How and why you secured the internship

In August of 2018, I interned at the Apparel Group. I had secured the internship through my school and one of the main reasons I applied for this internship was so that I could figure out what I wanted to pursue as a career and whether or not the retail industry was for me.

Firm Overview: Brief information on the Firm

The Apparel Group is a retail company that consists of 75+ different brands and 1750+ stores which vary from fashion to footwear to accessories. It was established almost 2 decades ago by Nilesh Ved and is currently one of the biggest retail companies in the UAE.

What you did:

As an intern, we were expected to be present for various training workshops. We learnt about the retail industry and how various factors play an important role in the smooth functioning of a company like Apparel. We also learnt about designing and how different brands in Apparel promote different types of styles. We learnt about the marketing, advertising and public relations aspect of the company and how even though these sectors of the company are at the back-end, they play such an important role in holding the company in place. We also learnt about different terminologies such as conversion rate, sales per square feet, etc.

Did it meet your expectations and has it affected your career goals?

The entire experience reached my expectations and even went about it. The internship really helped pave my career path as I really didn’t know what I wanted to pursue but after working at Apparel for a month, I have an idea of what I want to pursue in college and at a later stage, a career.

How has it impacted your professional and personal development?

The entire experience has really impacted my professional and personal development as it has made me a more responsible person and has really helped me stick to deadlines and due dates. I would definitely recommend this internship to my juniors and to my family/friends. I personally think I benefitted a lot from this internship and will remember the lessons I learnt in the one month I worked with Apparel for the rest of my life.