Marketing Intern Review

Overall, working for L'Oréal was the most challenging but rewarding year of my life. While it is not always as glamorous as you might expect, the opportunities you are exposed to and the skills you develop are invaluable and will stay with you for the rest of your career. As with any job, there were both good and bad days, but it was a great advantage that no two days were the same. If you work hard, keep an open mind and throw yourself into the company, you will have a rewarding and enjoyable year.

Personally I felt I was very much valued by my team and members of the wider division. I really appreciated the L'Oréal mindset that feedback is a gift and received both complimentary and constructive feedback throughout my placement. My team nurtured me by offering me opportunities and projects in the areas I most enjoyed, meaning I was able to really excel and prove my worth. During wider team discussions, my points were considered just as much as a senior member of staff. Sometimes you won't receive as much recognition as you might hope for, but that is part and parcel of working for a huge organisation. However, my immediate team would always celebrate my individual accomplishments which really helped with my confidence and development.

At first I really struggled to adjust to being in a full-time professional job, and didn't feel I was supported as much as I should've been. The pace of work at L’Oreal is so fast and they have such high expectations of interns that it can sometimes feel incredibly overwhelming. I think supervisors can forget that the transition from university to full-time work is a huge challenge and don't nurture you as much as they perhaps should. That being said, a few months into my placement I became a lot more confident in my role and my abilities and formed a great relationship with my line-manager. They really tried to adapt their management style to my needs and personality which was unlike any of their previous interns which I really appreciated. From this point, I feel I received so much more support from my supervisors which still continues now I am back at university.

Extremely busy. This placement requires a person with exceptional time management skills and an ability to 'spin the plates.' L'Oreal have high expectations of their interns and they are fundamental cogs in the company's wheel. You will be expected to both support and manage many different projects at a time, collaborating with stakeholders internally and external agencies and working to tight deadlines. It will be your responsibility to manage relationships with agencies to ensure deadlines are met and projects are executed at a high standard. Although it can be overwhelming, it is this pressure and notion of truly being 'thrown in the deep end' that will ensure you thrive.

As highlighted in my above answer, you are given a lot of responsibility. You will be required to manage and support on multiple projects at the same time and will be expected to keep on top of your workload. L'Oréal are known for relying a lot on their interns; you are responsible for a lot of the execution which is a great opportunity for you to learn and develop. Of course you will be given some more 'admin,' monotonous tasks, but this will be combined with more strategic and exciting projects. It is also worth noting that your perspective is listened to and taken on board. You are fresh eyes entering the business and can give some new insight into existing projects and operations - make sure you make the most of this influence!

My placement at L'Oréal has taught me more about myself than I could've ever imagined. Professionally, I am valued for my passion, vision and energy. I have learnt the value of collaboration and adaptability, even more so in the context of COVID-19. I am much more organised and better at managing my time, although this is still something I need to work on! I have also developed personally; I have much more confidence in myself and I value my time and effort. L'Oréal's many training courses also strengthened my presentation and communication skills and helped me to understand my personality at work and learn how to interact with others in the workplace. I am returning to university with an invaluable insight. Seeing theoretical concepts in practice has enhanced my understanding. I also know more about the sort of career I would like to pursue based on my new skills and experience in a professional setting.

I had a new found appreciation for the office during the last 6 months of my internship which I spent working from home. The face-to-face interaction with peers and seniors was invaluable and I formed many great relationships with people across the division. I am leaving L'Oréal with an extensive network of contacts who I was able to spent time and have fun with in the office. It was sometimes difficult to separate fun and professionalism and find a good balance between the two, however I'm sure this is testament to the warm and welcoming atmosphere that exists in HQ.

I didn't have the best experience with HR and their organisation of my placement from the offset. On the day of my assessment centre, they realised they had sent us the wrong pack so we were misinformed about the tasks required of us on the day and that it was a full day of testing (the pack told us it was half a day). I also found the week-long handover process to be really hectic and felt like I wasn't receiving very much support. We were bombarded with information from all angles and I think a longer handover would've been much more beneficial. After handover we didn't really hear from HR again until mid-year. There was also a lack of communication from HR as we went into lockdown and started to work from home. Calls were eventually set up to answer our questions but there was a period of time spent worrying about the security of our jobs, the new interns starting and potential issues with graduate scheme opportunities. The handover process between my intake and the new intake was quite frankly a shambles. We were expected to handover without a L'Oréal device and no access to any files which was near enough impossible and I felt extremely sorry for the new interns coming in with such limited guidance and information. A lot of the interns also felt let down by the graduate scheme application process, as HR were not transparent about limited spaces. The process itself was also unfair, basing an entire year of hard-work and development in 3x 200 word questions.

There were lots of learning and development courses available across a range of topics. L'Oréal would really encourage you to attend these courses during work hours which was a great way to enhance development. Guest speakers regularly came into the business and gave talks which were always really inspiring. We would have quarterly team days which involved fun activities and sessions focused on strategy and development which were always insightful and a great way to interact and bond with members of the wider team. Employees are also offered a Coursera membership and are entitled to 3 free courses over the duration of a year.

There are two employment paths available to interns, the Management Trainee Program (Graduate Scheme) and Talent Track. There are certain scores that you must achieve in order to qualify followed by an interview process. During your internship you learn a lot about what employment path is right for you based on your competencies and I received a lot of guidance from my manager about my career options.

There was a committee that arranged a few different events among the interns which was a great way to meet interns working within other divisions. Unfortunately we missed out on quite a few opportunities due to COVID-19 but the committee managed to organise a few Zoom quizzes and work drinks to keep the interns connected while working from home.

I lived in Hammersmith (where L'Oréal HQ is based). The convenient location meant that my rent was quite high but I of course saved money by not having to commute. London prices are notoriously higher but living in Hammersmith meant there were quite a few local food and drinks places that offered discounts to L'Oréal employees which was super helpful. Before my internship I had hoped to save money for final year but soon realised that this wasn't very realistic. With this in mind, I covered the cost of living and made the most of being able to socialise in London, however this came at the cost of any savings.

While there were a few local pubs and bars, the best thing I found about living in Hammersmith were the many travel links that could get you into central London very quickly. This meant that we were able to experience nightlife in many different areas of London rather than being confined to one area. I would rarely go out in Hammersmith; there are some really good bars just a few tube stops away.

From my experience I wasn't aware of any opportunities or activities offered by L'Oréal outside of work. Before joining the company I thought someone had mentioned a football team but did not hear about it again once I started working.