Mehmet Bora Gundogan’s Post

Halfway through my summer internship at Walmart, I wanted to share some observations about corporate life here: 💰 People Currency: At the Home Office, Walmart truly values its people. 💎 Encouraging Excellence: Walmart pushes you to do your best every day, but they also understand the risks and provide support when things don't go as planned. 1️⃣ Customer First: Every business or project-related meeting I’ve attended always includes someone asking, "What does this do for the customer?" or mentioning how it improves the customer's life. The customer is always the priority. 😁 Amazing People: I've met over 700 interns and countless full-time associates, and I genuinely like every single person I’ve interacted with. ❓ Culture of Inquiry: As an intern, I’ve been encouraged to ask questions, and I’ve seen full-timers and even officer-level associates do the same. It’s a great learning environment. ⭐ Exceptional Leadership: This one means the most to me. My VP, Dave DeSerio, has been an incredible leader for the Fuel & Convenience team. He leads by example, follows through on his commitments, and genuinely cares about the entire team. He knows each of us personally and is hands-on in his approach. To an outsider, it might seem unbelievable, but Dave is our guy. Isn’t it crazy that the world doesn’t always expect leaders to be this engaged and knowledgeable about their direct reports? I feel incredibly lucky to have him as a mentor this summer. Dave sets the standard for how a leader should operate day-to-day. #intern #walmartintern #fy24intern #goodleadership #walmart #growth #learning #makingchanges #corporateworld The University of Alabama The University of Alabama Honors College

As I complete my 10th week of my Global People Internship at Walmart, I am grateful to have had abundant opportunities and incredible experiences. One of my most impactful experiences was a tour of Walmart Store 5260 that I embarked on with my fellow Global People Interns. This tour not only broadened my understanding of my project but also offered several key takeaways: 1. The importance of inclusion Did you know Walmart offers a sensory friendly environment during the hours of 8 AM to 10 AM in all Walmart U.S. and Puerto Rico store locations? This is to provide an optimal experience for all customers, regardless of their needs. This is just one of the many displays of “service to the customer” I witnessed while touring Store 5260. 2. The power of associate ownership Walmart is actively involved in giving back to communities, and I got to discover how Store 5260 encourages their associates to take ownership of fundraising initiatives. Store 5260 decided to take on the challenge of raising money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in many creative ways, such as selling snacks and t-shirts next to the breakroom. It was such a unique way to learn about how associates can play a direct role in supporting their community. 3. The value of growth opportunities The leadership board stood out to me on the tour. The board has associates' faces on the wall to display the store hierarchy, helping to put names to faces, and showing associates what their next growth opportunity at Walmart might be. What was most impactful about the board was when Store Manager, Carlie Dodge highlighted that almost every person in a leadership role on that board had been recently promoted, and that the leadership team reflects the diverse community they serve. This is a great example of how associates can see leadership from people who look like them and recognize potential roles they can grow into, all while encouraging associates to “strive for excellence.” Of course, a special shout-out to Matt Meyers, Ph.D. for putting this internship experience together, and Cody Katzer for giving insight into the customer and associate experience. Witnessing these initiatives firsthand has truly reinforced my admiration for Walmart’s commitment to inclusivity and community support.

Taking a moment to look back and reflect on my time as an intern at Walmart as well as what it looked like for me landing the internship my junior year. I am so thankful for the opportunities granted to me from Walmart and the education that J.B. Hunt Transport Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Arkansas provided me in order to contribute to a company of this stature. #Waltonsupplychain #SupplyChainU

Preparing to start my summer internship next week at Rent-A-Center fulfilling a supply chain role at the company. I am excited to use skills learned in my many supply chain classes I have already taken at the University of Arkansas. #SupplyChainU #WaltonSupplyChain

🌟 Maximizing My Internship Experience at Ross🌟 I’m thrilled to share how my internship at Ross is helping me develop valuable skills on the sales floor. One of my key responsibilities involves gathering clothes from the fitting rooms and returning them to their rightful places on the sales floor, as well as managing returned items from the registers. This task is more than just a routine; it’s a crucial part of enhancing my understanding of the store layout and inventory management. By organizing and restocking items, I'm becoming more familiar with where everything is located, which greatly improves my ability to assist customers effectively. Through this experience, I’m honing my skills in: •Store Layout Mastery:Getting to know where different products are situated helps me quickly direct customers to what they need. •Customer Service:Being on top of returned items and ensuring the sales floor is well-organized allows me to provide a better shopping experience. •Efficiency and Attention to Detail: Ensuring items are returned to their proper places helps maintain a neat and accessible store environment. I’m excited about the growth I’m experiencing and look forward to continuing to contribute to a great customer experience at Ross! #RetailExperience #InternshipJourney #CustomerService #ProfessionalDevelopment

As I reach the halfway point in my internship, I want to share two things that I think are vital to supply chain: visibility and communication. This video is a short overview of these topics and their impact. #waltonsupplychain #supplychain #walton #thisishowweintern Brian Fugate J.B. Hunt Transport Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Arkansas

Crossing the midpoint in my initial internship with J.B. Hunt, here is a video reflecting on personal goals and how the experience has shaped my mindset going forward. Give it a watch! J.B. Hunt Transport Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Arkansas Brian Fugate #supplychain #waltonsupplychain #thisishowweintern

Let's talk about IMPACT! We're into Week 2 of Summer Internships at Walmart! Leading up to summer internships, I've had awesome discussions with interns on the question, "How do I crush my internship?" Let's discuss "Crushing it!" One crucial piece of advice is to treat your internship as if it's a full-time job. Show up on time, meet your deadlines, and be professional. Understand the company and team's missions and how your role and project (s) contributes to it. Show initiative, go beyond your assigned tasks, and never be afraid to ask questions. And yes, you can always talk to your recruiter. I promise all interns that this level of commitment and dedication will not go unnoticed and can open doors for future opportunities. Lastly, "Embrace the journey!" That is a line I use on my email signatures and holds true to everyone's career journey. Walmart Global Tech Sam's Club #recruiterslife #SeekingInternshipOpportunities #EarlyCareers

What an incredible opportunity to day trip with walmart In the world of clunky CRMs, workflow optimizers, and KPI monitoring, it can be challenging to truly grasp where institutional knowledge sits. However, I feel real estate, being that it is impossibly intertwined as physical assets with unlimited entanglements to the larger geo-economical picture, will always operates in a unique space where years of experience, oral tradition and hands-on practice set people apart. Osmosis learning on trips like these keep astounding me—absorbing over 100 years of retail real estate experience in just a few hours is not only enlightening but also a masterclass in optimization. The mentor-mentee relationship is key to preserving these practices. We must commit to learning from those with extensive experience to continue advancing the industry with the same rigor and excellence. Early in my career, someone advised me to always try to be the dumbest person in the room and to just say "YES" to everything. To be a sponge and soak up as much as possible. At times, I felt like a burden. But Walmart has been the opposite. Entering into opportunities like this and the Walmart internship as a whole is the cornerstone of who I strive to be—constantly seeking new experiences that push me both personally and professionally.

Ask the pros. The most helpful thing I learned in school was to go to office hours. Ideas from books like Deep Work are the reason I have been a part of so many key projects at Storied and Walmart. The first two years of college were interesting, but in my junior year I recognized the tremendous value office hours had to offer. Professors have a limited amount of content they can teach, but asking them direct questions provides great insight into modern, real world applications. Working at Walmart this past summer, the highlight of the internship was hearing from Suresh Kumar and Doug McMillon. Doug talked about how important our consistency across organizations was to the overall business. Podcasts and interviews are good, but the clearest information I ingest comes from books. The required thought threshold is high enough to keep content flowing. Speaking either various experts here on LinkedIn has put me in touch with potential career paths and resources to get there. How do you decide which experts to listen to?