During the fall of my junior year, I knew I wanted to land a summer internship in New York City. NYC was the only thing on my mind especially since I wanted to focus on modeling, be back in my birth town and just be in a new environment for the summer. I believe everything happens for a reason and I am glad I got the Store Management Internship with Macy's in Atlanta, GA. The importance of internships is for experience in that field and to see if you would want to work in that field as your career.
My performance during my internship was good in some areas and excellent in some. On having a positive attitude, being friendly, open and engaging to the management team and employees, I can say I performed well in those areas. As an intern, we have the advantage of not being responsible for knowing some things that the managers and the Executive Develop Program (EDP) students, the program after the internship, should know. So, while I was knowledgeable of the work going on, some things I still don't know because it'll take time and practice. Practice makes improvements. I don't know things like reading the sales sheets. I can also work on taking initiative--this is my biggest improvement. My greatest ability would be making MAGIC in Macy's. I really connect with customers and the associates. I take time out everyday to walk around the store and say hello to everyone in each department on the first floor. Instead of jumping right into work, I ask about their day or just make plain conversation.
I think my biggest "career lesson learned" is too not skip steps in the process. As mentioned previously, my store manager was a buyer then became a store manager. She never had the role of a Merchandising Team Manager (MTM), which made her new role as a store manager a little harder. Another career lesson I learned is not settling for a job that doesn't make you happy, which goes with the overused and cliche (BUT TRUE) saying 'follow your dreams.' I will use both of these lessons to apply for jobs and internships that I really want and not to settle for something because I got accepted. These lessons will help me choose wisely in my future career and may even blossom an entrepreneurial spirit within me.
Over the course of my internship, I integrated myself into the company by acknowledging everyone and recognizing everyone's success. During the first few weeks when I introduced myself to Aleksa, macy's personal shopper and one of my networks, she said she'd heard of me. She'd heard that I was a joy to work with and I really felt happy hearing her say that. It doesn't matter how smart you are, how successful you are, if you aren't a pleasant person, no one will want to be around you. I think my greatest contribution has been being a friend and a manager. Another great contribution of mine was bringing a fresh attitude and perspective to things. I honestly feel that I encourage people around me to do and be better.
I enjoyed my time at Macy's as a Store Manager Intern. There were times where I wished I had a more fun internship like my friends whom I saw on snapchat, but the stability that Macy's provides is worth more than a fun summer. Macy's has a great intern and EDP program that has been around for years and has helped so many students after college find their niche and move up in the company. I am thankful to my internship coordinator, Claire, my college relations recruiter at Macy;s, Andrew, and my mom for constantly sending me emails about internships. All three of these people sent me the macy's internship and I applied at the last minute and thankfully was accepted. One major lesson I've learned throughout college is that networking is one of the most important aspects in life. Networking will get you through many doors, but it's up to you to remain in those doors.
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