This April I was accepted into the Kohl’s Sophomore Career Expo to participate in a convention at Kohl’s Corporate in Wisconsin for the weekend. I was more than excited to explore the campus, learn more about positions at the company, and meet with everyone, however due to COVID-19 the program was moved to online. Kohl’s has been very helpful with the transition, and the company was able to set participants up with a mentor who works in a field they’re interested in. My mentor is Amanda, who has worked with Kohl’s for five years and is currently working with the Brand Strategy and Positioning team. I’m so thankful for how helpful she’s been and while getting to know her better I was able to ask a few questions about the journey to her current position.
- Briefly explain the path you took to get to where you are in your position. – When I first applied into the business school at the university I attended, I wasn’t quite sure which route within the business world I wanted to take. The more I learned about the impacts of marketing strategy and truly understanding your customer target, the more interested I became in a career in Marketing. I tried a few different routes through the consulting world and then through retail, which ultimately led me to my internship at Kohl’s in a marketing strategy role with an offer to come back full time the following year. I have been at Kohl’s since I graduated in 2015 and held various marketing roles, with my most recent role being on our Brand Strategy and Positioning team.
- Were there any classes or experiences in college that helped you prepare for the job field? – One of my college classes involved a semester-long project where a team of students and I consulted for a non-profit in the area. We really had to start with square 1 to understand the company, it’s customers, it’s issues and goals, then create a plan for how the company could accelerate growth for the future. It was a great way to practice collaborating with peers on a common goal as well as use data and insights to create a strategy to grow the company, which is at a very high level the basis of my current job.
- What was the hardest/easiest adjustment when starting at a large company like Kohl’s? – Kohl’s is a big company, but having time to adjust to that as an intern made it much easier for the full time transition. Working in such a big company has provided me with opportunities to change jobs internally to grow in my career but still remain in the comforts of the same company. There are definitely difficulties that come with a big company, but I feel the benefits outweigh the disadvantages when starting your career right out of college.
- What were the deciding factors that led you to choose Kohl’s as the company you wanted to work for? – The Kohl’s corporate office is in my hometown so that was definitely a consideration for me, but after just 10 weeks as an intern at Kohl’s I saw how much the company valued each associate and their development. I don’t think this is something you get at all billion dollar companies, and I feel fortunate to work in an environment that supports families, work-life balance, and all associates at every level of the company.
- What’s the best piece of advice you received in college before entering into the job search? – One of the best pieces of advice I heard in college while I was hunting for jobs is that “it’s ok not to know exactly what you want to do as a career.” Some of my college friends had such clear career paths: attend medical school then become a doctor, take my CPA exam and become an accountant at a Big 4 firm, etc. I felt like I needed to decide exactly what I wanted to do within marketing for the rest of my life and what company I wanted to work at forever. I’ve learned after switching jobs at Kohl’s numerous times within just 5 years that the most important thing is to start your career at a company that shares your values because in whatever role you take, you want to feel good about where you work and their mission.