Supply Chain intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement, it gave me a lot of responsibility and exposure to many aspects of the business.

My team made me feel really valued and welcome, they were always supportive of new tasks and were willing to help when it was needed. They treated me in the same manor as they would treat any other member of staff.

My managers were both supportive with ensuring that I received the correct training for my tasks and projects. They were always in reach for extra support and were willing to assist with any problems.

The tasks and projects I was given took up the whole working day for each day of the week, there were days when I had to work over time but this wasn't too often. There was a good balance between not having enough to do and having too much.

I was given far more responsibility than I had imagined. I had a role where other staff members would need my work to progress with their own work, at one point I was given a project which I had to present to Directors and role out with other teams to change the way they worked. The job is far more than admin or ad hoc reporting - there is a lot of responsibility and exposure.

My Excel skills have really developed since starting the Industrial Placement which will help me in future careers.

The atmosphere is relaxed and everybody on the floor is welcoming. There is a 'coffee culture' where employees love to network and socialise.

My internship was very well organised - my tasks/projects were planned in advance of my arrival and my managers would always sit down with me to explain any new jobs which made my objectives very clear.

There were many occasions to attend Excel training sessions, this was really helpful for my job role as it largely revolved around Excel. My team also invested in group training where our individual personalities and work traits were analysed and summarised to enable us to learn how we work best and how we can work better as a team - this benefitted us to learn our personal weaknesses/strengths and how we can improve.

The future employment prospects are really appealing at L'Oreal - there are multiple streams and opportunities across numerous brands. Each job role allows you to make your own mark and there are many opportunities to develop and make a change.

The social scene within my team was really good - we would usually go for drinks each Friday after work and there were also other activities arranged outside of work. Even within work the team would go for lunch or take a coffee break together. There was also an intern committee where the social sec would organise events outside of working hours for all of the interns to participate in.

I rent in a 4 bed flat in zone 2 where the cost of renting took 60% of my wage without bills included. The living and socialising is a lot more expensive than what I experienced at university.

There are quite a few pubs around the Hammersmith office where the standard closing time would be 12 but there aren't any clubs.

There have been quite a few opportunities to volunteer with L'Oreal including going to Butlin's for a weekend to help with Science week and helping to run stalls at careers fairs. There are some sports societies available for the interns and also socials.