This summer we welcomed four interns to different offices within the North and Central America region. Throughout the next few months we will be sharing interviews with them as they tell us about their experiences working at YKK Corporation of America.
Meet Reza Talebzadeh, our summer business development intern. Reza interned at YKK Corporation of America’s headquarters in Marietta, GA. He’s a graduate student at Georgia State University, J.Mack Robinson College of Business pursuing two masters degrees: one in Quantitative Risk Analysis and Management and one in Actuarial Science. In his free time, Reza enjoys a good game of pool and reading.
Tell us about your experience interning at YKK Corporation of America:
It was a great learning process that started from the first day. I had the chance the report directly to the president of YKK Corporation of America, Mr. Jim Reed, and collaborate with him. He was really open to new ideas and although he had a busy schedule his office door was always open for us to come in and share our thoughts with him. This is something you won’t get in a lot of companies.
What did your day-to-day look like?
My work starts with answering emails and finalizing the meeting schedules I have for the day. As my responsibility is acting as project manager for running artificial intelligence in the factory, I need to talk to different companies within the region to collaborate. The first half of the day I spend doing research about most updated methods for implementing “AI” in the manufacturing lines. I do this by reading articles, reviewing the course materials I’ve had in my graduate program and also writing reports. Second half of the day I try to implement the ideas I get from the articles in the YKK platform and try to customize it to our needs. My meetings and phone conference calls would be between these sections.
What is something you learned during the internship that you found interesting about YKK Corporation of America?
The key to be prosperous in the new economy and new era is to be flexible and open to hear and implement new ideas in the business model. Adhering to core concepts of the business is crucial as well to guide the company in the right way.
Describe the company’s corporate culture in your own words?
Paying attention to work-life balance.
Doing the right thing always.
Transparency and work ethic.
What are some of the most important takeaways from your experience working at YKK Corporation of America?
Be reliable and update your colleagues. Ask questions if you run into problems in addition to keep running your duties independently.
What skills have you gained from this experience and how will you use them in your professional career?
Polishing my business analytics and research skills: I will use this in my roles as analyst or machine learning engineer. I also learned about ways to improve interpersonal skills and presentation techniques in the real world business environment. This one was a key skill that I really appreciate YKK to give me the opportunity to learn it in the company. I will use this skill in every section of my professional and even personal life.
