Alyssa Weeks Shares Everything You Need to Know to Join lululemon’s Global Internship Program

Meet Alyssa Weeks, Program Manager, Emerging Talent at lululemon. Alyssa supports the programmatic design and expanded delivery of their IDEA (that’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action) Global Internship Program.

lululemon’s IDEA Global Internship Program directly supports lululemon’s IDEA goals and commitments. The 12-week paid internship is open for current students, graduates, career changers, returners to work and many more who they call “emerging talent!” All applicants who identify as part of a group that has been historically underrepresented in the workforce are strongly encouraged to apply, including, but not limited to: Asian, Black, Indigenous, Hispanic or Latiné, South Asian, LGBTQIA2s+ and persons with disabilities.

Alyssa shares her perspective on how important diversity and inclusion are in the hiring process, the LGBTQIA2s+ people network at lululemon, and much more. An interview you don’t want to miss!

Hi Alyssa - thanks for chatting to us. To start with can you tell us what you're looking for when recruiting graduates?

One of the primary ways lululemon recruits and hires emerging talent is through our IDEA Global Internship Program. This program is unique in that we don’t look for any set criteria. Rather, our intern cohorts are made up of current university and college students, recent graduates, internal talent (from our Retail Stores, Guest Education Centres (our Call Centres) and Distribution Centres), those pursuing varied education pathways, returning to the workforce, and/or making career changes. We believe these diverse perspectives and lived experiences introduce new ways of thinking, working, and collaborating into lululemon.

We are most interested in candidates’ skills and experiences, their enthusiasm for how our program can support them in achieving their purpose, vision and goals, and their alignment with lululemon’s core values of Inclusion, Personal Responsibility, Connection, Courage, and Fun.   

How important is diversity and inclusion when you’re recruiting a new professional?

Very! At lululemon, we have expanded our mission of being well to encompass a culture of Inclusion where Diversity is celebrated, Equity is the norm, and Action is the commitment – also known as IDEA. As part of our Be Human Impact Agenda, we have a goal of reflecting the diversity of the communities we serve and operate in around the world by 2025, and our IDEA Global Internship Program is just one example of many to show how we are pursuing our Impact Agenda. In 2023, 83% of our summer intern cohorts were from underrepresented groups.

How do you ensure you receive diverse graduate candidates?

We recognize that before we attract and hire new individuals from diverse backgrounds, we must first cultivate an environment and build systems that create and sustain inclusion, diversity, and equity. By providing our Talent Acquisition teams with tools, information, references, and training on attracting and proactively developing diverse talent pools, we have seen an increased number of applications from underrepresented groups.

We are also mindful of how we show up; we ensure we have representatives from across our business, with their own lived experiences, and who belong to different communities, at our events and participating in our recruitment process. We thoroughly review job descriptions to ensure we are using inclusive language and avoid unnecessary criteria. Throughout our process, we invite candidates to share how their experiences and backgrounds have prepared them to be effective in an environment that values inclusion and diversity.

We have also expanded the demographic of talent we reach by partnering with 11 organizations (including myGwork!) that serve underrepresented groups. We engage with candidates through info sessions, career fairs, hiring events, and job postings both virtually and in-person.

How many LGBTQIA2S+ graduates have you recruited in the past year?

We have had LGBTQIA2S+ representation in all of our internship cohorts since the program’s inception in 2021!

Would you encourage successful applicants to come out during the interview? If yes, what would be an easy way for them to come out?

Firstly, you have the choice as to whether you want to come out during an interview, and one of the factors to consider is your psychological safety. For example, do you feel your interviewer(s) have created a space where you feel safe? Maybe they have themselves come out during the interview by referring to their partner, or they reference being an ally or more. Secondly, if you feel you want to come out, consider whether you want to directly refer to being from the LGBTQ community or LGBTQ or weave into an answer to one of the questions. There are various ways you can do this, and it will ultimately depend on the interview environment, the rapport you have developed, and the depth of the connection you have made.

Does lululemon have an LGBTQ+ network? 

Yes, lululemon has an LGBTQ2IA+ People Network, which is co-sponsored by two of our senior leaders, Julie Averil (EVP and Chief Information Officer) and Andrew Polins (SVP, Global LLO). The intention of our employee-led People Networks is to create safe spaces, avenues, and community support for employees who have marginalized and historically underrepresented identities. More specifically, the LGBTQ2IA+ network is grounded in six values – authenticity, safety, connection, storytelling, advocacy, and celebration.

Have you seen significant changes in diversity and inclusion during your time at lululemon?

I have only been working at lululemon for just about two years, but in my time here, I have seen and experienced a strong commitment to our IDEA journey. We strive to create an environment where diversity and inclusion are not only celebrated but fully expressed. We bring our best selves to work, actively remove barriers to equity so that everyone has a sense of belonging and empowerment, and are encouraged to share ideas and perspectives.

As far as our actions, we have increased funding for our IDEA team and programs, created an ongoing dialogue between underrepresented members of our collective with our CEO Calvin MacDonald and members of the Senior Leadership Team, expanded our learning and development offerings and trainings for our entire employee population, and use our brand to advocate for change.

We continue to measure and understand our progress through our anonymous Inclusion Index Survey, which is conducted annually. First launched in October 2020 as a voluntary and anonymous Demographic Survey (what we refer to as our Inclusion Index), the findings have helped us in developing strategies and identifying next steps to build a more equitable lululemon.

lululemon is a proud partner of myGwork, the LGBTQ+ business community. If learning about lululemon’s IDEA Global Internship program excites you, be sure to bookmark their site to stay in the know of when the next cohort of applications opens.