Kaitlyn Thayer; Dicks Sporting Goods
Welcome to our VIMspiration Weekly Blogs!
We will be sharing helpful career tips, Q&As with industry professionals and career advice from past MSU and VIM Alumni!
This week we will be hearing from Kaitlyn Thayer. She is currently an In-Season Planner at Under Armour for Dicks Sporting Goods. Kaitlyn is an MSU alumna and has great advice to share! Head to Kaitlyn’s LinkedIn to learn more.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges when transitioning from college to the workforce? Do you have any tips for students that are about to graduate?
A: In college you are learning from a book and studying class materials that have been provided to you. More often than not, in the workforce there is no guidebook on how to perform or be successful at your role. This was a difficult adjustment for me initially because I was unsure of how best to learn in my career. It became crucial to ask questions and take the initiative to learn from others. I would advise anyone that’s new in their career to find a mentor and utilize them as much as possible. In the workforce, coworkers and peers become your best resources.
Q: What is your favorite part about your job and what inspired you to accept this position at Under Armour rather than another company?
A: When I was interviewing with Under Armour, I had initially applied for a different position than I am currently working in. When speaking with HR, they advised that based on the career interests that I was expressing, I may be a good fit for a new position that they were creating called an In-Season Planner. This was a hybrid role that would work both with internal teams at Under Armour, as well as with the account that I would be working on, Dicks Sporting Goods. The reason that I decided to move forward with Under Armour was their willingness and interest in placing me in a role that they thought I would succeed in. Additionally, knowing that this was a new position, I would have the ability to help develop and create the guidelines for the job in the future, which has also become my favorite part of the role. When I first started no one outside of my team knew what I was going to be doing and over the last two years, I have been able to create planning tools, provide new forms of reporting to the company and work cross functionally with numerous different departments.
Q: What are your job responsibilities and day-to-day tasks in your position at Under Armour?
A: Working in planning, you become the go-to person for almost all things numbers related. My main responsibility is to maintain financial plans for Dicks Sporting Goods. These financial plans attempt to predict sales, inventory and other key metrics by category for the current and upcoming year. The categories that we plan are as granular as men’s short sleeve tops, women’s sports bras, kid’s basketball footwear, backpacks, and roughly 100 other categories so the work is very detailed. Additionally, I help to provide the sales and merchandising departments with any historical sales analysis on product performance, individual store performance, or any other financial information that they may need to help make decisions regarding future seasons.
Q: What was your favorite part about going to Michigan State?
A: I’m a huge sports fan so I loved going to all of the sporting events! I lived in Case Hall my freshman year so I felt like I was right in the middle of all the athletics. Football tickets were always a requirement and there was nothing like being in the Izzone!
Q: Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for someone interested in this job/field?
A: Flexibility and adaptability are crucial for success in the retail field. Retail is extremely dynamic and you never know what could be changing within your role/company. Just in my two years with Under Armour, we’ve gone through multiple re-organizations, leadership changes and role adjustments. Many times you will have to pitch in and work on something that isn’t necessarily your job but will benefit the team in entirety. Always being willing to adjust to changes and contribute outside your role will help create success in the retail industry.
Stephanie Kline