HR Talent Acquisition Intern Review

I really enjoyed my internship and have gained so much from the experience. I got to take on daily responsibilities and be accountable for my work. I also got to work with different people and get involved with lots of projects. I've learnt so much within my role and value the structures internship that L'Oreal have in place.

I always felt very valued by my colleagues. I felt a part of our team and always felt able to share my opinions and ideas without judgement. My team also valued my contribution and encouraged me to put forward my thoughts. They also helped me to grow in confidence by providing with an environment that I felt happy to be a part of.

My manager gave me so much support from start to finish. We had weekly catch ups to ensure I was ok and to discuss any issues I may be facing. My manager was also very approachable and would help me at any point. I always felt as if my manager put my career goals and aspirations at the forefront of the internship and ensured I continue to achieve new goals and projects.

I was extremely busy on a daily basis. I was responsible for recruiting roles across the UK and Ireland and it was my responsibility to organise my time and prioritise. I loved how busy I was and it made time fly by! I also took on projects alongside my day to day work which kept me extra busy. Even during coronavirus, I continued to adapt and find ways to keep busy through organising trainings, updating documents and networking.

I value the responsibility L'Oreal give you and how vital your role is within the team. From the start I was given very high levels of responsibility and it was important for me to organise my time effectively. My role was critical for retail recruitment and as retail is such a fast paced environment I had to ensure I was always meeting SLA's. The responsibility I was given allowed me to feel pressure but also thrive off it.

The skills I have developed throughout my internship will go onto serve me not just in finishing my degree but throughout my entire career. I have gained so much confidence in my own abilities and also learnt how to communicate effectively. I also know that I can take on responsibility and projects. I have also taken part in so many trainings throughout the year, from diversity to positive mental health and all of these thing's are so critical in the workplace.

The atmosphere within the office is very welcoming, especially within my team. I felt as if I was a valued member of the team. The office is also really spacious and well designed so you can work in multiple places and don't have to be sat at the same desk all day. L'Oreal is also a really fun and exciting company so there is always stuff going on inside the office!

L'Oreal internships are set up so well and are thoroughly planned and structured. We set out objectives at the start of the year, before reviewing these in our mid year review and have an overall end of year review as well. This allows us to really see our progress and what we need to continue to work towards throughout the year. There are also points of contacts for interns if they are in need of support or help, which is really great. I also feel that my role is well defined and I always knew what my responsibilities were from the start.

In my personal opinion, I feel my personal development has been largely down to my manager, rather than the overall company. I feel the internship is designed well to help you improve core competencies, however, my personal growth and development, I feel was focused on more by my manager. My manager would always ask what I wanted to do, work on and improve. She took an active role in making this happen and encouraging me to do thing's outside my comfort zone.

There is the opportunity to apply for schemes at the end of the internship that would involve you returning to L'Oreal once you graduate. These schemes are explained well to us and we are given all the relevant information to be able to apply. I feel the graduate scheme at L'Oreal is quite limited as it only focuses on a few functions which makes it feel quite exclusive to certain people who have completed placement within those functions and would therefore be more knowledgable and likely more suited to this. However, there are other options for people who wish to work in other areas.

I would say the L'Oreal social scene for the interns could be improved. We didn't get to meet other interns before starting our placement which made the first day extremely daunting. There are also only a couple of events throughout the entire year. It would perhaps be more effective to have monthly or bi-monthly social events so that all interns from all divisions get to know each other better.

I chose to commute from home as the cost of renting in London is very expensive! However, train fares are also very expensive and L'Oreal don't offer any help with this so either way it's not ideal. The cost of socialising is also fairly expensive in Hammersmith, with drinks at the local pub nearing £10... pricey! But, it's London and that's standard cost of living there so you just adjust to it and there are so many exciting things to do and see in the city.

I commuted from home so didn't go out that much in London, so cannot give the most accurate representation. However, London is a really exciting and vibrant city with some many restaurants, bars and clubs to visit. There are also rooftop bars, such as Pergola which are so pretty and fun and that is really close to L'Oreal so great for after work team drinks!

There were opportunities to get involved outside of work with things such as career fairs, student pride, London pride and charity events. L'Oreal get involved with so many exciting things that there is always something to be involved with if you wish. Depending on your interests and hobbies there is bound to be something that fits in.