Human Resources: Arguably the BEST department at Vera Bradley

Today is my next-to-last day at Vera Bradley, and I am definitely not ready to leave. This is for several reasons, but mainly, I just love the people that I work with in HR entirely too much. Since we have four buildings in Fort Wayne, and everyone in HR works in different buildings, I don’t get to see everyone every day, or even every week, but I have enjoyed every minute that I have had with each of them. Here are just a few of my favorite memories of my amazing summer here in HR ...

Celebrating

On Jill’s (one of the Recruiting Specialists) birthday, we decided to celebrate by decorating her desk … and the area above and around it. She was actually on vacation at the time, so the decorations were our response to not being able to party with her on her big day. She came back the following week to this beautiful and very festive scene ...

Jill’s desk – all ready for her birthday....

Traveling

Only about a month into my internship, I had the opportunity to travel to a store opening – Vera Bradley at Beachwood Place – in Cleveland, OH with Ryan and Amy, two of my co-workers at Production Road. Not only was this really exciting because it was my first “business trip,” I also really enjoyed getting to travel with Ryan and Amy as we explored northern Ohio for the day. I’m sure they enjoyed our trip as well; during the eight hours of driving I told them all about my family’s farm and my days of showing cattle, so they learned a lot!

Ryan, Amy and I enjoying the beautiful new store.

Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel with Amy, Ryan, and my mentor, Becky, to a recruiting fair in Indianapolis. This gave me the chance to see another side of the recruiting world, and it also allowed me to introduce the others to my favorite Indianapolis original cupcakes. It came just at the right time, because I was starting to have withdrawals from Indianapolis and Butler, my second home. We went to Patachou on the Park for brunch before the fair began (one of Amy, Ryan and I’s favorites), and we stopped for the famous Flying Cupcakes afterwards to reward ourselves for all of the recruiting that we did that day. It is safe to say that the day was a definite delicious success!

Our table at the recruiting fair complete with all things Happy Snails....

Gathering

One thing that I have learned about HR is that we love to get together for lunches, whether it is for someone’s birthday, to welcome someone to the team, or just because. So, in honor of my last few days at Vera Bradley, everyone met at Production Road for lunch today. It was so nice just to get to see and talk to most of the team again before I leave, and of course I loved having Jimmy John’s for lunch as well! (I now officially feel like a college student again!)

Everyone from HR that was able to come to my farewell lunch … I’ll miss them all!...

Being an intern in HR this summer has really opened my eyes to so many things that will be useful in my future. From understanding the ins and outs of the hiring process to seeing how this company functions on a daily basis, I really can’t wait to tackle my senior year and my next steps – finding a real job after graduation. Most of all, all of my fabulous co-workers in HR have shown me the importance of enjoying going to work every day, and they have made my summer internship more amazing than I ever could have imagined. Now that I think about it, do I really need to finish college, or can I just stay here forever?

I feel like a Sewing Superstar ...

Last week, the interns took a trip to Adams Center Road, our manufacturing facility, and we learned all about the manufacturing processes for our products. I have really enjoyed all our other intern programs so far, however, this one is my favorite one yet. This is because not only did we learn about things like lean manufacturing, 5S and product flow (my Operations Management professor would be so proud that I put my knowledge to use), we also had the opportunity to do some hands-on learning, by sewing our very own Coin Purse. I’m not the most experienced sewer (or experienced at all), but I still would like to think that I did a pretty decent job on my own coin purse…

Me, sewing the zipper onto the Coin Purse.

The finished product … a Riviera Blue Coin Purse.

Since we are not all experienced sewers, like my roommate Kelley (she was a fashion design major in school), this little project was rather challenging for most of us. We fortunately had someone with us to help us along every step of the way, because the process of completing each individual step is extremely detail-oriented, down to having parts measured to the 1/16th of an inch. Everyone tried their very best,, and in the end we had made 18 Coin Purses, some of which were high quality, and some that might not meet the quality standards that all of our products have to meet (don’t worry interns, I won’t call you out if this was you). Mine was pretty close to perfect, with only a few minor errors, so I’m sure that if I had the chance to do it again, I could make it absolutely flawless.

Alicia, one of the intern coordinators, also had the chance to make a Coin Purse!

A few of the male interns showing off their own sewing skills.

All of the interns with our Coin Purses.

Surfing the Web ... It's all in a day's work.

My main project for the summer is basically the dream of any soon-to-be job-seeking college student (like myself). I am working with Human Resources to research and develop a social media strategy for recruiting, observing what kind of cool new methods other companies are implementing. The best part of this job is that my research consists of looking at company websites, twitter accounts, LinkedIn profiles, facebook pages and YouTube accounts all day long. Lately, I’ve been too busy to keep up with my research, but now that our presentations are going to be here oh so soon (exactly two weeks from now) I have to make time so I can be fully prepared to explain what’s going on in the exciting world of recruitment.

Here is a little peek of what I’ve been working on …

twitter – Lots of companies are using their twitter feeds to publicize job openings in addition to sharing information about their culture or their employees, so I follow anyone and everyone from our main competitors to companies like Starbucks and Google. One thing I’ve learned: Recruiters love to tweet … all the time.

So many tweets, so little time ...

YouTube – Some companies are using YouTube to promote their company culture and the organization by posting videos of company events and employee profiles showcasing what they love about their jobs. (How cool is that?!)

Since I’m a marketing major, all of this research is showing me how many different ways social media can be used for one company. Also, I will begin looking for my first post-grad job rather soon, and I’m learning how to be as thorough as possible when preparing for an interview. Most people long for the time to invest in this kind of research, and I’m lucky enough to have it be my job!

I couldn’t end this post without a shameless plug for Vera’s company culture or our open jobs … so check out the official Vera Bradley blog, Inside Stitch, for some fabulous posts about life at Vera Bradley, and be sure to stop by our Careers page to see what openings we have at our home office and in our retail stores!

Happiness is Contagious at Vera Bradley

At Vera Bradley, there’s always something fun going on. This is, in large part, thanks to our Happy Committee, a group of people from across the different functional areas within the company who work together to plan activities that bring employees together. Since we span four different corporate buildings in Fort Wayne, the Happy Committee really does help add to our company culture, and exemplify several of our core values.

All of these events, several each month, are non-work related. A few weeks ago, we were surprised with ice cream sandwiches, followed by a drawing in each building for items from the new Fall collection. I have to admit, my favorite was definitely the ice cream. Not only were they my favorite ice cream sandwiches (Skinny Cow), but it also came right before Fourth of July weekend. Who doesn’t like to kick off a long weekend with a sweet treat?

Happy Committee member Amanda (pictured second from the left), with Human Resources’ Angela (pictured far left), Ryan and Jill.

Even though I did not attend the recent Happy Committee golf outing, four other interns did, and had a great time, despite winning the “Slowest Team” award. Held at the beginning of the summer, it was a great chance for them to meet more people. After they (finally) finished playing, the committee hosted a barbecue dinner with prizes, like Tote bags!

Michael, Kelley, Shelby and Taylor representing the interns at the golf outing.

Striking a pose.

Why I Love Being an Intern at Vera Bradley

Each week, the Vera Bradley interns have the opportunity to meet with and learn from representatives from the various areas of the company. While I’ve enjoyed all of the presentations, the last two have definitely been my favorites.

Last week, we had lunch with our Co-founders, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller, two of the most classy and driven ladies that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Even though we’ve all heard the Vera Bradley story countless times, we asked that they tell us their own account of it, since they were the ones building this company from the ground up. It’s clear they have been so successful because they are first and foremost friends. They began their company by hiring more friends and eventually ended up with this amazing company culture.

A few weeks ago we had my favorite presentation yet, at the Vera Bradley Store at Jefferson Pointe in Fort Wayne. I am a frequent visitor, so I loved having an excuse to be there during work hours. Not only was it interesting to hear about how they create the customer experience, but we also got to shop around when it was all done (talk about a great day at the office)!

All of the interns, the Assistant Store Manager Julie (pictured second from the right), and the Store Manager Debora (pictured far right).


Debora, explaining the visual merchandising aspects of the store.


We had the chance to ask questions, so I had her explain new product releases.


It was a great day at Jefferson Pointe for all of us (note the beautiful bags)!


As we were leaving, the Vera Bradley truck was arriving. I wonder what beautiful things are in there ...

Thinking back to all of the presentations we have had, I realize my summer at Vera Bradley is more than halfway over. We only have three weeks of these presentations left, and then we give our own presentations about our summer projects. The group we will be presenting to includes the entire Human Resources team, Barb and Pat, the Executive Team and all of the mentors. It’s going to be a full house! It feels so bittersweet to be thinking of going back to school already, because I’m definitely missing all of my friends at Butler, but I’m not ready to leave my internship yet. It’s been entirely too much fun!

The VB Intern Life

I'm quickly learning that Vera Bradley's Intern Program consists of much more than just providing future professionals the opportunity to work in various functional areas of the company. In addition to our work, we have each been delegated a summer project, which we review with our fellow interns when we meet periodically, and that we will give presentations about at the end of the summer.

To broaden our knowledge and enhance our presentations, representatives from each area come to teach us about their roles in the company's overall mission. By the end of the summer, we should have a deep understanding of how Vera Bradley functions as a whole. Two weeks ago, we heard from Jeff Blade, Vera Bradley's CFO (and a fellow Butler Bulldog), about the Initial Public Offering, and how that has impacted the company so far. Last week, we met Melissa Schenkel and Susan Doctor from Marketing, for a rundown on branding and the use of media outlets for promotion.

Almost all of the interns – and yes, we did separate ourselves into groups of boys and girls.

Every summer the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce also has a program called Live, Learn, and Intern. Designed to encourage young professionals to explore the city, this program gives people like me entertaining options in a place I don't know very well (since I'm not from the area). Best of all, it's free! So this week we went bowling at Indiana Tech, and as always, the Vera interns had a fabulous time.

Taking a break from the bowling action.

We also gathered for a casual, get-to-know-each-other dinner, which was definitely a success. We talked about work, our projects, our hometowns and, of course, the products we've been seeing that we'd love to have, and the previous weekend's events for the Foundation! Next up? There has been talk of a possible trip to Cedar Point, some TinCaps games and a lot of just hanging out at my apartment with my roommate (a fellow Vera intern). I'll be sure to share our adventures on Behind the Seams!

Dinner at Flat Top Grill.

A Very Vera First Day

On my first day at Vera Bradley, I went to our Industrial Road office to begin orientation. Not all of the interns started on the same day, so there were only about six or seven of us (there are 15 now). We learned about the internship program, the company and received a tour of the building. I then made the short drive over to the building in which I will be spending most of my time, the office on Production Road.

Production Road Office

When I walked in the front door, I completely fell in love. From the shelves of new and old products to the adorable seating area, everything around me was so "Vera". Production Road is actually Vera Bradley's original office, where all operations were once housed, including Product Development, Manufacturing, Distribution, and all Business Operations.

This just looks so inviting!

I love that I get to see this ... every day.

At Production, I was finally able to make it to the Human Resources area (affectionately known as the HR Cave). I met everyone on our team and started to get settled into my desk. As the day went on, I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't just a one day deal, but I really get to work at this amazing company all summer long.

My desk - Complete with photos of friends and family, and some Vera too!

Now, two weeks later, it is starting to truly sink in, and thankfully I don't feel like someone is going to tap me on the shoulder and tell me that it is time for me to leave. The next step will be finding the willpower to overcome my constant desire to buy every bag, accessory or cute stationery item I see. Wish me luck with this one ... I'll need it!

Last day... sigh...

Vera Bradley interns, summer 2010!

May 24, 2010 through August 13, 2010: my summer living the dream as a Vera Bradley intern. I honestly cannot believe it went by so fast--it seems like only yesterday I was walking through the doors at Industrial and staring with awe at the cubicles decked out in Vera Bradley stationary items.

Time really does fly when you are having fun!

Here's my "Internship by the Numbers":

• 2: the number of my awesome supervisors, Shannon and Sarah, who went above and beyond to make my internship amazing
• 4: the number of states I visited (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, and Ohio)
• 13: the number of my unofficial mentors in Direct Sales
• 17: the number of wonderful interns this summer
• 29: the number of comments my brother Andy left on the blog
  
• 853: the number of words in the article I wrote for the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer's website
• 2,305: the number of visitors to the blog on July 11th--my one-day record!!
• ###: the number of Cookie Cottage cookies consumed this summer (the actual number would be too embarrassing to share)
  

But my most important numbers just can't be quantified. I have made countless memories this summer--new friends, new experiences, and new take-aways to carry into my professional and personal life. This summer has exceeded my wildest expectations--I never would have guessed I'd be on a Vera Bradley email, or be able to chat with co-founders Pat and Barb! Without a doubt, I would HIGHLY recommend a Vera Bradley internship. Amazing company, adorable bags, and awesome team? Sign me up all over again!

Just a few members of the talented Direct Sales team.

I am incredibly sad to have to leave (how important is year 4 of college anyway?), but I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here and to work for one of my favorite companies.

Shout-outs:

• The wonderful people at Vera Bradley--I will never stop talking about my wonderful summer here!
  
• Shannon, Sarah, and Emily--to quote Sarah, you guys are "jammin' like salmon"!
• Web team--we'll definitely be keeping in touch (in tweets--140 characters or less)
• Lovely blog fans and readers--I will definitely miss sharing my adventures, but stay up to date with more Vera Bradley news on Facebook, Twitter, and emails. I have loved reading your comments and you have made this blog very special!

Keep an eye out on the Vera Bradley Careers page. Around February, the summer 2011 internships will be posted... I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Big day at Vera Bradley!

Today is a pretty big day here at Industrial Road. Why?

1. It is Web Operations Manager Jason's birthday! His desk turned into a party saloon--complete with cowboy boot confetti and saloon doors! The web team was decked out in western wear (bandanas, cowboy hats, and sheriff badges)... although I think I was the only one that wore it all day...?

Jason, birthday boy and sheriff of the web team.

2. It is the day of the intern presentations! On day one, we were told about our final intern presentations that recap our summer and share what we have been working on. Then we found out that co-founders Barb and Pat, the executive team, the supervisors, and all of the interns will be present... and it was attack of the nerve butterflies!

We spent the morning listening to the presentations. It was very interesting finding out what everyone else has been working on, and how much they enjoyed their summers.

Funny extras: Finance boys modeling their favorite bags, a Sales and Operations version of "The Brady Bunch" theme song, and Product Development skit about a new system.

I decided to present my summer in a blog format. Nissa, a web designer, created another blog just like this one and I posted pictures and captions to act as notes and visuals. I was very, very nervous--but survived! I definitely couldn't have done it without Sarah and Emily's happy faces in the audience and Shannon's scrolling during my presentation.

The web team boys came to watch and then tweeted this Twitpic of me presenting! (Between the blog and Twitter, I seem to be all over the web!)

Blast for the past--Vera Bradley-style!

Years and years of Vera Bradley goodness :)

I haven't spent much time at the Production Road office, but every time I go, I like to check out the "Shelves of Fame" corner of the lobby. It is a serious blast from the past--the Handbag in every Vera Bradley pattern! It is amazing to see the changes in design direction since the beginning. It seems everything has gotten brighter and bolder!

Vera Bradley has definitely gotten a makeover since the early days!

Bermuda Blue (my first color) and its mate, Bermuda Pink.

Favorite: Chanticleer (the chicken and the egg!)

Oh how I wish this was still in production--Zebra!

It can be pretty heartbreaking to see your favorite color retire, but now you know it will always be on display at a Vera Bradley HQ! To see the colors a bit more close-up, visit the Vera Bradley classic colors section on the site.

A VIP birthday!

Private event for Vera's Birthday VIPs!

Last night I was part of a very special group of people to celebrate Vera's birthday---Kenwood's top customers. The VIPs were invited to celebrate Vera's 101st birthday with extra surprises like four amazing enter-to-win prizes. In addition to delicious birthday treats like mini cupcakes and "Very Berry Punch", everyone left with a Very Berry Paisley party favor!

The Kenwood team also gave presentations about the fall colors and styles, back to campus essentials, and two new collections, Crossroads and Vera Vera. Crossroads and Vera Vera are not out in stores yet, so the guests were able to have a sneak peak!

Are you on the list? Our "bouncer" at the door!

Making a wish list is serious business--everyone was very concentrated on noting all of their favorites!

Upon arriving, guests were invited to fill out a wish list of 3 Vera Bradley items and enter to win their wish list granted!

The enter-to-wins were the main event: 3 lucky winners received $150 of their wish lists, and 1 grand prize winner received $300 of their wish list and will be entered to win "A Colorful Day" trip to meet Vera Bradley stars and learn more about the amazing company! (Check out verabradleyexperience.com to learn more!)

Getting ready to announce the grand prize winner--everyone is hoping to hear their name called!

I loved being surrounded by such passionate Vera Bradley fans. One woman wistfully said how she'd love to work at Vera Bradley, and when I told her I am living the dream as an intern, she was so jealous!!

The festivities continue tomorrow--the store offers will change throughout the day, so be sure to come and stay for the whole day :) We have plenty of cupcakes and Very Berry Punch to keep your shopping energy up!

Intern dinner + celebration + O-H-I-O

Intern Dinner: Wednesday marked the grand finale of the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce's Live, Learn, Intern series this summer. It was a very nice reception at Sycamore Hills (the same site as the Classic dinners), complete with excellent food, special speakers, and door prizes (the VB interns cleaned up: I won a gift card to JK O'Donnell's, and Allegra and Megan each won a Starbucks gift card!).

Sycamore Hills Clubhouse--the venue for the final Live, Learn, Intern event.

I'm not biased or anything, but I think we had the best table! Alicia and Jill, our intern coordinators, entertained us with funny stories of their kids and gave us some inside scoop on Vera Bradley.

Alicia and Jill, human resources extraordinaires!

Celebration: Today marks Heidi Floyd's five year cancer free anniversary. The lovely folks at Production road (shout-out to Foundation intern, Karen!) organized a breakfast to celebrate. Special surprises: a visit from Heidi's adorable family and a new pair of pink shoes!

Congrats, Heidi--mom, survivor, blogger, Twitterer, and ambassador!

The celebration breakfast at Production--all decked out in Loves Me..., of course!

O-H-I-O: This weekend I will be hanging out in the buckeye state for the Frill Fashion Photo Shoot at the Vera Bradley store in Kenwood Town Center. Stop by and strike a pose!

One of my projects: Web Benchmarking

Cover slide for last week's Web Benchmarking PowerPoint

Checking email and looking at Facebook? Meet my Web Benchmarking project! Web Benchmarking is a review of what Vera Bradley and other brands are doing throughout the web each week. It's a way to keep tabs on other brands and make sure that Vera Bradley is staying strong with our online activities.

There are several aspects of my Web Benchmarking project: Facebook, emails, and a Hitwise chart. In Hitwise, I look at how many visits the Vera Bradley site has (a lot!) in comparison to other handbag companies like Coach, Dooney & Bourke, etc.

For Facebook, my mission was to "like" different brands and then weekly see what kind of content they publish on their pages. Checking up on Tory Burch and J.Crew? No problem!

Vera Bradley on Facebook was busy last week--be colorful events and the Fall 2010 launch!

For emails, I have a special Gmail account that I use to sign up for different brand emails. I have quite a list going, and can always count on a pretty full inbox!


There are several categories that I look for--sales messaging, limited time offers ("Free shipping on all beach towels!"), points of interest, etc. Points of interest emails are my favorite to see because I like seeing what brands are doing besides advertising their summer sales and free shipping deals. It is the wild card category!

Points of Interest: anything interesting!

Back to campus already??

Back to campus emails have been majorly popping up in my inbox since the 4th of July. Seeing school-related emails is a bit bittersweet--it means I'm headed back to Butler University again (yay!) but also that my internship is over (MAJOR boo!). I guess I will just have to ease my pain by buying lots of Vera Bradley school supplies....

Step into my office...

I thought it was time to share my main Vera Bradley stomping grounds, the office on Industrial Road.

The logo welcomes everyone in!

The Direct Sales department moved to the second floor of Industrial Road right before I started in May, so I wasn't the only one new to the building. How do you know when you've entered web territory? Dim lights for the designers, records playing, and Twitter-speak... check, check, and check!

Steve, Web Creative Director

Emily, Ecommerce Analyst

(From L to R) web designers Mark, Tommy, Nissa, and copy writer Courtney--holding down the fort in the web area.

My desk--I have moved since my first desk picture to be closer to the web action!

One of the great parts of web area is the Inspiration Room. With just a few trips to the craft store, a little bit of organizing, and a touch of wall paper (with the roller thoughtfully regifted afterward), the web team turned a storage room into an inspiring spot.

The latest addition to the room is a giant TV that can hook up to a laptop and display on a larger screen so everyone can see. It has been great for our weekly "Creative Show & Tell" meetings--no more printing!

The decorating scheme: English cottage with a touch of web flair!

"My" boxes have arrived for Open the Box!

I'm currently taking up a small corner in the Inspiration Room with my boxes for the Open the Box project. It's very hard having to keep everything unopened!

Love: a bulletin board that covers the whole wall and this little blog was on an an email!

On another--more musical--note: here's a picture of fellow Industrial Road intern (for Finance) Bret competing in the Battle of the Bands competition last night with his band, Morose. He was great!

Bret on the right... taking a break from the office and hitting the stage!