Supply Chain Executive Review

On a daily basis, I had to process and manage customer orders and provide excellent customer service by replying to customer enquiries and questions. The main responsibility is to ensure a smooth flow of the customer's order from the moment it's placed to the moment it's delivered to the customer, which is done by running daily reports and communicating with internal teams and third-party carriers, and also the customers themselves. In the second half of the placement, I was leading my own project, which I had to present to the whole supply chain team as well as sending out monthly reports on the KPIs that the project focused on.

I have definitely improved my communication skills both written and verbal and also learned a lot on working with Excel. Because I was given quite a lot of independence and responsibilities, it really boosted my confidence, too as I constantly had to step out of my comfort zone (like constantly having to have calls with people I did not know or presenting my project in front of the whole Customer Supply Chain team, including the most senior managers). Company provides a lot of free learning, which I was making use of and learnt quite a lot of personal and professional skills, such as critical thinking, decision making and just a better overall understanding of supply chain functions.

Yes, as soon as I had received my work laptop, I was trained to reply to the easiest emails and as soon as I got the licence for SAP, I was straight away trained for the daily tasks and then was trusted to do them myself. After the first 4-6 months of the placement, I was cross-trained enough to be able to do all daily tasks that my colleagues could do. I was a fully integrated member of the team and never felt like I was just an intern as I performed the same responsibilities as my permanent colleagues and had a high level of autonomy. In the second half of the year, I was trusted to run my own project and make improvements to the existing processes.

The support from immediate team, the line managers and wider teams could not be better. No matter how many questions I asked, they never seemed to be annoyed, everyone was happy to help and appreciated the questions. Considering that my onboarding was 100% online, which the team never had to do before with the previous interns, I appreciate that the integration in the team might have been a bit more difficult, but my team could not have made me feel more welcome and at ease. Both line and senior managers acted as the mentors through my placement and supported me through all of my beginnings and always cheered for me, which was super helpful.

I cannot speak for the whole company, as I believe this might differ per division. In L'Oreal Luxe, everyone genuinely feels like family. The weekly wider team meetings always have a very light atmosphere and chat is always full of jokes and GIFs (sent by top managers, too!). People like to have a chat before actually asking the question they initially messaged you about. Sadly, because I had to work remotely for most of my placement, I could not experience the friendly office life at its best, but as far as it goes to online connections with the colleagues - it was great. There were a few socials organised throughout the year, such as cooking classes, makeup classes and quizzes. The company is very diversity and inclusion focused - diversity and inclusivity panels were regularly held with inspirational speakers invited. During the endless lockdowns, L'Oreal really showed how employee-focused they are by extending lunch breaks, reducing working hours on Fridays, offering free yoga and meditation sessions etc. to help the workers cope better with the uncertainty and stress. As for an intern, there is an opportunity to get involved in different committees, which gives you the chance to organise different events, get involved in creating the social media content for L'Oreal etc. Or you can start your own committee.

As, I think, it might be clear from the previous answers, I enjoyed my placement year to the fullest. I cannot say it was what I expected because it was much better than that. I could not wish for better managers and the team. The sense of belonging is truly amazing. The best part is that the job itself rarely gets dull. Even though the daily activities stay pretty much the same throughout the placement year, there are always new problems to solve and learn about and you can always involve yourself in new projects and tasks. At the end of my placement, I also had a few shadowing sessions with other teams, which also reignited my love for the job and the industry. I would definitely go back! However, note that even if you performed extremely well during your placement year, L'Oreal does not offer you a graduate role. You still have to apply for graduate scheme first (however, you get a recommendation from your manager and plenty of experience to use for the application) and then, if you perform well, you get offered a permanent position.

Yes

When preparing for the interview, I guess it is the same as with every other company - do your research beforehand and look for interesting facts to surprise the hiring managers. Revise your math skills before the assessment centre, too! When in the position, get noticed - introduce yourself to the teammates from the wider teams, take initiative and learn, learn, learn! If I went back in time and applied again, I would have taken even more learning opportunities (especially learning French, as the resource is massive and it's for free!). Also would have prepared myself for the fact that it is always busy and I should never tell myself 'I will do it when it is quieter' as the workload barely ever decreases. A final comment would probably be that it is very beneficial if you are interested in make up/skincare/haircare (depends on what division you apply for) and have knowledge of the brands and products sold by your division as it makes your day-to-day life much easier (e.g. you see a name of a makeup range and know what brand it is without having to look for it in the database).