The Container Store

This photo means a lot more than people may realize. A week ago, all of us in this picture were coworkers at The Container Store . Yesterday, we were standing together again, this time helping people navigate what comes next. Not because anyone told us to but because we wanted to show up for each other, for people who had worked there for 20 years and some for only 7 months…because we cared enough to care where they landed next. What started as a simple idea quickly turned into a room full of conversations around resumes, LinkedIn strategy, AI tools, networking, interviews, recruiting insights, and fellowship. This team may have been laid off but based on yesterdays event, they won’t stay that way for long. Huge thank you to High Profile, Inc. for immediately stepping up to sponsor the event, provide the space, lunch, notebooks, gift cards, and help us create something genuinely meaningful for this group. And to TailoredRecruitment for helping support the session with resources, resume guidance, and career transition support (you should follow them by the way). And to Bruce W. Waller, CRP, PHR, SHRM-CP and his wife for donating “Find Your Lane”, a perfect topic and read for our current journey. I’ve said this a few times lately, but I’ll say it again: The best part of The Container Store was always the people and yesterday was a really good reminder of that. 🤝 Donovan Minter , Janeth Balandran , Ramel Simpson , Jackie H. , Lorena (Lori) Walker , Randi J.

Today’s the day. Over the last week, I’ve had a lot of conversations with former teammates, leaders, recruiters, and others impacted by the recent changes at The Container Store and honestly…one thing became very clear pretty quickly: There are a LOT of talented people suddenly navigating the market all at once. So instead of just talking about helping, we decided to actually put something together. In partnership with High Profile, Inc. , TailoredRecruitment , and yours truly, we'll be having real tactical conversations from people who actually work in and around this space every day and everyone really showed up for this. It was amazing watching this come together. People showing up for people. Simple as that. Take a sneak peek of what we'll be covering below and don't worry, I'll be releasing content on this for others affected soon. A huge thank you to: Callie Miller, PHR, SHRM-CP, CSP , Thania O. Rojas , Bruce W. Waller, CRP, PHR, SHRM-CP , and Jackie H. for all jumping in and helping facilitate. Thank YOU!

One of the things I pushed hard on during my time leading Talent Acquisition work at The Container Store was creating a hiring experience that actually felt like… The Container Store. Not just operationally. Not just aesthetically. But intentionally. Because if we were asking candidates to believe in our brand, our culture, and our customer experience, then the hiring process itself needed to reflect that too. So as we continued scaling hiring efforts across our Outside Sales & Design Consultant organization, we started rebuilding candidate touch points to feel more cohesive, more informative, and honestly…more human. This email template was one example of that work. Instead of generic scheduling emails and transactional communication, candidates received: - branded messaging that were consistent with job ads - clearer expectations around the role - a video overview of the business and position - insight into what success looked like - and a more polished experience before interviews even began Simple? Absolutely. Do most companies think about this? Absolutely not. But these details matter. Candidates start forming opinions about your company long before they ever meet a hiring manager. The application process, the emails, the tone, the visuals, the communication style… all of it either reinforces confidence in the brand or slowly erodes it. And especially in competitive hiring markets, those impressions matter. In every role I’ve held, I’ve tried to lead with that mindset. Thinking through the experience from the candidate’s lens, the hiring leader’s lens, and ultimately the customer’s lens too. That approach is what pushed me to build recruiting processes that didn’t just function operationally, but actually felt connected to the broader brand experience the business was trying to create everywhere else as well.

When people are impacted by a layoff, the offboarding process should not stop at paperwork, system access, and a separation packet. There is a very real human transition that happens after the meeting ends. Updating the resume. Rebuilding the LinkedIn profile. Figuring out how to talk about what happened. Knowing where to search. Learning which AI tools can actually help instead of just creating more noise. And, honestly, being around people who understand what this week has felt like. For those impacted by the latest round at The Container Store , a small group of us is hosting a peer-led transition/offboarding support session this Thursday, the 14th of May in Plano from 11am–1pm. We’ll spend time on resume review, LinkedIn profile optimization, job search strategy, and practical AI tools for applications, outreach, and interview prep. Lunch will be provided for those attending onsite. For anyone remote or unable to attend in person, we’ll also have a virtual option from 11:15am–12:15pm. This is specifically for those impacted by this latest round at The Container Store (for my friends at Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. , The Brand House Collective and Kirkland's , stay tuned - I'll be posting virtual details for an event for you as well). If that’s you, or if you know someone who was impacted, message me directly and I’ll share the details. No one should have to figure out the next step alone. If I'm involved, you won't have to. Share for visibility! Disclaimer: This is an independently organized, peer-led support session and is not sponsored, endorsed, approved, or affiliated with The Container Store or any related company. Participation is voluntary, and all information shared is for general career transition support only. If you are a local company and/or vendor and you’d like to help out, reach out to me! I have some ideas and we’d love the support.