Here are five things you need to know about the Dream BIG scholarship program:

1. The scholarship ISN’T for students. It’s for you.
If you work in retail, you can apply for this scholarship program. You can work in a corporate office, own your own store, work in a distribution center, a store, from your own home or a satellite office. As long as you are employed by a retailer, full-time or part-time, this scholarship is for you. Any level, any position – sales associate, senior director, loss prevention manager, pharmacist, designer, marketing coordinator – just to name a few. Start your application here.

2. It’s competitive.
The applications we got last year were seriously impressive. To apply for Dream BIG you have to submit three essays about your retail career aspirations, why you love retail and your biggest inspiration. You also need a letter of recommendation from someone who works in the retail industry and knows you well. Pulling together a great application takes time. The judges are looking for passion, originality and high quality writing. But if you’re lucky enough to be selected as a recipient you’ll be in great company. Our recipients from 2013 were the brightest and best out of hundreds of applications. You can hear from some of them in this video:

3. It’s a full ride.
We’re not giving you some money toward a degree – we’re giving you a full-tuition scholarship for a bachelor’s or master’s program (including an MBA) with the University of Phoenix. And because of the flexibility of the University of Phoenix programs, you can continue to work and live at home while you study.

4. It’s judged by retail leaders.
CEOs of retail companies and other industry leaders are going to read your essays and find out what your retail career aspirations are and why you love retail. They know their stuff. They’re looking for people they might hire one day, people who have passion and enthusiasm for the industry they love too. This is your opportunity to shine and make a seriously good impression. No pressure.

For an entire semester, teams of two to four students at NRF Foundation College and University Partner schools each worked to create a product idea and prepare a 10-page business plan, along with a 90-second video presentation or “elevator pitch” to convince the CEO of a U.S. retailer of their choice how and why their product should be brought to market.

Student Challenge

Recognizing that entrepreneurship is on the rise in retail, we presented this real-life scenario to our student community to help them understand the full scope of what it takes to bring a new product idea to market and provide a chance to get advice from retail executives along the way. As an added bonus, we offered a $2,500 scholarship for each member of the final winning team. Retail certainly rewards the driven, doesn’t it?

More than ten teams accepted the Challenge, all submitting great product ideas, business plans and pitch videos. But after two rounds of judging, only three teams of four students — from the FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Texas A&M University and University of North Texas  — were left standing to advance to the final round and receive a trip to Retail’s BIG Show.

The teams will make their final case shark-tank style on Friday, presenting to a panel of judges including HSNi Chief Marketing Officer Bill Brand, NRF Senior Vice President and Shop.org Executive Director Vicki Cantrell and STORY Founder and CEO Rachel Shechtman. With cool product ideas including a “backseat bib” that catches and prevents items from falling in a car (or rolling under a seat), an “all-in-one shoe” for women on the go, and a compact, multi-functional piece of furniture, perhaps the real challenge will be deciding a winner. If you’re in New York City for the BIG Show by Friday, January 10, feel free to stop by the Marriott Marquis between 1 and 4 p.m., to see the presentations and judging, which are open to all registered BIG Show attendees.

The winning team will be announced from the convention’s main stage during the NRF Chairman Steve Sadove’s opening remarks on Sunday, January 12. Tune in to find out which students proved to be up for the challenge. Who knows – you might have their product on your holiday wish list one day.

The contest tasked NRF Student Association members with designing a holiday card that demonstrates the work of the retail industry using their drawing, photography or graphic design skills. In exchange for their efforts, each student received a $1,000 cash prize and a trip to Retail’s BIG Show. After receiving more than 150 submissions, NRF spent weeks debating and deliberating (and more debating and deliberating) to determine the top 10 designs. But it was the 3,500 votes cast through the NRF Foundation Facebook page – NRF on Campus – that determined the final three contest winners.

Take a look at the winning card designs, and find out more about the talented student designers:

Student: Erica Barry School: Drexel University Major: Design and Merchandising Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2017	Design Inspiration:  When I think of the holidays, I immediately think of the ballet The Nutcracker. I feel Clara’s excitement when she opens her gift and finds a nutcracker, and that is the same feeling I get when I think about the retail industry during the holidays.
Student: Hannah Tillou School: Indiana University Major: Apparel Merchandise, Minor in Business and Fashion Design Expected Graduation Date: May 2017	Design Inspiration: My holiday card celebrates all of the retailers that make up the National Retail Federation. Just like a string of lights wouldn’t shine with a missing bulb, NRF wouldn’t shine as bright without each of our retailers.
Student: Pin-Tsung Lee School: FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Major: Graphic Design – Emphasis on Entertainment and Branding Expected Graduation Date: June 2015	Design Inspiration: There is one thing every retail business requires: a bar code. This tiny bar code represents how retailers trade, record their company’s data and track their products. It is also a symbol of the retail industry’s well-organized and attentive spirit. Moreover, Christmas is one of the most important holidays for retailers. That’s why I designed the card with Christmas characters hiding next to the bar code in a playful way to greet the viewer.

Retailers world-wide are in for a sweet treat this holiday season, when they’ll receive one of these cards as a thank you for the hard work they’ve done on behalf of the industry this year. In addition to the three winners, retailers may also receive a card from the University of Florida’s Michael Chatila and FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising’s Sara Berkes, whose designs received so many votes they were able to snag an honorable mention and slot in our variety pack of holiday cards.

The inaugural Student Program Retail’s BIG Show in 2013 was such a success that 100 percent of attending students said they would recommend to a friend. So we’re bringing it back this year with a few new bells and whistles to give college students even more motivation to pursue a retail career.

Take a look at four new things happening at the 2014 Retail’s BIG Show Student Program:

• Kick-off with Terry J. Lundgren – On January 11, Macy’s President and CEO Terry Lundgren will come face-to-face with hundreds of students from more than 30 college and universities across the nation to share his rise in retail and talk about how “blooming where you’re planted” can land you a seat in the C-suite. Following Lundgren’s kick-off, a panel of young professionals will discuss how to make an impact from the start of your career, and a CEO panel discussion moderated by HSNi CEO Mindy Grossman will feature Birchbox co-founder Katia Beauchamp, Bon-Ton President and CEO Brendan Hoffman, and Destination Maternity CEO Edward Krell.
  

  The Container Store Chairman and CEO Kip Tindell at the inaugural Retail’s BIG Show Student Program.

• Executive Mentor Experience, sponsored by American Express – Going where no other NRF Student Association members have gone before. 100 students – including Student Challenge team finalists and Next Generation Scholarship nominees – will be hand-selected to receive a “Golden Ticket” to the Executive Mentor Experience, a one-hour mentoring session with top retail executives working in various fields, to learn about different career paths in the industry and gain valuable career advice.

• Student Networking Lunch and Career Fair – If you’ve been to one career fair, you’ve been to them all, right? Think again. Retail recruiters will interact  with 300 bright college students majoring in everything from retail merchandising to marketing to accounting as they network and share information about their companies and the career opportunities they have available for top talent. Sponsoring retailers will also have the opportunity to interview students at a “Get Hired” event the following day. Translation: Students will leave with jobs, and retailers will leave with fresh talent. Now, that’s BIG.

• Special opportunities for students to get ahead – Talk about getting ahead of the class: other activities at the career fair include a chance for students to get their resumes reviewed and polished by retail recruiters, and their corporate headshots taken by a professional photographer to use on LinkedIn profiles, business cards and more.

Retail’s BIG Show Student Program is an opportunity for students seeking career advice and employment. It’s also a great way for retailers to network and interact with hundreds of future retail leaders who only come together during the Student Program at Retail’s BIG Show. If your company is hiring college graduates, contact us by December 5 to find out how you can get involved with the Student Program alongside current sponsors The Container Store, DICK’S Sporting Goods, HSN, Macy’s, Walgreens and Walmart.

Many of the stories that have been written lament that some retailers are scaling back the number of seasonal workers they’re bringing in. Maybe that’s true. But what’s being missed in the conversation is what’s happening to the existing part-time workforce and what opportunities temporary workers find when the holiday season is over.

Target, who has already noted they’re scaling back on temporary holiday employees, plans instead to offer more holiday hours to non-holiday staff members first. Walmart has a similar game plan, moving 35,000 of their current temporary employees to part-time, and another 35,000 from part-time to full-time, in addition to hiring a new crop of workers only for the season. (Aside from being able to offer reward your best associates with more hours and opportunity, this is also a great business decision because it means less time required for recruiting and training new associates.)

In addition to offering part-timers more hours, retailers have also been focused on keeping great talent. As the economy improves and retailers continue to create more positions, there’s no doubt that companies are doing their best to keep their best seasonal workers even when the ornaments are back in the attic and the very last customer has brought in a too-small sweater for return. From last year’s seasonal workers, Target offered more than a third year-round positions at their company. And Toys“R”Us retained 15% of their seasonal workforce after the holidays.  

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Opening and Labor Turnover Study

It’s also important to remember that with the decline in national unemployment, albeit slow, there are more people who only want to work seasonally. During the recession years, employees typically tried to hold onto their retail jobs, and few were leaving by choice come January. Last January however, we saw a shift with fewer layoffs and discharges at the end of the holidays, and more employees voluntarily left their position (i.e. quitting).

And this wouldn’t be a “trend” blog post without a mention of how omnichannel is making an impact. We’ve heard a number of retailers reference that they may be cutting back on temporary hiring in stores but are ramping up temporary positions in distribution and call centers. Toys“R”Us, for one, noted that they have additional seasonal jobs available that are designated specifically to help fulfill orders from their non-store channels. Kohl’s said the same. Online-only retailers prepare as well; last year, Amazon hired 50,000 seasonal workers to take on the holiday demand, and this year that number will jump to more than 70,000.

It’s still too early to know just how many people retailers will need to bring in to keep up with consumer demand for all channels, but one thing is certain: with temporary employment comes opportunities for workers to find not just a job, but a an incredible career. And that’s something the retail industry has long been good at.

Sara Blakely (#90), the inventor and founder of Spanx, is on the list for the first time. While Blakely may be the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, she started Spanx with just $5,000 in savings while selling fax machines door to door for an office supply company. Talk about working your way up in the world with a little tenacity and a great idea.

Tory Burch (#69), back on the list and 19 spots higher than her place at 88 in 2010, launched a fashion line from her kitchen in 2004, is now a household name with boutiques across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and with products sold in over 800 department and specialty stores.

And, these two women are fabulous beyond their products. Among other philanthropic ventures, Sara Blakely was the first female billionaire to sign the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge in April, pledging to donate half her earnings to charity. The Tory Burch Foundation was launched in 2009 to support the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families through small business loans and mentorship. Now that is some serious girl power.

Others on this year’s list include:

Sheri McCoy, CEO of Avon, is up 12 spots from last year at #27. Last year she had just recently taken the position, but this woman has made quite a difference in the company – which has seen a rebound in shares and a hope to restore the brand to its former status.

Rosalind Brewer, President and CEO of Sam’s Club, is up 6 spots at #44 this year. Sam’s Club and Walmart just launched a “massive green project” to give bring more sustainability information to consumers. Talk about a retail concept to watch!

Angela Ahrendts (#53), CEO of Burberry Group, makes the list for the second year in a row. This last fall, and then just a few months ago, Burberry hosted a live-streaming runway show, available globally, where viewers could shop directly from the video. That, my friends, is innovation.

Carol Meyrowitz (#82), CEO of TJX Companies – which includes TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Marshalls – is on the list for the fourth year in a row. With record growth in sales this last year, you can’t help but admire Meyrowitz for her recent statement that her plans for the company include even more growth.

Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSNi (and Chairwoman of the NRF Foundation Board) is up seven spots at #89 this year. Through blending 24-hour TV broadcasting, a mobile platform, and an online presence, HSN can be found in the dictionary next to the term “omnichannel retail.”

There’s no doubt that these inspiring women exemplify the best of our industry: inventive ideas, their value to the community, and the limitless opportunities available.

In our work with universities – whether we’re trying to use the NRF Student Association to share insights on what a career in retail looks like, meeting with our Retail Recruiter Network about how to collectively promote our industry in a more compelling way to jobseekers, planning a student program for one of our conferences to give young people the opportunity to network with CEOs, or working to distribute more than scholarship monies to very deserving candidates – we hear and see every day how today’s college students are motivated and intelligent “change agents”, ready to leap headfirst into their career. And, of course, we hope that career is retail.

During Shay’s commencement at his alma mater, he shared five life and career lessons, some of which he’s learned the hard way (haven’t we all?). And while these were created with students in mind, they certainly apply to professionals at all levels:

1.  When you make a decision, be committed.
2. Clean up your own messes.
3. Happiness is more important than money.
4. Find a mentor.
5. No one ever accomplished anything great alone.

And with that, he proposes a challenge: “Never let anybody outwork you.”

Watch a recap of his commencement speech below.

For a clearer understanding of what this young pool of talent values most in a career, and what’s going to attract them to employers and careers in retail, the NRF Foundation surveyed 700 young adults ages 18-24 from across the country.

SPOILER ALERT: they want what retail offers – they just don’t know it yet.

A quarter of young adults feel working for a company whose mission and values match their own is one of the most important characteristics when evaluating a career opportunity. About one in five place importance on a company who gives back to their community, and nearly as many value a company with environmentally-responsible practices.

When considering a job opportunity, nearly half are most interested in work/life balance, and many want a job with opportunities for growth and to quickly move up the ladder.  Not only that, but according to the survey, these young adults don’t want to “wait their turn” to make an impact: 40% want their opinions heard, nearly a third want their decisions implemented, and 1 in 4 want the opportunity to own and manage projects – all in their very first job.

Think they’d need to live in a dream world to get this kind of job? This ideal company exists, and it’s in retail. While the perception of a retail career may conjure visions of cash registers and name tags – this is only a layer of the industry, and it’s time to change that vision.

That’s where NRF’s “This is Retail” campaign comes in, to tell the real story of our industry. We want those who aren’t already pursuing retail to get interested in the opportunities available, and we want family members, parents, and friends whose opinion influences career choices, to support them doing so.

We also want to help retailers understand what the next generation wants out of a career, so they can target and attract top-quality talent because, only in retail, that next hire could be the future CEO.

Over the next few months, our This is Retail campaign will tell the real story: retail is careers – and they’re exciting, with endless opportunities to grow, give back, and innovate. There’s never been a better time to be in retail, and it’s time that those who aren’t in the industry learn why they should be.

Help us by sharing your retail career story.

When we started planning the event several months ago, our team put together a “wish-list” of incredible executives from a wide variety of retail companies who we thought would give students great career advice: HSN’s Mindy Grossman, Rent the Runway’s Jennifer Hyman, BJ’s Wholesale Club’s Laura Sen, and Tractor Supply Co’s Jim Wright.

Next came the hard part – convincing the CEOs to say, “Yes.” Or so we thought.

Surprisingly, getting the CEOs to agree to speak to over 200 students and educators from the NRF Foundation’s College and University Partner schools was as simple as asking. The executives unanimously (and enthusiastically) responded that they would love to talk to students about the amazing opportunities our industry offers, and share retail knowledge, wisdom, and career advice they’ve garnered during their prestigious careers.

And share they did. The panelists were incredibly forthcoming and candid, providing sage counsel that can be applied by those at all levels within the retail industry. (I was literally sitting on stage with these visionaries wishing I had a notebook and pen with me.)

Even six weeks after the program, I remember my favorites: Mindy Grossman sharing a concept aptly called “intra-preneurialism” (establishing a culture of open creativity that fosters avenues for internal growth), Jim Wright discussing how setting five-year plans helps in achieving and measuring career growth and success, Laura Sen passionately telling students that thoughtful communication is the key to everything, and Jennifer Hyman encouraging enrollment in computer science and engineering classes to illustrate how technology is driving the retail industry.

And those were just my takeaways. When we talked with students after the event, every single person seemed to take home something different that really spoke to them as they planned the first steps in their career.

I could write for days on everything we learned from these executives, but the CEOs said it best themselves. And we’ve decided not to limit this to students, since people in every phase of their retail career can learn from these amazing leaders. Watch a recap of the session below.

With over 200 students and educators from the NRF Foundation’s College and University Partners schools, the next generation of retail leaders had a front-row seat to rub elbows with the likes of HSN’s Mindy Grossman, BJ’s Wholesale Club’s Laura Sen, Tractor Supply Co.’s Jim Wright, and Rent the Runway’s Jennifer Hyman.

NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay kicked off the new program by cutting right to the chase, letting students know that they are the future of the retail industry, and will be the ones who help us tell the industry’s story going forward. It sounded like a tall order for many who came to Retail’s BIG Show to learn how to put their best foot forward in such a fast-paced industry once they graduated.

But our panel of recent graduates representing Victoria’s Secret, Kohl’s, Macy’s and Belk put the audience at ease by explaining what it takes to make the transition from a classroom to a career. The signs of confidence were visible, and students carried this self-assurance through our speed networking and get hired programs designed to bring real-world experiences right to them. I could see students took Belk’s Amanda Varnadore’s sage advice to heart. “Even here, every day is an interview. You’re interacting with a lot of people in retail right now.” You can watch a recap of that session here.

The results of our program were incredible: 78% of students surveyed said they are more excited about a career in the retail industry, 66% are more aware of careers and retailers they hadn’t previously considered, and 48% would consider working for a different retail company than they had previously.

We asked our students for a first-hand account of their favorite parts of Retail’s BIG Show, so I’ll let them speak for themselves. But I do think one tweet from Jess Ludlow (@jess4short) sums the sentiment perfectly. “I have never been so certain that I am in the right major. #retailpride.”