May 22, 2013
“I wore suits to school. People thought I was a little strange,” Mike Peters told Career Buzz listeners. He’s Harry Rosen’s Managing Director for Western Canada. As a teenager, Mike spent weekends combing the vintage stores of Winnipeg. He wondered how he could cultivate this natural interest into a full time gig.
When I was interviewing Mike I was curious about how it all got started at Harry Rosen. As so many people do, Mike at first simplified the story with: “I knew someone who worked there.” But I pressed Mike for the secret career story. Here’s what he said: “A brother of a friend of mine worked at Harry Rosen. He got a kick out of the fact that I always had a suit on. Doug said, ‘Mike, man, this store is for you. You gotta get down here.’ Doug coaxed me into talking to David who hired me 25 years ago. I remember it as if it were yesterday.”
Mike Peters joined Harry Rosen in 1989 as a sales associate and was promoted to General Manager of the store. In 2000, he relocated to Calgary and in 2010 was promoted to Managing Director for Western Canada, a job he loves.
How does this apply to you? It’s about the people who know the people you know. You have to help them help you. The ‘brother of a friend’ and other ‘2nds’ in your network need to know enough about you to help. Share your Career Statement with them! Learn how in our Becoming Empowered in your Career & Life Choices program.
Hear my interview with Mike Peters (from May 1, starting at minute 29:44). Plus, get the backstory on Arts & Crafts Records from my interview with CEO Jeffrey Remedios.
Need help connecting your natural interests to viable career possibilities? CareerCycles has the right individual program for you.
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