Growing the Right Way: My Clorox Internship
By Megan DiDio
I had already spoken to five members of the Clorox Sales team in Alpharetta, Georgia, before I moved there from California for the summer of 2017. These were to be some of my future coworkers.
That our relationship began before I actually started working for Clorox shows how invested Clorox is in helping interns succeed. My hopes were high, but the experience I had over the following months far surpassed my expectations.
From day one, I was part of the team. I contributed to projects that impact the business in a real way. Instead of remedial tasks and busy work, I got to learn about the Clorox culture and business through inclusion and participation. As a Field Sales Intern working with a home improvement retailer team, I saw many sides of the business, all leading to an incredibly fulfilling internship experience.
Megan DiDio at a Clorox office.
Meaningful work from the get-go
My first store walks-through took place in Week 2.
These walks with coworkers not only helped me grasp varying retail strategies across different types of customers like grocery and home hardware, they also helped me build a better understanding of how each individual at Clorox contributes to getting our products from idea to shelf.
I expected to learn a lot on these walks, and indeed I did. But what I didn’t expect was the knowledge and passion of my team members. Each walk was like a mini tour of the stores I’ve been shopping in for years, but seen through a new lens. I came to realize that placement around the store and on the shelf was a big deal. I understood why it was so exciting to secure a cross-merchandising opportunity, such as a Memorial Weekend display that included Kingsford® charcoal, Hidden Valley® ranch and KC Masterpiece® barbeque sauce as a complete summer picnic package.
Several weeks into my internship, I toured a Regional Distribution Center in Fairburn, Georgia, and our Cleaning plant in Forest Park, Georgia.
From these, I gained an understanding of the importance of efficient supply chain processes to making sure we deliver the right product to our customers at the right time.
One of my summer projects involved monitoring inventory levels for a Clorox “Back to College” event at a home improvement retailer to make sure we sent appropriate replenishments as necessary. Seeing how we made our products and got them where they need to go opened my eyes to how the supply chain directly affects sales.
Megan DiDio (third from left) and a group of her fellow 2017 Clorox summer interns.
Building professional skills inside the office, too
I had meaningful experiences in the office as well.
Whether giving presentation feedback prepared for a new vice president at one of our retailers, training for new software that will revolutionize how we present metrics to our customer or working on individual projects that will help my team even after my internship ends, every day of my Clorox internship was full and unique.
At every turn, people on my team and in other functions were more than happy to provide support. I appreciated the freedom to start a project on my own, and always felt able to ask a question if I hit a road block. This encouragement to be bold and make my own decisions with the resources I was given has helped me grow and develop my leadership skills. I take real pride in the work I’ve done.
Ultimately, I look back on my Clorox internship as an incredible experience filled with challenges and growth. I’ve returned to finish my last year at U.C. Davis with new skills, friends, confidence — and all the Clorox samples I could fit in my luggage!