Name: Jaeyeon Choi (Jane)

 

Country of origin: South Korea

 

Internship:

SMCP the parent organization to Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot

SMCP is a Leading global apparel and accessories brand in operation since 1984. The conglomerate is known for its Parisian chic across the world, combining the three brands as a group.

 

Division: Merchandising

 

Duties:

Jane works with the buying and merchandising team in planning product marketing and offerings for the brands’ freestanding shops across the U.S. The operation also includes SMCP partnerships such as the Barney’s New York shop-in-shop concept. Jane also works with the team to select specific product that is to be distributed based on regional sales statistics and popular selling SKUs that are stocked at specific locations.

 

Recent Tasks:

At SMCP, Jane was tasked with the operation of product placement by seasons. She was also introduced to “picture selling,” a formatted program that catalogues specific details from each garment, which is then filed in the database for the current season archive.

 

Key learning points:

At SMCP there was an emphasis on open communication. Jane learned the importance of networking and collaboration. She developed relationships within her team and amongst other divisions within the company. While in pursuit of increasing her knowledge of the 

internal operations, Jane advanced in reading and understanding charted data of various buying habits from reported consumer trends and styles.

 

Accuracy was a highly valued core competency. Her knowledge of Microsoft Excel was important for her day-to-day tasks.

 

Obstacles:

Jane was faced with initial insecurity of having to work in a fast-paced, English speaking company, worried that she would not be able to express her ideas fluently. The attempt to fluidly translate her ideas in depth forced her to practice the language rapidly within her trusted circles outside of work.

 

 

Another obstacle Jane faced was office culture. In her native country Korea, there is a traditional ever-present vertical hierarchy. Top leveled managers are rarely seen in discussion with lower leveled employees. In the U.S directors would be seen socializing with all leveled associates, ie: interns, and mailroom associates etc.

 

Current work in Progress:

Jane was the recipient of the 2018 Departmental Honors and has been given the chance to present her systems/sustainability concept in Milan for the ISKOOL Marketing award. The award is sponsored by ISKO, a world leading ingredient brand in denim manufacturing known for its progressive innovative textile concepts.

 

Future:

Jane is contemplating applying directly to an MA program at Parsons. Her goal is to study the increasing online behavior of the modern-day consumer with the aim of understanding their purchasing journey.

 

Parting notes for potential International students:

“As an international student in marketing you have to express yourself and your ideas. To overcome personal fear of the language barrier, always practice public speaking amongst colleagues and friends. In time, you will become comfortable with your delivery. You must be self-motivated and willing to aggressively take chances, and it will result in changing your career for the best. Participation creates confidence.”