When you shine, you move up fast.
I started working for Gap Inc. through a vendor relationship and came in-house in late 2014 and was promoted three times in two years. I began as a system technician, then was an IT administrator, and then moved up to the Red Team, which is like a task force for solving problems. Now I’m at INTERMIX, providing tech support to stores — everything from day-to-day support on things like store wifi, POS and mobile POS to managing vendors to working with leaders at headquarters to predict what stores might need down the road.
Your ideas make a difference.
When I started with the company, I discovered some opportunities as I interacted with employees and learned their needs. So I went to management and explained that I saw a better way. My manager pushed for the necessary changes, which helped us provide better service to employees. You get to be on the leading edge.
We’re always embracing new technology and trying to make our work easier and more efficient. And we love it when new hires bring a knowledge of tech trends and technologies that can benefit the company! Gap Inc. invests in technology like mobile devices and servers, and we always focus on the user experience.
The team takes care of its own.
Mentorship is deeply ingrained in the GapTech culture (“each one teach one” is our motto) and we have a very strong buddy system in place. We teach new technicians from top to bottom, and focus on giving them the opportunity to learn new technologies — they don't have to be afraid to ask questions. We have daily check-ins with technicians all across the US to bubble up issues; these go to the Red Team for quick resolution in collaboration with our engineers, vendors or whoever we need to solve the problem. We’ve also got a great knowledge base, so we’re not always re-creating the wheel: All resolutions are documented in a wiki so everyone can learn.
Life in IT is great, but there’s life outside the department, too.
We’re not the stereotypical group of guys working in a back office. We’re a diverse team, and we interact a lot with people all over the company. In fact, we make it a point to get to know our customers well. We might be great problem solvers, but that doesn't mean we have to wait for problems to arise — being proactive and working as partners is so much better.
There’s room for everyone.
At Gap Inc. we have people from all corners of the world, which makes for a great learning experience. It brings fresh perspectives to old issues, and sometimes that‘s what you need. For example, I grew up in South America, in Guyana, and later moved to New York with my family; I also attended university in both Guyana and in the US. Cultural differences enrich life and I take that enrichment with me wherever I go.
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