Since May, organizational communication studies major Skyler Chill has been interning with Kleinfeld Bridal – the bridal boutique that serves as the location for the popular TLC show, “Say Yes to the Dress”. Chill recently shared about the experience and how her communication studies courses are helping her succeed in NYC.
Q. What is an average day like in your internship?
A. An average day consists of a morning meeting with the entire staff where we go over sales goals, come-back appointments and any other important information. After the meeting, I am paired with a bridal consultant for the day. Being paired with a bridal consultant means I am helping them pull dresses for brides to try on, helping clip the dress so it fits properly, communicating with the bride and her family or guests to make them feel comfortable and confident, giving my opinion tastefully and being the right-hand man to the consultant to make the job a lot easier.
Q. What are you enjoying the most?
A. I am enjoying the amount of interaction I have with the brides. I love talking to them, asking where they are from, how they met their fiancé and how their fiancé proposed. I also love being around 1,700 dresses all day long. It’s a playground for me! To be able to find a dress that makes a bride feel comfortable, elegant and beautiful on her special day is a pretty amazing feeling. It gets very emotional for everyone when they connect with a dress. My internship is very hands-on, and I am so glad I am not running and getting coffee for people. I am right there on the floor doing what the professionals are doing. I love that aspect.
Q. What has been most challenging?
A. The most challenging part has definitely been being on my feet all day!! Running around and pulling dresses isn’t always easy! It gets very tiring, and the down time is extremely minimal. Of course, there is the occasional difficult bride, but for the most part, the hardest part is all physical work! I’m already walking everywhere in NYC, so being on my feet all day at work wears me out big time.
Q. How has your communication studies degree helped you with your internship responsibilities?
A. My communication studies career is the meat and potatoes of what I do every day. If the staff at Kleinfeld weren’t successful communicators, we would never make one sale. We have to tune into the bride’s feelings, thoughts, wishes and price range, all the while respecting her and getting her what she wants. Interpersonal communication, organizational communication and public communication are all areas I tap into every day. Communication studies has only furthered these skills, and has led to my success thus far at Kleinfeld.
Chill is chronicling her NYC experience on her blog which can be viewed at: http://skyscraper16.wix.com/yestotheinternship.