it." Now, he is the general manager of the Edina store in Edina, Minn. He lives there with his wife, whom he met at The Container Store. Their house, he says, is very organized.