Procurement Intern Review

Good experience in a large corporate firm. Forward thinking, innovative company with a really young workforce. Gives the opportunity for interns and graduates to put their own ideas forward and develop themselves. Fantastic name to put on your CV and is widely recognised by a variety of their competitors and market leaders in other industries.

Was placed into a fantastic team. I couldn't have asked for more from them. They really helped me understand what the expectations of myself should be as well as focussing my career plan and personal development. My own manager was keen to make sure I settled in well, as well as meeting up for drinks outside of work. I am still in contact, and feel he has helped me shape my own future.

Lots of support from my manager. I also had very good relationships with the director of my team who had vast experiences in the marketplace I operated within. As a result, I feel that I learnt more that the typical intern would at a company the size of L'Oreal. Outside of my team, you have to take it upon yourself to get support, put people across the business from CEO to a PA are more than happy to offer you their assistance.

My job was very busy and I always had work and projects to complete. However, this is what I wanted from an internship so i could develop my own time management. Your team will advise you on how to organise yourself, and this is one of the biggest things you can take on. Since coming back to University, I feel that I am much more organised and concise with the work I have to do and this has benefitted me greatly.

I wasn't running the show at all, but once you have earned peoples trust, they are more than happy to give you work. I took on a project towards the end of my internship which saved the company a lot of money. I really felt that the team entrusted in me, and I had to show them that this trust was not wrongly assigned. There are plentiful opportunities to take on further responsibility in the programme, it just depends on the person.

I have already applied a lot of what I learnt at L'Oreal into my University work through planning and essay writing. However, the key application that I can demonstrate is when you interview for other graduate schemes and internships. Other firms are really interested to learn what you have done, and helping them to understand that you are an employable person is key for their recruitment process. I can now do this with my experience at L'Oreal.

Lots of young people in the office combined with 100 interns and grads made the office a really nice and fresh place to work. I think that the community aspect of some of the teams was fantastic. I worked in Corporate, which is a slightly older area, but nonetheless was a cool experience. Its is definitely all about getting involved, making sure you go to all the Bar 255's and networking with everyone across the company (also a really good way of getting free products). It is a subjective question, but if you enjoy a bubbly atmosphere, its the one for you.

Very well organised. Its an older program meaning that many people have done this before you, and many people will do it after you leave. HR are always there to help and check up on you, and there are several official meetings throughout the year to check on your progress. This is great as it allows you to understand where to improve and what to focus on.

Lots of personal training if you put the effort in to go and do it. I focussed on developing my analytical skills as this is something i will use in a future job. L'Oreal were more than happy to offer this training. There is a lot of brand training, and trying to understand the business' goals, and this develops your awareness of the market place.

I applied for the grad scheme but was unsuccessful. It is very competitive and a very well reviewed graduate scheme. Anyone that is interested in FMCG's of the beauty industry can be very successful at the firm. In retrospect, for my own career aspirations, it probably wasn't the right fit, but it is a very good organisation, and possibly in the future I would like to return to the group.

Another subjective one. You have to put yourself out there. I lived with other interns who I still consider really good friends and we were always keen for going out an experiencing London. We met other people who were the same and you are able to meet up with the same group a lot which is cool. However, there was the odd hermit who didn't want to get involved, but that is up to the person.

Its London and you are an intern. You have to accept pretty early on you can't party in Knightsbridge. Rent is ludicrously expensive, but there is no better alternative and it still makes me feel sick when people commuted over 1 hour from their homes outside of London. If you are going to do it, you have to commit. Take the lunge and accept most of your wage each month is going to where you sleep.

London is unique. If you don't go to University there, then it is another world. Incredibly expensive and you begin to miss your local weatherspoons prices, but you are paid more than those outside of the city. Everything big that happens in the UK usually happens in London first so you do see a lot of amazing things. Has made me want to work in London after I graduate.

I played for a football team, but that was organised by the interns opposed to be L'Oreal. There was a charity day that everyone was involved in which was fantastic. Great experience and you are able to meet so many people that you wouldn't have done before. Very impressed with this aspect of L'Oreal as it demonstrates they do care about CSR. Lots of staff sales, and your team will usually go out to a few events through the year. Definitely go to Winter Wonderland!!