Ashley Furniture Industries

Furniture Upholsterer

May - August 2022 • Chippewa Falls, WI

What I liked

First of all, the pay was great considering the work I was doing. Secondly, the supervisors and higher-ups were very professional and kept the lines on task but knew how to relate to us and have a bit of fun. Many of those in upper management had worked the same job we were now working at one point or another, so they knew how to teach us and work well with us. I came into the job as someone with no experience but was able to learn all I needed to become a productive worker.

What I wish was different

The schedule for my shift seemed nice when I started the job but became tiring quickly. We worked 4 days a week (Monday-Thursday), which gave us a 3-day weekend, but at the cost of having to slog through 10-hour workdays. I did enjoy my long weekends, and I know the other employees did, however, I was constantly physically and mentally exhausted. Would working 8-hour shifts for 5 days a week have helped? To be honest, I'm not sure. Perhaps it would have helped me, but might not have been beneficial to some of my coworkers. Additionally, I suffered some minor injuries while working on the assembly line, although they were nothing serious. This is just the nature of assembly line work. There is always a risk of serious injury when working with advanced machinery, but by being careful and following the safety guidelines, you can protect yourself and others from most forms of harm. However, mistakes are inevitable, and you will eventually get hurt. Most injuries I saw during my time at Ashley were minor, but some were a bit worse. Personally, the risk of injury made me somewhat anxious while working, but I was able to deal with it. If you don't think you can learn to work with loud, dangerous machines and work well under stress, I can't recommend that you work as an upholsterer at Ashley Furniture.

Advice

It doesn't matter if you lack any experience with upholstery, furniture, or the assembly line process in general. In my time at Ashley, I learned that all I needed to come in to work with was a good attitude day in and day out. As many successful entrepreneurs and businessmen have said over the years, "hire for attitude, train for skill". Ashley Furniture is a company that hires with that same mentality.

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Manufacturing Engineering Intern

August 2019 • Arcadia, WI

What I liked

Was given meaningful projects, coworkers were amazing and helpful.

What I wish was different

I wish I wasn't jumping in and out every few months since I don't work while at school.

Advice

Try to find an internship that allows you to work in the shop and office. I find most of my design knowledge comes from trying to build what I designed in the office.

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Interior Designer Intern

June 2021 • Arcadia, WI

What I liked

Lots to learn and it was like one big Ashley Family.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Cost Accounting Intern

February 2019 • Arcadia, WI

What I liked

I loved getting a glimpse into a possible future working in a big corporation. I enjoyed the people I work with and learned more than I would have ever thought.

What I wish was different

Increase in pay. More things to learn.

Advice

Go in with an open mind and be willing to learn and grow.

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Internal Audit Intern

June 2019 • Arcadia, WI

What I liked

The people at the company are very helpful and willing to share their knowledge and own experience. My favorite part of the internship was the exposure I had to so many different areas related to accounting and finance.

What I wish was different

While I enjoyed all of the different experiences I was able to have, I do wish that I would have been able to dive deeper into a fewer amount of projects, in order to gain a deeper understanding of what I was working on.