It's Sunday and this is officially my last week in New York City. I have never been so excited to leave a place to get back to Texas. It is not that I do not like this city, there is so much liveliness and wonder that this place possesses unlike any other place, but there is something about the South that I need to get back to.
My last post I briefly described a lull in internship, but it officially passed. Between my buyer and I there was a bit of workplace tension that would not pass, so I scheduled a private one-on-one meeting with her to discuss how we could get past this down point in the internship. It was very courageous to sit face-to-face with her and verbally describe how I felt there was a problem with our lack of communication and how I wanted a second chance to prove myself as a strong asset these last few weeks of the internship. After the meeting initially I did not feel like I had got my point across but as the week went on there was alot less tension and we even enjoyed a few laughs on Friday.
My weekend overall has been less than eventful since I have a final internship experience paper due on Wednesday. I have mostly been in and out of the public library and Starbucks. It is a pretty easy write, but it the finding the willpower to write it for more than an hour before I stray away from my Word Document. I am about 4.5 pages into it and it is 5 pages minimum, but I haven't even put a dent into answering all parts of the prompt so that is an accomplishment.
On Friday, after the graduation ceremony Ross is holding for us, I will be saying goodbye to this big bright city, and get back to suburbia for a few days before it is off to my next big adventure, Disney World!
I promise to make a post of long lost NYC pics that I didn't post throughout my summer so stay tuned!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Highs and Lows
It has been a while since I last posted and I apologize; it has been just so busy with work and all the things to do in the city. I have even sacrificed sleep, which is something I love! Anyways I seemed to hit a low point in my internship. There are always times in a job when you are just not performing at your best and everything seems to be going less than swell. Well this is my week! Really it officially started last Friday and seems to be carrying over into this week. I was sure a weekend would do me some good because we would all be away from the office and Monday would be a fresh start. That has not been the case.
Last week we received our mid-term evaluations from our department and from HR. The constructive criticism was valuable and beneficial and I hoped to be moving forward from that point. Friday just seemed to open the floodgates for destruction. My biggest need for improvement is with communication and follow up to my buyer. Which seems to be the root of this week's issue, miscommunication. I know that this is just a low in a sea of highs this summer and I will get past this. I cannot let a few days dictate how my entire internship will be.
Tomorrow will be a nice break from the office because we go to New Jersey for comparison shopping and get to visit a Ross Store since there are not any in the state of New York. So hopefully by my next post I will have resolved the issue and be back to posting about wonderful moments while in NYC.
Also this past weekend my friend from Texas, Delisia came to visit the city for a weekend. I will be sure to post pics of our weekend soon!
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Last week we received our mid-term evaluations from our department and from HR. The constructive criticism was valuable and beneficial and I hoped to be moving forward from that point. Friday just seemed to open the floodgates for destruction. My biggest need for improvement is with communication and follow up to my buyer. Which seems to be the root of this week's issue, miscommunication. I know that this is just a low in a sea of highs this summer and I will get past this. I cannot let a few days dictate how my entire internship will be.
Tomorrow will be a nice break from the office because we go to New Jersey for comparison shopping and get to visit a Ross Store since there are not any in the state of New York. So hopefully by my next post I will have resolved the issue and be back to posting about wonderful moments while in NYC.
Also this past weekend my friend from Texas, Delisia came to visit the city for a weekend. I will be sure to post pics of our weekend soon!
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Punk: Chaos to Couture
I promise to do an extended holiday post, but today was such a special day I had to share! Over a year later, but I finally made it back inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the largest art museum in the United States to be exact) today. Jessica and I ventured out to the Upper East Side this afternoon towards 81st and 5th Ave. It was her first time visiting but none of the other exhibitions seemed as important as a special one, Punk: Chaos to Couture, that "examines punk’s impact on high fashion from the movement’s birth in the 1970s through its continuing influence today" (excerpt taken from MET website). We were excited to see this fashion exhibit! I have not been to tons of fashion exhibitons but this has to be one of my favorites. Although the top prize for best fashion exhibits hands down goes to The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk from 2012 shown at The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) & The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). Anyways, I loved how it blended both punk style of the US (circa 1975) and London (circa 1976). There were over 100 pieces including many from the infamous duo of London's SEX 430 King's Road boutique, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm Mclaren. Other designers featured included Alexander McQueen, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren (Viktor & Rolf), House of Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Hussein Chalayan, and Burberry to name a few.
Basically the exhibit is about the punk rock movement being more than leather and torn cloths; it was the self expression through clothing to make a social statement using unconventional methods like D-I-Y, recycled and reused materials, and of course, studs and spikes. In my opinion, the outfits mirrors some of the styles that have been recurring the past few seasons such as the studs and spikes and leather moto jackets. This year has seen a huge resurgence of the choice punk footwear, the Doc Marten boot.
Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos inside this part of the museum, but I got a few photos online to give a glimpse of the awesome punk fashion. ALSO for those wanting a guided tour with narration by Andrew Bolton, curator of The Costume Institute the video is at the bottom. It is quite interesting even after I walked through. I do not own any of these photos.
Basically the exhibit is about the punk rock movement being more than leather and torn cloths; it was the self expression through clothing to make a social statement using unconventional methods like D-I-Y, recycled and reused materials, and of course, studs and spikes. In my opinion, the outfits mirrors some of the styles that have been recurring the past few seasons such as the studs and spikes and leather moto jackets. This year has seen a huge resurgence of the choice punk footwear, the Doc Marten boot.
Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos inside this part of the museum, but I got a few photos online to give a glimpse of the awesome punk fashion. ALSO for those wanting a guided tour with narration by Andrew Bolton, curator of The Costume Institute the video is at the bottom. It is quite interesting even after I walked through. I do not own any of these photos.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Kyla's Internship Search Tips
It's 2013 and internships seem like the only way to even come close to landing a career after college. People have been asking me how can they get an internship, since I have done two. So finally I have decided to give some tips that would be helpful.
Here are a few tips from a novice internship finder such as myself that can help you land your first or your fourteenth internship:
Searching for an internship takes work people. If you do not put in the effort to make yourself stand out from other candidates, then point blank you do not want an internship bad enough. It seems harsh, but it is the truth. Big companies hire interns who are the cream of the crop, why would you not want to be in that top spot?
Here are a few tips from a novice internship finder such as myself that can help you land your first or your fourteenth internship:
- You Gotta Have an Internship to Get an Internship: This is kinda like the whole you gotta have work experience to land a job sort of theory that most teenagers have faced when trying to land that very first job. These days nobody wants to hire candidates that do not have experience, and in the internship world, this is no exception. If your dream internship is to work for Cosmopolitan Magazine, I recommend seeking your first internship at a local newspaper/magazine company. By all means I am not suggesting aiming low, but through experience I know big companies tend to pick candidates with lengthy resumes. The goal is to build up your resume to have the best chance possible of landing your dream internship. Also, working for your school's journalism department, helping with the school's newspaper, and joining an organization or club for journalism are all great additions to helping land that internship. Any kind of internship experience is beneficial. If I had never participated in the Disney College Program (DCP), I do not think I would be interning this summer in New York. Disney did not necessarily correlate with Corporate Buying, but skills learned through the DCP are transferrable to other areas in business. If you are a nursing major, go ahead and apply for that summer internship at a local PR firm. There are skills you will learn there that can help you in the long run, as well as build your resume.
- Have an Expert Look Over Your Resume: I have had my resume looked at my at least 6 different people. Do not just let anyone look at it though. Your stay-at-home mother may not be the best person to ask resume advice to, unless she worked in HR. Get as many professionals to look over it and give you suggestions. You can never be given TOO much advice from people. Be prepared for each person to give their own opinion about it though. One person will tell you to change the entire layout of your resume, while another will let you to change it again. Be open to suggestions but overall find a style or two that you feel showcases your greatest talents foremost. If you have more relatable work experience to the internship you are seeking have that information closer to the top. If you have had a lot of unrelatable jobs (such as waiter or sale associate) and are seeking an internship in a field unrelated (such as Marketing) have your skills experience before work experience so recruiters read about your involvement in your school's Marketing Club for example.
- Use Internship Search Engines: There are tons of websites out there that companies list their internships openings to. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
- http://www.internshipking.com/
- http://www.internmatch.com/internships
- SCHOOL'S CAREER SITE
- Don't JUST use the internet: You limit yourself when you only apply to internships online. A lot of smaller companies may not even know they need an intern. That is where you come in! Cold call a few companies to check and see if they are willing to take in an intern. PLUS if you mention you are willing to do work for free, you increase your chance of gaining experience. You never know until you ask.
- Job Shadow: If you cannot intern for a company at least ask to maybe shadow someone in a field you are interested in for a day or two. If you play the "student" card, it's the perfect reason too! My sophomore year I shadowed a department manager at Neiman Marcus for a day and even got to contribute to the effort during an in store jewelry trunk show for David Yurman. Let's just say there were live models, music, and expensive jewelry. Job shadowing is the perfect way to live like an employee for a day without either parties committing to a long term agreement.
- Pick up a copy of Lauren Berger's book!! I read this book from the InternQueen herself, which I HIGHLY recommend anyone searching for internships should buy. It is called ALL WORK, NO PAY: Finding the Internship, Building Your Resume, Making Connections, and Gaining Job Experience. It is an extremely easy read and it is not even 200 pages long. She does a great job breaking down topics and highlights the main points at the end of the each chapter. I would say she is an expert in getting internship expert because over the course of her undergraduate studying she had 15 internships! Here is the link to purchase from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/All-Work-Pay-Internship-Connections/dp/1607741687/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370997658&sr=8-1&keywords=all+work+no+pay - Prayer: Asking God to lead you in the right direction should really be the first step, but I placed it last because it is the most important. He can help you find your way, and He will open doors for you unimaginable if you were go through the internship search by yourself. So by putting your faith in Him can make your internship wishes a reality.
Searching for an internship takes work people. If you do not put in the effort to make yourself stand out from other candidates, then point blank you do not want an internship bad enough. It seems harsh, but it is the truth. Big companies hire interns who are the cream of the crop, why would you not want to be in that top spot?
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
As an Intern: Week 4 Recap
Week 4 of my internship has come to an end. Before I know it I will be packing my bags and heading back to Texas. Thinking about it is bittersweet. I have great appreciation for my state being in New York, the southern hospitality unparalleled, air condition everywhere, and the space! There are things about New York that I love too! I love walking the streets among hundreds of different types of people. The term cookie cutter does not exist here and I love it. Never have I drank Starbucks as much as I do here, and I am not even ashamed about it....not too much. I am going to miss Central Park! I need to get out there a few more times before.
The entire shoe buying team headed to Miami for SMOTA Shoe Trade Show last week, without me, unfortunately. On the plus side it was the perfect time to be independent and hold myself accountable for office tasks I was given throughout the week. I was given My buyer set me up to shadow with buyers from other departments too. On Monday and Wednesday I worked with the womens lingerie and socks buyers.On Tuesday and Thursday I was with the newborn and kids pajama buyer. The two worlds were so different than going out and buying shoes. My experience with the clothing aspects were quite similar. Over the course of the four days I went to a womens sock vendor, a little girls panties/bras vendor, and two newborn onesies vendors. Little kids clothing is just so cute and colorful. It was cool to notice similar trend patterns between the clothing and shoes for kids. I also got to share my opinion during appointments about some of the shoe trends we are noticing (sorry folks the trends are classified information be on the lookout for fall in stores).
Friday was a new experience altogether. My team did not come to work that day since their delayed flight did not make it back until the wee hours of the morning and I do not blame them for not coming in. My buyer gave me the task of doing shoe markdowns. I felt so empowered given this responsibility to perform all by myself. 2.5 hours and over 250 markdowns later it was finished and I was off to my lunchbreak. I frequent this self serve place called Cafe Bistro on 34th because they have so many types of foods to choose from. And for a flat rate of 6.99 a lb you can get as much or as little food in a container as you want. Their vast selection of fresh fruits and salads is what I crave. They also have tons of drink options including about 5 different brands of ginger ale, my go to soda when i drink it!
My afternoon task: go out into the city and go window shopping at some of our competitors. I felt like my buyer had placed alot of trust in me to send me out solo for this task. The afternoon was awfully hot as I walked the streets of Manhattan. Luckily Starbucks was having a special, 1/2 price Refreshers from 3-5pm. Since there are over 70 Starbucks in the city I had no trouble finding out and quenching my thirst. I made my rounds in Burlington Coat Factory, Aldo Shoes, Steven Madden, and GEOX before calling it a day. My next task was to use my notes and pictures to create a small presentation for my buyer. I will let you know how that goes when we discuss it on Wednesday.
Everyday I am learning something new about the job or the city in general. Well overall as the weeks go by in my internship and I get more accumulated, I am loving being an intern for Ross more and more. Until next time. Peace!
Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
Proverb 3: 13-14
The entire shoe buying team headed to Miami for SMOTA Shoe Trade Show last week, without me, unfortunately. On the plus side it was the perfect time to be independent and hold myself accountable for office tasks I was given throughout the week. I was given My buyer set me up to shadow with buyers from other departments too. On Monday and Wednesday I worked with the womens lingerie and socks buyers.On Tuesday and Thursday I was with the newborn and kids pajama buyer. The two worlds were so different than going out and buying shoes. My experience with the clothing aspects were quite similar. Over the course of the four days I went to a womens sock vendor, a little girls panties/bras vendor, and two newborn onesies vendors. Little kids clothing is just so cute and colorful. It was cool to notice similar trend patterns between the clothing and shoes for kids. I also got to share my opinion during appointments about some of the shoe trends we are noticing (sorry folks the trends are classified information be on the lookout for fall in stores).
Friday was a new experience altogether. My team did not come to work that day since their delayed flight did not make it back until the wee hours of the morning and I do not blame them for not coming in. My buyer gave me the task of doing shoe markdowns. I felt so empowered given this responsibility to perform all by myself. 2.5 hours and over 250 markdowns later it was finished and I was off to my lunchbreak. I frequent this self serve place called Cafe Bistro on 34th because they have so many types of foods to choose from. And for a flat rate of 6.99 a lb you can get as much or as little food in a container as you want. Their vast selection of fresh fruits and salads is what I crave. They also have tons of drink options including about 5 different brands of ginger ale, my go to soda when i drink it!
My afternoon task: go out into the city and go window shopping at some of our competitors. I felt like my buyer had placed alot of trust in me to send me out solo for this task. The afternoon was awfully hot as I walked the streets of Manhattan. Luckily Starbucks was having a special, 1/2 price Refreshers from 3-5pm. Since there are over 70 Starbucks in the city I had no trouble finding out and quenching my thirst. I made my rounds in Burlington Coat Factory, Aldo Shoes, Steven Madden, and GEOX before calling it a day. My next task was to use my notes and pictures to create a small presentation for my buyer. I will let you know how that goes when we discuss it on Wednesday.
Everyday I am learning something new about the job or the city in general. Well overall as the weeks go by in my internship and I get more accumulated, I am loving being an intern for Ross more and more. Until next time. Peace!
Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
Proverb 3: 13-14
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