I found my internship through a third-party employment agency, referred to me by a friend at the time of my search. I had attended internship fairs, networked during professional and personal events, looked at on school listings and yet, failed to find an internship within a company that would meet all of the objectives I had in mind. During my interview with the employment agency, I expressed my professional and personal goals to be as listed below:
- An operational or marketing role within the retail fashion, live entertainment, or media industry.
- For a company that invests in employee development, whether that would be via courses, training seminars, mentorship programs, or the latter that would expand on my current set of technical and analytical skills.
- Exchange honest and valuable feedback that then supported by upper management.
- A company whose values align with my own. Corporate social responsibility and sustainable practices are driven into their corporate culture either via corporate volunteerism, donations, programs, etc., not only in domestic areas but international alike i.e. communities of operation. More than an academic requirement, it is important for me to feel fulfilled with my employment and feel like I am being of service, giving me a sense of pride encouraging me to be my best self.
- An organizational culture that is inclusive and interns feel inclusive.
- As a graduate student work-life balance and scheduling flexibility is important.
- Temp-to-permanent internship. A company that would offer an employment opportunity based upon performance during internship.
Consequent to this discussion; I was offered a 3-month internship assignment for a group retailer Company C, as a Staffing Coordinator for two of their banners, referred to throughout this report as A1 and A2. I accepted this role for several reasons: one being the exposure into the operational side of retail would provide me further insight to the operational sector of organizational business management where I lack experience. Another reason being, this role demands collaboration with different departments and would further develop my collaborative and communication skills. Lastly, Company C’s strong brand portfolio will be a great stepping-stone for my career in management.
My internship turned out to be overall satisfactory on professional level and not very on a personal note. The objectives that were accomplished I will discuss in the role & analysis section of the report so I will take this time to explain the ones missed.
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I find constructive criticism to be one of the most vital components for my professional development, as it is important for me to identify opportunities of growth and react proactively. However, due to my internship status, I am not eligible to receive goals and objectives for the quarterly report; and thus, I was not given the tools to be able to interact during team meetings discussing ones personal process to achieving these goals. In order to make up for this matter, I took the liberty to ask my supervisor for feedback on the work that I had completed thus far which unfortunately, took me months to gain the courage and confidence to ask for this feedback.
The first personal objective to me is the most important one and Company C’s social responsibility towards communities in which they serve and ensuring the satisfaction and engagement of employees. At the commencement of my assignment, North America was hit a number of hurricane storms through the gulf coast, and Caribbean, a few of those storms were record breaking. On the company’s internal website and throughout the offices there were donation destinations for the relief and rebuilding for those affected by one storm in particular Hurricane Harvey that affected Houston, Texas.
The most catastrophic storm to hit the North American in the 2017 Hurricane season was Maria, which mainly affected the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Being Puerto Rican myself, this event was very personal for me and thus, I looked forward to reparations and relief efforts provided to Puerto Rico by A1 and ultimately saw none outside of providing employees with the option for employees to transfer to another U.S. store and guaranteed priority upon reopening of their 10,000 square-foot-store in San Juan, Puerto Rico in which they’ve provided no date for.
Furthermore, A1 is currently undergoing a lawsuit filed alleging the luxury retailer of stalling reparations and providing a timeline for the reopening of their store, after suffering major damages from Hurricane Maria. The effects of this are multifold; not only are associates displaced and unemployed, the mall and other tenants will see a decline in sales, as they are somewhat dependent on the foot traffic that A1 generates. Moreover, “‘stores that stay closed for extended periods of time could hurt customers’ overall impression of the property and trigger co tenancy clauses allowing other tenants to ask for rent relief if anchor stores remain closed for too long.” There are employees in all levels that are or are close to someone affected by other storms outside of Hurricane Harvey, there was more to be a part of in respect to Hurricane Maria and for the Puerto Rican people.
Lastly, though Company C is a large sized corporation, the organizational structure is set up so that someone with my internship employment status is on the outskirts of what is happening (as I am not enlisted in company-wide communications). Moreover, I am not able to participate in the ‘My Voice’ survey where the concerns, thoughts, and feelings of the employees are accounted for. I have felt voiceless during my assignment and as though the chances to land a permanent job within the company after the internship are miniscule.
