Clearly helps the world find clarity by helping people find the right eyewear online. Mindy McManus moves this seeing clearly philosophy into the recruiting space by working to create transparency for Clearly’s job candidates. Mindy was kind enough to chat with us, and share how she uses transparency to attract top talent.
How does Clearly create a great culture for its people?
I’ll have worked for Clearly for eleven years in December. I started as a customer service rep in our call centre back when the company was 80 people—now we have more than 300. Part of why I’ve stayed here so long is because Clearly is always changing and evolving. We’ve created a culture where people feel like they work with their best friends, which makes coming to work a lot more fun.
Eleven years with one company is almost unheard of nowadays. How has your time there affected your approach to recruiting?
I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I can tell when a candidate will or won’t be a good fit. Often a candidate may not have all the necessary skills, but there’s potential there: what’s important is their passion and willingness to grow with us.
“Often a candidate may not have all the necessary skills, but there’s real potential there. What’s important is their willingness to grow with us.”
You switched careers from broadcasting journalism to HR—what motivated that change?
Before landing the junior admin job with Clearly, I was working part-time at a radio station. I was the person who planned events, and pushed for change when morale was low. I came up with different ideas to get people to come to work—bringing in treats, wacky outfits—and I realized a lot of the things I was doing at the radio station were things I could bring to Clearly. When I got the position, I was thrilled; especially since I applied to the job posting on the very last day it was up.
How does transparency attract top talent?
It’s so important to be honest with candidates. Even though lots of different personalities could work well here, one of the most important things is how will this person will fit with the rest of the team. People love collaborating here and hanging out after work. We have a close-knit culture that we communicate to candidates through our website. One great example is the models you see on our site: those are all real people who work at Clearly!
How else do you attract great people?
We try to provide opportunities for people to be their best selves. At Clearly we provide many avenues for career growth within the company. We love to hire our own. We also give people a chance to give back to their communities through our Change The View initiative. Clearly teams up with local organizations like women’s shelters and the food bank. Often our volunteer positions fill up right away: it’s really nice to see.
A big thanks for Mindy for sharing her journey with us! Here are some key takeaways from our chat:
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Sometimes culture fit and growth potential wins out over skill set
- Internal promotion is a great way to foster an environment of learning and retention
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A fun culture with growth opportunities help earn the loyalty of great people like Mindy
If you’re an HR professional with a story to tell, drop us a line—we’d love to feature you on The Slate.