UNIQLO, the leading brand of Fast Retailing Group, has over 2,500 stores in 26 markets and focuses on talent development to drive global innovation.
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after becoming a store manager, there are various career paths to choose from. Stay in store operations as a manager, become an area manager, work in the head office to support stores
I am grateful for my career opportunities and how quickly I have progressed. Promotion possibilities are always available, however you must be willing to speak up and express your desire to move up. I do believe my position in the company allowed for easier and quicker promotion than others.
Every 6 month there is review for promotion. There is a clear guidelines for what you need to have achieved to be considered for a promotion role which requires an interview as well. The company is very supportive of promotions given you have shown the right mindset throughout the 6 months
Uniqlo emphasises greatly on building future business leaders and growing all staff members within the business no matter which stage. The career pathway here is endless, showcasing clearly all opportunities through a very structured system. Starting as a Partner level sales associate, there are opportunities every 3 months to promote to Advanced Partner, then Senior Partner. These are leadership roles where you take on new responsibilities to lead the store/team. After this, Senior Partner members can challenge into management level through taking an exam and interview - every 6 months opportunity. As for me, I applied to the UMC program, where I undertook those steps from PN, AP, SP, Assistant store manager, then Store Manager in 1 year. Going into the program, our individual development structure and journey itself was made very clear, with expectations provided by our trainers at the time. Not only short term goals, but understanding the possibilities in the future and how many opportunities/experiences you can take on afterwards was a great insight. The company always nurtures their future business leaders - especially with such a set structure it makes the progression process very clear for everyone.
Most positions, if not all, are preferably filled internally, as a result, the career opportunities for new starters are limitless and solely depends on your individual performance and desire. In addition, these promotion opportunities come regularly and can happen very quickly. For example, I went from fresh hire to store manager in just one year.