Management & Marketing with Meils!

Source: Google

Name: Amelia

Company: Clara Williams Company 

Position: Production Management and Marketing Intern

Paid or Unpaid: Paid

Living arrangements: None provided, lived at home 

Favorite at the desk snack: Chocolate coconut almonds from Trader Joe's

Coffee or tea? Lattes from the company Nespresso machine and milk frother! 

Not Amelia's desk, but her office.
Source: Amelia's iPhone

Summary of the company (in your own words): CWC is a high end jewelry company that both produces jewelry and runs the business in the same loft studio space in Lincoln Park, Chicago.  CWC jewelry retails in independent boutiques throughout America and does not have its own storefronts. Since CWC is a small business (~15 office people, ~10 metalsmiths), there is a lot of interaction between all of the departments and the CEO/owner/designer, Clara, works directly with each employee. 

Summary of your department (in real language): As an intern at a small company, I really bounced around and got a good understanding of each of the various "departments": sales, buying, marketing, production, and business management, including some of Clara's work. While I started in marketing, a small department run by just one woman, I soon found that I could be more helpful and productive working with the production management team. I oversaw the production of all CWC jewelry, the purchase of raw materials (gold, stones, etc.), and the process from purchase to sales of the jewelry. 

Give a summary about what your job entails: My job consists of a few big projects and lots of small tasks. The first big project I tackled was creating a "Welcome Kit" that outlined CWC business practices and guidelines for on boarding retailers. The next project I undertook was creating an organization system for raw materials (that hadn't been made into jewelry yet) in an effort to maximize efficiency for the semi-annual inventory by the Product Management women. Finally, I did an analysis of the jewelry production process and identified gold use as an area for improvement. I then created and implemented a system that increased accountability and records of the gold used by CWC metalsmiths. Other than these projects, I also helped out with shipping, preparing gift boxes, transferring products in the inventory system, taking inventory of both raw and finished goods, creating forms, organizing spaces in the office-- I really helped in every department whenever they had a big undertaking or needed an extra hand. 

Busy rating (out of 5, can give explanation): 4. At first, it felt a little slow to me, because I was still talking with Clara about what projects could best utilize my skills. At that point, there was a lot of busy work. However, once I switched my focus to product management, I found the job to be very busy and satisfying, and I almost always had meaningful work to do (or at least something to work on).

Interview difficulty rating: 3. I applied via email and then had two phone interviews (with Clara, the owner, and Nancy, the Business Manager). 

Involvement with the other interns: I was the only intern. However, I worked very closely with all of the other CWC employees. 

Office environment: Very open space with lots of natural light and bright colors. All of the employees got along really well and we all ate lunch together every day. Definitely a group that works hard but has a lot of fun together while doing so. 

Amelia's desk
Source: Amelia's iPhone

Type of workspace (Cube, table, office, etc): I had a desk with a desktop computer. I also worked in the metal smith "shop" (their space in the office), and went downtown to Jewelers Row in Chicago to purchase materials. 

What has been the most enjoyable part of your job thus far?: I have loved the analysis of the production process and being able to find ways to improve the system. Having the full support of everyone at CWC has helped me feel confident in my ability to make a lasting difference, and I have felt intellectually fulfilled doing that project. I also really enjoy the company atmosphere and the people I work with. 

What has been the most challenging part?: Asking for more work when I was getting bored. At first, I knew I needed more than just little mindless tasks, and asking for a bigger project was challenging but very rewarding. 

What did you do that had the most impact on the company?: The revamp of the Gold Usage/Accountability system and the reorganization of the raw materials. Both will stay in practice after I leave and I believe will minimize loss (of gold, precious/semi precious stones, and time) to the company. 

What did you do to prepare for the job?: I came in with no experience in the jewelry industry, but I easily picked up the information I needed to know. I think HOD 1100 [Small Group Behavior] actually was very valuable in preparation, and just having a critical and solutions-oriented frame of thinking. I also found that my writing and organization skills played into my role heavily. 

What do you expect to learn?: I expected to learn how a small business is operated and how all the different departments worked together to achieve their common goal. 

What did you learn?: I learned what I came in looking for, in a very complete and nuanced way. I also learned about entrepreneurship, the jewelry industry, how jewelry is made, how essential critical thinking is, the importance of taking risks and acting quickly in a business, and how to maintain a fun yet hardworking office environment. There is so much more that I learned, but a big takeaway for me was that I, as a college student with very little business experience, still have worthwhile opinions and perspectives that can be voiced and respected by those with a lot more education and experience than I have. This was a really satisfying aspect of working at CWC this summer.