Balsam Brands

1.) Tell me about yourself?

* I oversee everything from the design, merchandising, production of the handbags * I maintain constant communication with vendors and overseas factories to make sure that everything is running smoothly. * I also manage detailed records of all merchandising and product development for each season * My hobbies include traveling, working out, and eating….im a big foodie…..last weekend I was fortunate enough to try the famous Ikes sandwich….

2.) What transition or how did you hear about this job? * I really enjoy my current job because it allows me to utilize my creative talents to produce products from start to finish

* So I am just in the transitional period and looking for jobs around the area. * When I found this position on LinkedIn, I was definitely excited that my skillsets and expertise match the job descriptions * I was also impressed with how the company is ranked at the top for the fastest growing private companies * As I did more research I noticed the great company culture. I was on the executive page of the website and as I scrolled through each picture I noticed a fun side of the employees. * I also noticed the company mission statement which is “people come first, success follows” * This definitely shows how friendly the company culture is. * I definitely want to work at a place where I could collaborate and learn from knowledgeable people like yourself. 3.) What are you strengths? * I could tell you that I’m a perfectionist or that I’m dependable * But really I think is my curiosity to learn and to always strive to be a better version of myself everyday. * When someone comes to me with a challenge I will gladly take on that role and figure it out myself. The feeling of being able to say that I conjured a challenge is pretty rewarding. * Ex: my boss asked me if I’ve every created a website with weebly…I said no but I can definitely figure it out…and within a couple of days I was able to create a website.

4.) What are your weaknesses? * I guess my weakness would be public speaking. * I remember in middle school, I had to preform a monologue infront of my classmates and just feeling terrified about it. * My public speaking skills have definitely gotten a lot better * I always strive to improve my skill sets. * I believe working at balsam brands would be a great way for me to improve bc it is a bigger organization than where Im currently working at. 5.) What do you know about balsam brands? * Balsam brands established in 2006 When the CEO ( Thomas Harman) realized that his Brother in Law was allergic to the real Christmas trees. * Balsam brands is comprised of balsam hills which is a premium holiday décor brand that sells on its own retail site and store. * It specializes in creating luxury realistic Christmas trees. * I was especially impressed with how the company has grown internationally in just less than 9 years. * Started with 100 products to 2500+ * CA, ID, IE, PH * Boise, ID- operations and finance team * IE- international headquarters for European operations in UK, Germany, FR * Drawn to the mission statement “people come first, success follows” I believe in this approach because whenever I am in meetings with buyers I make sure I have a clear understanding of what the buyer’s needs and wants are. Once I am able to provide the products that best fit their buying theme, that’s when success follows. 6.) Where do you see yourself in 5 years? * I really enjoy working with the buying and distribution teams to make sure that the whole operation runs smoothly. I am not quite sure what the future holds but I can see that the experiences I will gain from this merchant position will play an important role in helping me make that decision. 7.) Why do you want this job? * First thing that caught my eye was definitely that the company is ranked as one of the fastest growing private companies in the nation * I was also impressed with how the company has grown and expanded internationally in just less than 9 years. * I believe my skill sets and expertise in design and product development will contribute to the growth of this organization. * Balsam team could mentor me to become a well-rounded merchant. 8.) What is your greatest professional achievement? * When I think of how to answer this question I think about what are some of the hardships I faced at my current job. * In my current position, one of my jobs include producing poster size quality images of models carrying our handbags for trade show banners and other marketing collaterals. * I was in charge of managing a team of photographer, makeup artist, model, and interns. * Tested my ability to communicate and manage a team effectively. * It was a success, just last month I was at the ASD trade show and it was rewarding to hear the great feedbacks I got for the banners. 9.) Tell me a challenge or conflict you faced at work? * I travel quite frequently to china to make place orders and to visit the factories. * I had just came back to the US after a 2 week long business trip… I was exhausted and jet lagged. * The night that I came back, my boss had assigned me an assignment that was due the next day. * When I handed in that assignment the next morning I had communicated with my boss that I have been overwhelmed with work and traveling. * He apologized and said would look at my perspective more in the future. 10.) How do you deal with pressure and stressful situations.
- I take a second to take a deep breath and plan out what needs to be done.
- usually these things happen when there is a miss communication or lack of planning.
-in the future I would make sure that everyone is on the same page to avoid these situations.

11.) What made you switch from public health to design?
- Education system is strange
- I realized that I was more passionate about being creative and I wanted to be able to showcase my creative so I participated in the annual UCI fashion show as a designer. I loved the experience so much so I decided to enroll in a fashion program
- And now with my current job, I can utilize my design skills to produce a product from start to finish
- I think that’s a pretty rewarding experience.

12.) Qualities in a successful merchant?
- Someone who isn’t afraid of hard work
-Organized and detail orientated
-Proactive
- Has the curiosity to learn and to grow and be better versions of themselves
- Prioritize and be able to multi-task
- Work well independently and in a collaborative setting.

13.) Why should we hire you?
- I believe my unique skill sets in design and product development gives me the ability to create something from start to finish
- I have a curiosity like no other that allows me to be self motivated and proactive.
- I want to share my knowledge as well as act like a sponge and soak up everything I could learn from the team
- I believe the balsam family could mentor me as well to become a well rounded merchant

14.) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
- Realistically I don’t know what the future holds but I do know that the experiences and knowledge I will gain from this position will play an important role in helping me make that decision.

Job description * manage deadlines and projects with external vendors. And maintaining relationships with these vendors during the development process. * Manage photo samples for catalogs and for other marketing needs * Constantly update detailed records of product information such as cost, skus, material, color, quantity * Create and coordinate samples for photo-shoots and meetings with buyers. Be able to work with outside vendors for sample requests.

Questions * how is your experience at balsam hills? * Is their opportunity for growth within the company for the assistant merchant? * Is this a new position or replacement position? * How can one succeed as the assistant merchant?