When Zac Sincennes wanted to learn about what a job in shelf stocking would involve for someone like him who lives with vision loss, pprc Connect Coordinator Susan Forster knew exactly whom to approach, Shawn McKinnon.
Shawn is the owner of the Home Hardware store located in Orleans, in Ottawa’s east end. Shawn is an employer who has long been a proponent of inclusive hiring practices; he has a history of hiring persons who identify as living with a disability. Shawn readily agreed to offer an onsite mentor match to Zac.
As a client of Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care Inc. (PPRC), Zac has access to a complete array of bilingual assessment and vocational rehabilitation services, pprc Connect is our mentoring service launched in 2024. We develop a potential career path that the client is interested in and match this to a mentor guide like Shawn. We help job seekers solidify their career goals through learning more about the employment sector where they want to work.
When Shawn sat down with Zac he explained that in a smaller store like his, no one does shelf stocking as their sole responsibility. As the owner and manager, he hires sales associates who are trained to do a variety of tasks. These include activities such as unloading the truck, stocking shelves with products, working at the cash, and, most important of all, providing first-class customer service. As Shawn succinctly put it: “Even if you are having a bad day put a smile on your face.”
Shawn emphasized that giving individualized service is what distinguishes a smaller retailer such as Home Hardware from their big-box competitors. He advised Zac that employees should always be thinking about what products they can order to meet customer needs and to be able to have in-stock items that are currently in demand. Zac suggested that if he worked at Home Hardware he would ask “What can I do to help the business grow?” Shawn was impressed with this response. He said that this type of thinking would “blow the socks off” a manager.
When Zac asked, “What skills do I need to work here?” Shawn’s immediate response was, “It’s versatility that’s key.” He also said that it is important to use your strengths and learn what you do well.
Zac was enthusiastic about how he could learn to shelf stock. By using one of his strengths, memory, he could easily memorize where items go on each shelf. He could also use his well-developed sense of touch to be accurate in product placement. Zac realized that for him shelf stocking could be like putting together “the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.”
Above all, Shawn emphasized that listening is key to success in retail. He gave Zac the following tip: if a new employee cannot help a customer, then find an experienced staffer who can. What to do next? Shawn recommended, “Stand back and listen, observe, and learn so that you can develop your customer service knowledge and skills.”
When queried about how he had benefited from participating in a mentor match Zac replied, “Visiting Home Hardware was a very insightful experience. I learned a lot about what it takes to work here, and the different skills, competencies, and values required. I understand how important customer service, versatility, adaptability, and flexibility are to succeed in whatever position you have. I am confident that I can learn what I need to go far in whatever my position could be. I look forward to potentially working at one of these locations.”
During our mentor match, Zac asked Shawn what he would value in an employee. Shawn replied that a small business owner values employees who have good interpersonal skills, a friendly personality, a drive to learn and to work hard. He emphasized being flexible and always positive.
The final word on what it was like to be a mentor guide goes to Shawn. He gave the opinion that; “What I found so good about Zac was his positive attitude. He lives with vision loss, but he uses the strengths of his disability – his great memory especially – to help problem-solve and find solutions to how he might approach a job in a hardware store like the one I own. Valuing customer service and good soft skills are the number one attributes that we look for when we hire employees. Zac has these skills in abundance. He is willing to learn and to be flexible, those are positive abilities that you need to bring to working in retail. Zac has the right approach for him to find a career in this industry. It was a pleasure having him learn about a career at Home Hardware.”
To learn more about PPRC’s fully bilingual vocational rehabilitation services and the new pprc Connect Mentorship Service, go to www.pprc.ca/finding-your-new-career/mentorship-program/ or visit our website at www.pprc.ca.