Hailey Kochanny

Major: Apparel, Merchandising, and Design
Company/Organization: Kohl's
Company/Organization website: kohls.com
Destination: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Timeframe: Sumer 2022
Advisor/Coordinator Email: briaj

Responsibilities

In my internship I am responsible for pulling and analyzing data to give feedback to my coach on their assortments. With this information I am responsible for finding consumer trends and opportunities. I give suggestions to my coach for next year. I also do competitive shopping where I look at what our competitors offer and their online/in store experience. With competitive shopping I put together presentations to present to my team giving brand opportunities and experiences that the consumer will love.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my internship experience was being able to talk to vendors, ask meaningful questions, and create connections. I have had the opportunity to attend multiple in person and virtual vendor meetings. When virtual I have been the first one from my team to join the meetings, often spending five minutes alone with the vendors. This has taught me how to be professional and make conversation with these vendors that reflect positively on my team and show my engagement throughout the meeting.

Learning experience

The greatest lessons I learned from my experience is how to be personal in a professional setting. Being able to connect with those I work with and for is a big deal because they appreciate the effort you put in to remember those connections. I have appreciated my general manager remembering small details about myself because it makes me feel like they care about my work. This is the same about you making those personal connections. I would say my greatest lesson is learning how to be personable in a work setting.

What advice would you give?

My advice for future students is to go into everything with an open mind. It’s more beneficial in the beginning of your experience to soak it all in. Don’t make any biases before learning more about the company and people. The people you work for will notice the small things the most. The way you interact with the team, remember small personal details about them, and your willingness to attend meetings shows a lot to those around you. My advice would be to focus on those personal relationships with your team because I have found it produces more efficient work that doesn’t feel like work.

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