Take a look at what it’s like to intern at Kohl’s, right from an intern himself.
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 is one of 400 students interning at Kohl’s this summer from 75 different universities across the country. During the 10 weeks he is here, he will get real-world experience and build meaningful relationships.
Forrest’s first two installments covered his first six weeks as a #KohlsIntern. Keep reading to see what he’s been up to since then.
Day in the Life - Part 1
Day in the Life – Part 2
Wrapping up
My final weeks as a Kohl’s intern are coming to a close. Since my last article, I’ve gotten a ton more experience owning projects and enjoying the outcomes from my efforts. I now feel comfortable enough to try things on my own, utilize my resources and learn from my mistakes when they occur. That aspect of the internship is perhaps what I admire most; my team supports me when I need it, but gives me the independence to learn and succeed on my own. This was one of the central themes of my final presentation, which I gave to the entire Internal Communications team during the last two weeks of my internship.
One thing Kohl’s does an excellent job of is giving the interns complete insight to the inner workings of the company. My latest view of the business came from our tour of the photo studio, located down the road from the corporate headquarters where I work. All the interns had the opportunity to see where photo shoots for social media posts and advertising are created. This tour, along with all the other intern-exclusive experiences, helped me understand how all the facets of the business come together to create one team.
One of my favorite parts of the internship was a weekly speaker series held just for the interns featuring some of Kohl’s top executives, including Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s chairman, chief executive officer and president. Each week, the leaders would talk about their career paths, the lessons they learned and advice for young professionals. They even provided a Q&A session, allowing us to ask whatever questions we liked. The answers we received were honest and further reinforced Kohl’s commitment to our professional development.
Soon my ten weeks at Kohl’s will be over and I’ll be headed back to University of Wisconsin-Madison for my senior year. I must admit, coming into the internship, I wasn’t sure how much exposure to the company I’d see, how much real-world experience I’d have or if I’d make any professional connections. The internship proved all those doubts wrong; my work was impactful, I learned of the many different entities in the business and made relationships with a plethora of different associates, both within my department and in others. My time as a Kohl’s Intern has been incredibly enjoyable and eye-opening. Thank you to my coach, manager and the Internal Communications team for supporting my development this summer.
To learn more about Kohl’s internship program and how to apply, click here.