Internship Tips& More!

Long time no see! Its been awhile since I posted, and trying to find balance in life is a constant challenge for everyone. A lot has changed in these past couple of months since I've posted and I'm extremely excited to update this site with more content! With a different outlook on things and a clearer mind, I'm looking forward to diving right back into this.

This past summer, I did a complete 180 and changed up careers. I had the great opportunity to intern at Sephora in San Francisco, CA full-time as part of the Brand Education and Design team! Working alongside empowering and like minded individuals who continue to inspire me was a breathe of fresh air.

From recreating the Brand Education Portal for many of our brand partners to use, to successfully presenting to Directors, VPs, and the SVP of HR & EDU. and just familiarizing myself with Sephora and the culture as a whole, I've not only implemented their values into my professional life, but my personal one as well.

Through my experience, I was able grow exponentially, find my passions and work alongside great mentors that helped me every step of the way. Not to mention some free gratis!! All in all, what I learned is make the most out of your time and foster great relationships with others. Here are some more tips that I learned for making the most out of your internship!:

1.) Utilize Your Managers - Your managers are there to help and challenge you. I continued to learn more and more about the company talking with mine and building a great relationships with them can help you achieve your goals as well. I'm glad I was also in this position as I found a great love for brand education and being able to talk with my managers about their roles gave me better insight on what I would like to pursue in my career!

2.) Set Personal Goals - Coming into a new internship, I knew I wanted to accomplish more than what was given to me. Set up a personal goals list for yourself to make the most of your time there and grow! Keep yourself accountable and write down your list of goals, discuss them with your managers, and come up with your own action plans and deadlines!

3.) Build Relationships - A goal of mine was to get myself out there more and not be so shy, so I scheduled at least 5 networking session each week. Whether to grab lunch or coffee, I learned so much from those that I've networked with on a professional and personal basis, and gaining insight on how they got to where they are now continues to inspire and motived me. Also remember to send genuine thank you emails to those you've networked with after! Getting your work done is just as important as fostering relationships with others and can elevate your experience at the company as a whole.

4.) Stay Transparent & Organized - It's always important to update your managers on your work, set up weekly check ins and be prepared and timely. Stay relevant with your information and input your feedback and what needs to be worked on. Communication is key.

5.) Understand the Company - When working for any company, I truly believe that you should understand it as a whole first. Whether it's their mission, their product, and everything in general, having a clearer understanding can help you work toward not only the company's goals but yours as well. Here, you can find love for your company, and truly stand with their vision.

6.) Ask Questions and Feedback - Stay curious and open minded. I know it can be scary being a new intern, but utilize your fresh pair of eyes to bring up new important discussions that you may see! Everyone works differently so be specific as possible when working on projects and tasks, and if you're not sure how to get certain things done, ask!! You are here to learn and gain new skills, so utilize your time and ask as many (relevant!) questions as you can. Feedback is an important aspect to help you grow as well, so ask your team to critique your work or speech, and utilize their advice for future work.

I owe the biggest thank you to the Brand Education team at Sephora as they have all taught me so much, especially to my managers Euclyn and Heather. I am forever grateful and miss them so much!

Thank you for reading and hopefully you all can utilize these tips in your internship and find your passions in a company you love!

XO,

Rizzabel