Pros
All employees, in all teams were wonderful to work with and the Wholesale management team gave me a lot of responsibility and jobs that I felt really mattered. When I asked a question or for support, most employees took the time to explain everything to me and didn't get irritated when I didn't fully understand first time. As I got to know people more and got used to the working environment, I found it got progressively easier. My internship with J. Mendel taught me how to operate in a pressurized team and that things aren’t always as they seem – always check your facts before making any judgments. I met some truly amazing people who could affect – with just the way that they worked, the way everyone around them worked in a positive way.
Cons
Although I was given a lot of responsibility, sometimes certain people found it difficult to accept me as part of the team and not 'just' an intern. Thankfully the vast majority of people weren't like that and I felt good about working for them! During my time at J. Mendel, the wholesale team was under a lot of pressure and at times it manifested itself as aggression towards each other and on occasion towards the interns. Having said this, it taught me that, in this industry you should take nothing too personally. Friends of mine were compensated for working at fashion companies in New York, for lunch or travel, which wasn’t the case at J. Mendel, but I wouldn’t swap any of that for the experience I was given.