Sabriye graduated in 2015 with minors in Marketing and Psychology. She also holds an MS in Business Analytics and Data Analysis from Brooklyn College.
She has experience in merchandising and procurement and currently works at Koza Goss Ltd., a family-run business in Turkey.
Sabriye’s Role at RugsUSA
My first job was at RugsUSA. I worked on the buying side in procurement, so I worked with different countries including Turkey, Egypt, and Belgium. I also traveled a lot to attend carpet shows in Las Vegas, Germany, and more. Part of my role involved finding new companies, getting samples, placing orders, and more. After working on the buying side, I became a merchandising manager. I worked in the United States for 3 years and then worked in Gaziantep, my hometown in Turkey. During my time there, I was visiting factories, doing quality checks, and more. Unfortunately, during this time, RugsUSA was sold to an equity firm.
Sabriye’s Current Role
Currently, I work as part of a family business, which is focused on the domestic market. We produce pencil cases and bags and sell them here—wholesale and resale. Our company’s name is Koza Goss Ltd. My current role is multi-faceted. I do designing, similar to merchandising. We have a Turkish local webpage called Trendyol, which is somewhat like Amazon/AliExpress, but specifically for Arabic countries like Kuwait, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and more. I upload our designs and finalized products onto that page.
Sabriye on Skills Relevant to Procurement/Merchandising
You have to be social and have an inquisitive mind like a researcher. For example, I learned how to type the word ‘carpet’ in numerous languages to see what people in different countries have in mind. As such, thinking outside the box is something that can really help you in this field. Another example is when I came up with a program to track when our products were going out of stock, something that used to be a prominent problem for us. This project lasted 3 months, but the program continued to be used for several years.
Sabriye on Cultural Differences
There are some cultural differences between Turkey and New York. Based on my experience, I found that it is easier to get hired in New York than in Turkey. I was able to get my first job relatively easily through STARR because of my language skills, as they needed someone who speaks Turkish. However, in Turkey, I would even struggle to get a response despite having two degrees and a full resume. I noticed there’s also a lot of nepotism in Turkey—you have to know someone or be related to someone in order to work at a company. Additionally, the pay is a little low compared to the United States. There are a couple of social differences too. In the US, people are more friendly as compared to Turkey. It is also worth noting that in Turkish, we have two forms of language—one is more casual and one is more formal. In the work environment, you have to use the formal words ‘Mr.’ and ‘Madam’.
Sabriye’s Advice for International Business students
Networking is very important. Be open and friendly—try not to be shy. I attended various events on campus and participated in several clubs. Doing so helped me become more social and allowed me to meet many new people! When I was in New York, Sarah (Sarah Demetz) often invited me to different events, including mentorship opportunities and more. I highly recommend attending such events.