Pros
If you are a self-starter and like a leadership team that excels in balancing hands-on eoungh to equip you (without doing it for you), and hands-off enough to let you stand on your own two feet (even though you may stumble a few times in the process), then you should consider throwing your hat in with them. Long term earning potential is high, and they will invest in your development. The training through Focus 3 and the Microcenter models are the most human you will find in the retail world. I do not say that lightly. While I would add a few different spices to their training mix, they are building on solid ground. While I can't speak for every Microcenter, I will advocate that working for the Denver store will grow you and grow you hard if you're willing to lean in and step up. The management crew at this store truly invest in your growth. You are supported and you have to step into your own voice. Learning how to self-advocate will be rewarded. If you accept the status quo, you will feel lost. I loved that my superiors *invited* me to step up. They gave me the opportunity to observe my surroundings, create a solution, and then help when I asked for specific tools. If they couldn't provide the specific tools, they offered for insight from their experience. You cannot be a parrot and last here. You will face your own skills of adaptability and that is one of the best gifts someone can give you. Some of my favorite moments were one-on-one conversations with our General Manager, District Manager, and the Vice President of Sales--and those happened more often than you might think. All of them made time for me when I requested it. And all of them connected with me. None of them ever blew me off or gave an air of "I have better things to do." I still want to learn to do that better.
Cons
Retail is retail, especially the scheduling. Since I recently started a family, I felt conflicted on where my time would be best spent. For me, I will always err on the side of family before business. If you are of that bent, it can slow down your progress through the company. There is a ton of marketing data that leads to evidence-based marketing decisions; there is also a ton of data from anthropology, psychology, and sociology that can lead to evidence-based inter-relational decisions. Microcenter is stellar at the former, and slow on the uptake of the latter. I never figured out how to make a solid case for the changes I saw as necessary to help the company advance. All in all, the Focus 3 training is stellar and a step beyond. My only gripe with the Focus 3 is that it focuses mainly on mind-down processes and not body-up. When you only focus on one aspect of the human experience, you will only be partially effective. Body-up understanding is essential for feeling empathy and culture. Mind-down leads you to understanding that "we" are "x" or "y;" body-up awareness leads you to *feeling* we are "x," "y," and in the same family. If they can create an environment/culture of that, their success will be unimaginable. In the current model, people will become highly efficient, self-responsible, and driven and if you don't build the connection, emotional rapport, and camaraderie, then their drive will take them right out the door towards a socially connected group that makes them feel like they are home.
