Matt Cabral is no stranger to transitions. After nearly eight years of service in the United States Army, he transitioned from his position as Captain to enter civilian life and faced a pivotal moment shared by many of his fellow veterans: how to translate the experiences and invaluable skills he gained during his time in service to a new kind of workforce. To help make that transition, he turned to Hiring Our Heroes.

Each summer, Wayfair welcomes dozens of interns to teams ranging from Engineering to Talent Management. These undergraduate, MBA, and high school students are immersed in a 10-week program that aligns them with challenging and real projects to push them further on their way to advancing their careers. With the opportunity to grow and collaborate with leaders across the company, Wayfair’s interns work collaboratively on all facets of the business to gain the experience and knowledge needed to reach their professional goals.

This article is part of our series “Conversations With Creatives,” where we connect with the talented individuals of Wayfair’s Creative teams to hear their insights. They share their perspectives on their roles, their experiences, and what makes Wayfair a destination for creatives of every kind.

At Wayfair, we are committed to embedding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) across all aspects of our organization, and we know that transparency and accountability are crucial to driving real change. That is why today, we are proud to introduce “Change Starts at Home,” our first-annual DEI report. This report captures the foundational improvements and new initiatives we have launched to accelerate this important work in 2020, as well as our representation data, which spans across 16 dimensions of diversity. This data is global and includes all Wayfair employees because it is important to us that everyone is represented in all of our DEI considerations and conversations.

In our home we strive to create an environment where all employees feel comfortable and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work every day. To help ensure this, Wayfair has employee-created and led Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), supported by our Culture & Inclusion team, with the aim to create safe, inclusive spaces for community building, networking, and professional development. This March our Women+ ERG celebrated Women’s History Month by organizing an internal fireside chat with Wayfair board member, Anke Schäferkordt. The event was moderated by Fiona Tan, Global Head of Customer and Supplier Technology. Throughout the hour-long chat Anke shared invaluable insights about the importance of challenging the status quo, male allyship, mentorship and much more.

This article is part of our series "Employee Spotlight," where we speak to and highlight some of the wonderful people who make up the exceptional teams at Wayfair.

From the first idea to that final touch, Wayfair’s creative team makes everything in-house. Our rockstar makers have skills that touch every creative discipline, from concepting ideas, writing and art direction to production, videography, editing, set designing, illustration, 3D imagery, animating, and so much more.

You can’t find couches made of frozen solid lake-harvested ice blocks on Wayfair.com, but on a cold winter day, look no further than co-founder Steve Conine’s backyard to find that kind of glacial decor. While the comfort and longevity of ice-based furniture might be up for debate, the lessons that creating it can teach are undeniable: “When you’re getting ready to hack off a chunk of slippery ice, the consequences of rushing to action without thinking ahead are obvious. It’s a strong reminder of the importance of managing risk and taking the right steps toward achieving your desired outcome,” said Steve. “With a chainsaw running, it’s a good idea to ask yourself, what am I OK with losing and what can I never get back if I make a mistake?”

“What interests me the most is problem solving — and I love the process of finding optimal solutions.”

This article is part of our "Employee Spotlight" series where we speak to and highlight some of the wonderful people who make up the exceptional teams at Wayfair.