Since joining Wayfair in September of 2019, Anthony Gutierrez has made a meaningful impact both in his role and beyond. A senior recruiter on our Finance and Talent recruiting team, Anthony also manages our Culture Ambassador program. Continue on to read our interview with Anthony and learn more about his experiences at Wayfair.
So, Anthony — what’s your day-to-day like?
“The majority of my role is handling full lifecycle recruiting for Finance and Talent roles. Most of my week is dedicated to holding intake meetings on roles that are opened, sourcing candidates through inbound and outbound sources, market mapping to help tap into talent markets, and preparing candidates for interviews and case assessments. Once we find the right candidate, I then advise my stakeholders on offer strategy and work through negotiations with the candidate.”
“Outside of day-to-day recruiting, I work closely with a few talent lanes on driving DEI strategy as it pertains to recruitment. I manage the Culture Ambassador Program, sit on a top-of-funnel talent lane to improve Wayfair’s employer branding from a diversity perspective, and participate in breakout groups to design recruiting strategies that will help increase representation across all levels of Wayfair.”
What brought you to Wayfair?
“What drew me to the company was the collaboration and the great people that I met during the interview process. When I came to Boston for my interview, I remember leaving with a feeling that ‘something special is going on here,’ which led me to accept the offer and move!”
What do you think it is about Wayfair that makes it a great place to grow your career?
“I think some of the work being done here is one-of-a-kind because we have really great people — from leadership to early career and out in the field — who bring creativity and great ideas to the table that aren’t found anywhere else. One of my favorite things about working here is the notion that if you have an idea plus the ability to support it with data-driven evidence and a plan to execute, leadership will say, ‘have at it,’ and let you run with it, take responsibility and pivot accordingly.”
How would you describe the culture at Wayfair?
“Collaborative is the #1 word that I think of when I get asked about Wayfair’s culture. It really does take a village to keep things moving forward, but not in a stifling way. It’s helpful to get insight and experiences from all perspectives when you are trying to get something over the finish line. You’d be surprised at how quickly an initiative or idea can change based on the perspective of someone who comes from a different role or background. It’s refreshing to work with people who genuinely care about the success of everything we do, and not just in their day-to-day.”
Any advice for candidates looking to join Wayfair?
“My biggest advice is to understand how to articulate the impact of your work in previous companies. When I am advising candidates on resume writing or interview preparation, I say to go line-by-line and use the rule of ‘so what?’ — if you read a line of your experience and it doesn’t impact that business or role in a tangible way (or if you say ‘so what’ after reading it), then it should either be updated or omitted. We want to know that you are doing something for the better of a company and not just to say you did it.”
You’ve been leading the Culture Ambassador program. Can you share what it is, what the goals are, and why this contributes to the candidate experience?
“Of course! A Culture Ambassador is a Wayfairian who is a reliable resource on workplace culture for candidates who are interviewing for a position. This person is an advocate of Wayfair and is passionate about driving our culture and fostering an inclusive environment. They are representatives from our active Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as well as other key talent partners with the expressed goal of holding culture conversations outside of the formal interview panel, sharing details related to the culture at Wayfair, core values, etc.”
“Candidates who indicate an interest in learning more about our workplace culture broadly will be connected to a Culture Ambassador so they can engage with a confidential culture conversation when they are invited to an onsite interview. The idea behind this is to have an open forum for candidates to ask questions about working at Wayfair without the guise of a formal interview. These conversations are confidential and the information shared stays between the Culture Ambassador and the candidate, the goal being to aid the candidate in their decision to join Wayfair. It also links them with another employee who may have similar shared experiences that they might not encounter with their interview panel. It also gives them the option to select those individuals and get the most out of their interview experience.”
Do you have any special interests or hobbies outside of work?
“My team already knows this, but I am a trained Competitive Cheerleading judge. I competed for 13 years through college and have traveled between the US and Canada to judge competitions and choreograph routines. COVID-19 has made the landscape very interesting with the emergence of virtual competitions, so I have been trying to navigate that recently. In addition to this, I am an amateur chef (or at least I like to think I am). I am cooking. All. The. Time. Which has been therapeutic during the pandemic to help me manage my stress and release pent up energy.”
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