Intern Review

My daily responsibilities are quite different to what i had initially anticipated which was a little frustrating during the beginning of my placement. Nevertheless as i became more experienced and took complete ownership over my responsibilities i began to enjoy my work a lot more.

Due to the expertise i developed in market research understanding and tools i have been in continuous touch with many people throughout the business who have always shown appreciation and made me feel valued. L'Oreal definitely knows how to make employees feel valued which motivated me greatly.

I am very appreciative of the support and general guidance my manager has provided me. I felt very independent throughout my placement but also knew i could rely on my manager for excellent support throughout my time here. My manager has definitely helped me improve myself making me a much more efficient and experienced employee.

Most days were a perfect balance, being relatively busy so avoiding boredom but also avoiding excess stress. Nevertheless this came in waves in my role with numerous days throughout my placement being extremely busy and stressful. Although there were a few rare occasions when i experienced a boring day, this was not the norm.

I am astounded at the level of responsibility i was given throughout my placement. I believe this is what makes L'Oreal extremely unique. Interns are definitely not here to make coffee and will be put into challenging situations and made responsible in leading various projects and significant tasks.

Other than my development of a more professional manner in the office and my excel skills i do not believe i will be able to translate a lot of my skills into my degree. However I will definitely take with me the skills i have gained surrounding market research understanding and analysis into any future role.

Most of the time there was a very nice and positive atmosphere however this sometimes varied depending on the different colleagues i had worked with or the stress levels in the office. The longer i worked here the more i felt like i belonged.

It was organised quite well. I believe this really depends on the individual role and manager but i felt like HR and my team did a good job in ensuring my placement was well organised. The only improvement that could have been made was perhaps not have the intern's first week in the business at the same time as the CEO's visit.

I have attended numerous training's which i believe helped me improve my business skills greatly however i became an expert in the software's i work with generally by myself. I therefore took it upon myself to invest and educate the rest of the business afterwards.

The grad scheme offers specific streams which are not suitable for everyone however they have recently launched a talent track scheme which offers interns the chance to come back to L'Oreal and work in a specific role that they perhaps would be more interested in so i believe there is an opportunity that would appeal for all.

Although i believe i did not make the most of it myself, Interns who place great importance in the social aspect of a placement definitely can make use of a great intern culture. Their are social events for interns and other social events for the teams on a continuous basis.

London is very expensive especially rent. I found a relatively cheaper flat but living costs are quite expensive as well. However with the compensation received from L'Oreal i never felt extremely tight for money.

The nightlife in the area is not the best but if you will be living in west london it will be very easy for you to travel to central london where the nightlife is absolutely amazing. One of the best aspects of working in london is the relative ease of transportation

Yes there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities after work but you will obviously need to take the lead. There were some activities associated with L'Oreal, mostly sports like football, netball etc. However living in london offers a lot of other great after work opportunities.