Hello again! So much has happened since last time. I have been busy completing projects at Clorox and preparing everything for Fudan's Fall Exchange. I just found out that there are 52 exchange students going to Shanghai in the Fall quarter. They have already started to speak with each other. It is definitely getting exciting. I really encourage everyone to take the opportunity to do an exchange program. After all, when else will you ever be able to pick up and learn in a different country for a few months? Learning through experience can be so different from anything you read from books.

As for Clorox, the trainings have died down a bit. I have had some time to focus on the projects I have at hand. One involves high-level strategies and is very interesting. I have also been managing a project that touches on many brands, and has a lot of different pieces to explore and implement. Unfortunately I can't go into too much detail here, but if anyone is interested, I can definitely talk to you about what I can disclose. Yesterday there was a "Townhall Meeting" for the entire Marketing department. There, I was able to learn about the department's progress and delve into certain segments in detail. There were also a series of nominations and awards given. It is really great to see so many successful individuals be awarded. I'm even thinking about connecting with one to ask about the project she worked on. Today I had a meeting with my manager to go through my interim progress as an intern. He gave me feedback from him as well as everyone I've worked with. It was very helpful to know that the company focuses so much on your personal development and ensuring that their employees are happy.

Overall, I've had or made at least 20 meetings with people to learn about their roles. It has definitely been interesting to learn about everyone's functions and how they connect with one another. Many have given me suggestions on school, career path, and learning materials. It is also interesting to see different ideas that resurface when conversing in areas that seem unrelated. I am talking with someone next week that has offered to meet when I am in Shanghai. I will definitely take up that offer, and also see if I can connect with someone who works for Clorox packaging there.

It's definitely been a busy Summer, but very rewarding as well. I will continue to try and update everyone again soon!

So much has happened since the last time I posted! I'm definitely up and running with workload, and it's a happy medium between learning new things on the job, as well as from trainings and meeting new people. Clorox definitely treats their interns really well. We have had a series of trainings on different topics already. For one of the trainings we learned about retailers, and went on a field trip to Target, Safeway, and Walmart to look at various pricing, store layout, and placement differences. Just last week, we went to the Research and Development facility and learned a lot about different brands and how they are created. We also learned about packaging, transportation, and consumer testing. It was definitely interesting to see all the details that are put into so many different areas of a product. There are so many things you would not even think of before. For instance, because they have to worry about the transportability of products, there are simulations where you can see how a package will hold up on different terrain with different transportation methods. We even got to climb on top of it to see what it feels like to be a package, which was pretty fun. Afterward, there was a lunch held with all of the interns, so we got to talk and meet with a lot of the people in the facility. In a couple weeks, all the interns are going to a Giants game, so that is something that we are all looking forward to. In the meantime, I've been meeting a lot of great people through networking. It has also been great that I am working with people from a lot of different brands, so I get a perspective into each.

I've been meaning to put up a post about any suggestions I have about internship searching for those of you who will do it in the coming year, so stay tuned for that one! I'll keep everyone updated on the happenings at Clorox as well. It definitely has been no less than amazing so far!

First Two Weeks

A few days after finals and I began my internship at Clorox on the Digital Marketing and E-Commerce team. The unique thing about this position is that instead of working on a specific brand, I get to focus on web marketing in general on all of the Clorox brands. I've already started a few projects, and was able to meet with many individuals who work in different functions at the company.

A really good thing about Clorox is that they take care of their employees and interns. There is a buddy system where each intern is assigned to a full-time employee. This "buddy" answers any questions you have in general. I met mine and was able to learn about her job and get a few contacts for people in areas I was interested in. I have also met the other marketing interns during a number of marketing training programs that Clorox has scheduled throughout the internship. I have also already gone to a few company-sponsored events. These include a workshop to teach you how to be finance-savvy, a pride event for Pride Week, and a company safety event. Through these events, I have met a lot of people. They come from different departments including design, search engine optimization, and quality management. I have also been reaching out to these people to learn about their jobs at Clorox to learn about the company.

A strong suggestion I would have during any internship is to talk to as many people as possible. Even if they do not seem like they are of a department you are interested in, you never know what they can teach you. Always keep an open mind and you will be able to create a great network. You will also meet a lot of great people in the process.

I am really excited about the next weeks of my internship, and will keep you posted about how things are going!