WILLIAMS-SONOMA, INC.

Summer Internship Program

2016

Our Company

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a multi-channel specialty retailer of home furnishings and gourmet cookware prided for “enhancing the quality of life at home.” We offer high-quality, stylish products for every room in the house – from the kitchen to the living room, bedroom, home office, and even the hall closet. Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, West Elm, Mark & Graham, and Rejuvenation are the strong, growing brands that allow us to reach a diverse customer group throughout different stages of life. 

By embracing new technologies and customer-engagement strategies as they emerge, we are able to continually refine our best-in-class approach to multi-channel retailing in the three channels we operate: retail, catalog and e-Commerce. We proudly operate more than 600 stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia and the United Kingdom, and franchise our brands to third parties in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Our products are available to customers worldwide through catalogs as well as our e-Commerce sites, which today produce over 50% of our business.

 

Internship Program

The Williams-Sonoma, Inc. internship program provides 3rd year undergraduate students with the opportunity to demonstrate skills in business acumen, retail management, marketing, and design. In order to provide you with a truly comprehensive view of our company, we are offering an internship program to experience both the retail and corporate sides of our business. The internships available at corporate are in the following departments:

·         Merchandising

·         Inventory Management

·         Finance

·         e-Commerce

·         RETAIL OPERATIONS

·         Product Development & VISUAL

·         Internet creative

·         Marketing

·         public relations

·         human resources

 

Retail Portion

For one (1) week of your internship, we will place you in one of our Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, or Williams-Sonoma retail stores in the Bay Area. While in the stores, you will work with District and General Managers to learn how a retail store runs and operates, allowing you the opportunity to learn sales, customer service, payroll, live inventory, and how to manage a team. You will also have the chance to spend time directly with the customers, seeing firsthand the impact the retail stores have on the overall success of the business. Learning our retail business provides a strong foundation for the corporate portion of the internship.

 

Corporate Portion

For the remaining nine (9) weeks of your internship you will be working at our Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Corporate Headquarters in San Francisco. You will be placed in and matched with a department based on your interviews, interests, and skill set. These departments are Merchandising, Inventory Management, Sourcing, E-Commerce, Retail Operations, Creative Services, IT and Marketing. During these weeks, you will have the

opportunity to attend business critical meetings, assist on projects, and gain experience in cross-functional partnerships.

 

In addition to your daily tasks, you will participate in a group project. The group project will include other cross-functional interns and will require each intern to contribute their department knowledge and insights to deliver an overall business plan. You will also partake in weekly sessions with the other interns, participating in personal and professional trainings as well as attending meetings with the executive leaders of the company and brands.

 

Duration

The nine week program begins on Monday, June 13th and ends on Friday, August 19th.

 

Location

Week 1– Orientation at Corporate Headquarters, San Francisco, CA

& Retail stores within the Bay Area

Weeks 2-10 – Corporate Headquarters, San Francisco, CA

    

Qualifications & Skills

  • Junior in an accredited degree program
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • Strong analytical skills
  • Teamwork oriented
  • Ability to work independently under tight timelines
  • Ability to prioritize and multi-task
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and/or MAC OS (depending on the department)
    • Heavy emphasis on Excel for business related functions
  • Familiarity with the following programs for Creative and Design internships
    • InDesign
    • Photoshop
    • Illustrator
    • Adobe Social
  • Ability to work in the San Francisco area for the full ten week program
  • Passion for the home industry

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Please submit your resume as soon as possible to

 WSISummerInternship@wsgc.com

  • The interview process will be completed by the end of March so don’t wait to send in your resume!!