A Day in the Life of a Kohl’s Intern

Take a look at what it’s like to intern at one of the largest retailers in the nation

Forrest on his first day as an intern at Kohl’s

Meet Forrest, Kohl’s Communications Intern
Kohl’s internship program is about more than giving college students work experience for the summer — we hire many of our interns back for full-time roles after they graduate. It’s an essential way that Kohl’s builds Winning Teams and hires future thinkers and leaders.

Forrest, our communications intern, is one of 400 students interning at Kohl’s this summer from 75 different universities across the country. As a senior at University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Advertising, Business and Entrepreneurship, Forrest will get real-world experience and build meaningful professional relationships during the 10 weeks he spends at Kohl’s.

We’ll check in with him throughout the course of his internship to hear a first-hand perspective on what it’s like to be a #KohlsIntern. Keep reading to hear about his first two weeks at Kohl’s.

Not the Typical Internship
When people hear the word “Kohl’s,” they may think about the amazing deals their moms always rave about, the volunteering by associates in their communities or the incredible summer internship program for college students. I have now experienced all three.

When I first interviewed with Kohl’s, I knew right away how unique the internship would be. The candidates are brought to headquarters for interviews and introduced to some prominent people. Through my two rounds of interviews, I spoke with seven different associates, some of whom were at the vice president and manager level. A few weeks later, I received my offer. Woohoo!

My first day as an intern was a little exhilarating. With my alarm set earlier than it has been in a while, I sprang from my bed like a kid on Christmas. Kohl’s provides housing for the interns at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Cambridge Commons in downtown Milwaukee. They also provide three coach buses to pick us up at 7 a.m. to take us to work. Once I arrived on that first day, the interns were gathered into the Kohl’s Innovation Center, where we heard from a plethora of Kohl’s associates (including Ryan Festerling, executive vice president of Human Resources) about the opportunities we would experience over the summer. The message was clear: This wouldn’t be the typical internship where interns are saddled up with grunt work. Kohl’s would challenge us to work hard, be creative and show up each day with a winning attitude. 

Ryan Festerling, Kohl's Executive Vice President-Human Resources, at Intern orientation

After orientation, I headed over to the main corporate headquarters building. I must admit, I was a little dazed from the sheer size of Kohl’s campus (and the fajitas they fed us at lunch). The headquarters looks like something out of the movie “Men in Black,” but with more colors and smiling people. To get in the building, I had to scan my personalized key card. Boy did I feel important. Once at my cubicle, I set myself up with all supplies I’d need and then headed over for my first meet and greet with my manager, Erin. She’s superb. The welcome I received from her and the rest of the Internal Communications team was the verbal equivalent of a warm hug. After introductions, we got down to business. In that first week, I received personal assignments, collaborated on larger projects and even volunteered with those on my team. 

Volunteering in the community with the Internal Communications team

Outside of work, I make the most of living downtown by exploring Milwaukee with my newfound intern friends. We frequent Bradford Beach, hit up Pizza Man for Wednesday pizza deals and hangout in the dormitory courtyard. Kohl’s also provides plenty of opportunities to network with the other interns, like luncheons and Brewers games. With two weeks under my belt, I’m excited to see what the remainder of the summer has in store. 

Kohl’s sent the interns to a Brewers game at Miller Park