Wrapping up

Just a few days ago, I finished up my summer internship at the KDC/One Innovation Lab. To say my experience has been great would be an understatement. Through the ups and downs, I have learned more about myself and office culture than I could have imagined. It has been a rewarding exercise to look back on my Personal Plan Paper and see how I have accomplished the goals I made for myself earlier in the year.

In my Personal Plan Paper, Personal Contributions Paper, and Learning Contract, I noted several goals I had made for myself for this summer internship experience. When writing the papers before my internship began, the goal at the forefront of my mind was to learn about trend research and to become a more efficient and effective researcher. Luckily, a large portion of my assignments required me to do in-depth research on a certain market. Whether this market was focused on a certain product or an entire country, I had to research market trends using tools the company provided me with. I had access to high-profile trend and industry news sites such as WWD, WGSN, and Euromonitor. With these websites, I could do a deep dive into a specific market, taking my search as narrow as necessary. In my role, predicting trends was unnecessary, as the services already predicted them for me. However, I further developed my critical thinking and problem-solving skill to create decks with insights and suggestions on where the white space is and how to move into said white space. I realized that when everyone is reading the same information from a few websites, the companies that are successful read between the lines to offer less than obvious, and sometimes wild suggestions.

Not only did I learn how to analyze data, but how to research with purpose, only pulling information that would be vital to the project and client. I know I will be able to use this skill at any company and in any industry. It is very valuable to have access to expensive services, and to know how to effectively use these services is just as important. I found myself really enjoying the process of conducting market and trend research. I especially liked using what I found to make inferences, predictions, and suggestions for our clients.

Another goal I accomplished was improving my Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills. I had to use these services on a daily basis, whether it was for creating market and business development decks, inventory spreadsheets, or formatting material for the tradeshow. Being someone who is more analytical and practical than artistic and creative, it took me several tries and meetings with my supervisor to get an understanding of how to make a presentation not only offer good information, but also make sense visually. I learned how to look past what I initially think is okay, and stretch my capability to make something great. With a boss who had a very particular taste, I was sure to be extremely careful when creating a file and made sure everything looked perfect and up to her standards. Not only did these assignments improve my Microsoft Office skills, but they taught me to be thorough and careful with my work. I now understand the value of the material that is for the customer’s purpose. In addition, I understand how to work in order to meet my superior’s standards. Each person likes different things and has different ways of working. By regularly creating presentations and other files for my boss, I was able to learn how to adapt my work style to match hers.

Although I did not discuss these in my previous papers, the most valuable lessons I learned while at the Innovation Lab were more personal. First, I learned the importance of having a strong network. At the conclusion of my internship, I can confidently say that my network has grown by 30 people. Even more so, I left with 4 people I consider to be mentors. The greatest benefit I received from working in a small office was being able to work alongside people in various departments. Despite being a marketing intern, I reported to the Director of Business Development, worked with the other marketing employees, the product development employees, and the chemists. Not only was I able to get to know people from such different backgrounds, but learn about what goes into their day-to-day lives at work. I was able to sit in on raw material vendor meetings and watch physical products come to life. I had the opportunity to see the VP and Director of Product Development ideate products and then work alongside chemists to develop it to perfection. What I found to be the most interesting was the customer meetings, where we were able to meet with brands, share our story and hear theirs, and then help them create their ideal product line. Being able to work with so many intelligent people showed me the importance of getting to know their career path, listening to what they have to tell me, and keeping them in my life. In any industry, but especially a small industry like beauty, who you know is everything. I knew I was successful at making these connections when several colleagues offered to write me recommendations, connect me with anyone who seemed interesting, and prep me for future interviews. I will be sure not to lose any of these connections.

Lastly, I learned to be an advocate for myself. As an intern, you are at the bottom of the totem pole. Employees have bigger things to worry about than your satisfaction and are not always thinking of including you in meetings or other learning opportunities. I recognized this early on and was determined to make the most out of my experience. From the get-go, I expressed my interest in learning about business development and explicitly said that I’ve found I learn best when I observe interactions first hand. I made it clear that I hoped to sit in and take notes in meetings and preferred doing more work than less. By expressing my desires and expectations for the internship, I was able to get the most out of the experience. My boss would give me full responsibility on creating decks, and let me sit in on client meetings. Through advocating for myself, I gained the trust and respect of my superiors and made them feel comfortable giving me work to do.

I credit a large part of my success this summer to my Leadership Studies education. My leadership courses, specifically Critical Thinking and Theories and Models, made me an analytical problem solver, capable of viewing a certain problem from a wider perspective. My office had just opened a year ago and it was clear that kinks were still being worked out. Especially during the hectic time before the tradeshow, inefficiencies, ineffective leadership practices, and operational issues became apparent. I was able to use the skills learned in these classes to provide reasons why issues may have occurred. For instance, the Social Identity Theory became relevant during my summer experience. Many of the people in my office had just begun work a few weeks prior to my start date. Therefore, everyone was just beginning to get acclimated to the office culture. Because everyone was so new, there was not a very strong feeling of connectedness to the group identity. Everyone came from different backgrounds and in the beginning, efforts were not made to bring everyone closer. However, as the weeks went on the office leaders held team bonding events and weekly office catchups. I found that this allowed employees to grow closer to one another and the organization itself. This most clearly showed when we had to stay late. On these tiring nights, the team would come together to help each other out. If someone had an urgent assignment, coworkers would be more than willing to assist. In addition, when the Vice President would be angry at one person, it seemed as though the team struggled together. The team mentality was palpable. I think through the tough times and transitions, the group identity was greatly strengthened.

My internship at the KDC/One Innovation Lab was the first time I really felt myself apply what I learned in Jepson to real-life scenarios. Navigating a new office and a new industry is overwhelming and exciting. It can also be difficult to find your place in an office that is still trying to find its own place in the industry. However, I found that being able to look at my different experiences through the lens of my Leadership education was very helpful in understanding my current situation. Not only did my Leadership classes help me problem solve and think critically about the office culture, but also be the most insightful, efficient, and effective intern I could be.