Staples was founded 25 years ago –after co-founder Thomas Stemberg searched for a replacement printer ribbon over Fourth of July weekend. Stemberg was unable to find his printer ribbon as there were no open office supply stores. But he did develop a big idea of creating a supermarket for office supplies with affordable prices.

Today, Staples is the world’s largest office products company with over 1570 stores nationwide and annual sales of $25B. With 90,000 associates worldwide and opportunities in retail, dot com, catalog and B2B channels, Staples has a presence in more than 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia — bringing “easy” to offices and consumers everywhere.

Erica Rockenback leads Staples’ global recruiting efforts. Previously, she led Talent Acquisition teams for global Fortune 100 companies like 3M and United Healthgroup, with a focus on manufacturing, healthcare, retail and technology. We sat down with Erica to learn more about working at Staples.

I would imagine that most people who apply to jobs at Staples have shopped at Staples and seen employees at Staples in action. What surprises candidates about working at Staples?
 

When candidates think of Staples they tend to think of us solely as retail stores, however we’re also a B2B and B2C company with a significant corporate infrastructure. Additionally, we have a large e-commerce business, as Staples is the second largest e-tailer next to Amazon. To see all the jobs we’re hiring for right now, start your search on our website or LinkedIn.

Due to the breadth of the company there is a wide array of employment opportunites. Once you begin employment with Staples you see how much we promote from within and move talent across businesses and business units.

Candidates for jobs at Staples— as well as our new hires— sometimes refer to Staples as a “think tank.”  Candidates and new hires are really impressed with the smart thinking that our people dedicate to all parts of our business. The people that work at Staples are one of our most important differentiators.

Everyone knows that you want customers to say, “that was easy” after shopping with Staples – do you want candidates to say the same about applying? And if yes, what’s unique about your hiring process?
 

We do anything we can to make the process of applying easy. We have multiple access points from online applications on our website to LinkedIn. We are also building a new talent community that will make it easier for candidates to apply. We are always looking to help job seekers optimize the process of getting hired. We ask ourselves, “How can we make the process of applying even easier?” We are focused on having the process be a simple one.

What’s unique about our hiring process is that you meet a variety of people. We have panel interviews. We have people meet potential colleagues. We look at the employment process from both the perspective of the candidate and from the perspective of a hiring manager: How can we assess that Staples is the right fit for you?
 

What types of jobs are you hiring for right now? Is there one place to find all of your employment opportunities?

We hire across the organization. We always have a large volume of store jobs, typically with 6-7 key roles. Right now, we’re hiring people for sales positions across the company, as well as jobs in technology, mobile technology, merchandising, finance, and marketing. We have a huge push to hire new colleagues for eCommerce roles. Of course we are always hiring for support roles like HR as well.
 

What makes a great Staples candidate and employee?

You have to be strong in your discipline. We are looking for people who are drawn to a challenge and who want to make an impact. Being able to collaborate is also important. As a potential employee you have to be able to work and live in a fast-paced, customer focused environment.

You can’t be adverse to change. In our 25-year history, we’ve made big investments – and we have also taken risks.  We’re a company that has always evolved to meet our customers’ evolving needs.
 

What’s the best way I can prepare for an interview at Staples?
 

Research always helps. Even though we are far more than just a retail store, one of the quickest things you can do is to shop at a store. We have a very comprehensive website as well. From a personal tactical point of view, come prepared with demonstrated examples of your experience and how it relates to the job that you are applying for. Be able to bring color to your interview. Think about how you can make an impact at Staples.

We coach our interviewers to do job specific interviews as well as behavioral interviews to look at all of your abilities so that we can assess your capacity to succeed.
 

 Are there any questions I haven’t asked that I should be asking? What’s the question, and what’s your answer?
 

Isn’t this a bad time to apply given the state of unemployment and the labor market?

While the perception is that the labor market is soft, we are definitely hiring.  There’s so much more to working at Staples than many of our customers will ever recognize. Most people have – and want to have – more than one career now. You can do more than one thing at Staples.

There’s also a lot more coming in terms of opportunity. You are going to see and hear a lot more about hiring from Staples – from Facebook and Twitter to our website.

Keep in touch with what we are doing and stay connected. If you apply once and don’t get selected – keep trying. Look at more than one job. If you are just looking at retail opportunities, don’t hesitate to broaden that search as well. Stay informed. See where Staples is in the news. Visit our stores. Visit our Websites. Ask: How can I get connected and network with employees? All of these steps will help you get ahead in our process.
 

Use it now—actionable advice for job seekers:
 

Spend time researching employers upfront. Pay attention to the companies that are moving and shaking. Check the local news and media. Look at the culture and be prepared.  You’ll stand out when you show how you can fit in.