Growing your career is all about taking on new + different experiences - just ask Melinda Mason. She's currently Senior Director of Digital Merchandising for Old Navy’s Kids and Baby online business, but her 13-year career at Old Navy has been a journey through departments and business categories. Before Merchandising, she started in Inventory Management and worked across Boys Denim, Woven Bottoms, Woven Tops, Outerwear, Accessories, Women's Tops, Women's Active and Accessories before making her way to Kids + Baby.
Read on to learn more about Melinda’s career path and the work she's doing (and loving!) today.
BEST PART ABOUT BEING ON YOUR CURRENT TEAM: The entrepreneurial spirit. Even though we are such an established company, our team is always iterating and finding ways to work smarter. We get so much new information from our online customer on a daily (and sometimes hourly!) basis, and it's fun to take and apply our learnings quickly.
WHY YOU FIRST JOINED OLD NAVY: The creative, fun culture of Old Navy and the caliber of the team and leaders.
HOW YOU HAVE CONTINUED TO EXPAND YOUR SKILLSET: There are so many ways to stretch outside of the day-to-day in any role and it all starts with just raising your hand. Throughout my career, I have been quick to volunteer in SME (subject matter expert) roles, other teaching/training opportunities, or just helping my manager with higher level strategy and tasks.
YOUR #PROTIP FOR GROWING YOUR CAREER: Get uncomfortable! Keep looking for new learning opportunities, stay connected, build advocates in your internal network. Come prepared to development conversations with your boss, be open to feedback and always know where you stand. Put yourself in the mindset of the next role you want (i.e. “How would a Manager/Director/VP approach this?”).
WHAT MAKES A #GREATBOSS: Knowing and appreciating the unique, individual strengths of each person on the team and what motivates them inside and outside of the office. Fostering a growth mindset culture by being transparent from the top down about wins, mistakes and learnings.
WHAT MAKES YOU #OLDNAVYPROUD: We really practice what we preach in terms of our values internally and externally, especially when it comes to inclusivity and fun!
Don’t miss out on the latest Gap Inc. news! Sign-up to get email alerts about news on Gap Inc. and our brands.