Trade Marketing Intern Review

P.O.S.: Design and implementation of all permanent and semi-permanent Point-of-Sale marketing materials for the pharmacy & grocery channels. Competitor Analysis: Monthly analysis of pricing, in store activity, & media campaigns Strategy: Assisting in the creation and implementation of new product launch strategies, including adaptation of international display materials & advertising to the Irish market Analysis: reviewing monthly sell-out data and completing performance update reports tracking launches, promotions and marketing campaigns Regular prep of presentations to wider team. Liaising with external agencies on projects / launches / POS design

I have been exposed to a wide range of ever-changing teams, projects and environments throughout my year. In addition to gaining hands-on experience in a fast paced marketing role, and my business acumen has developed greatly across the areas of budgeting, media management, marketing, brand management, business development, strategy and data analytics. Other skills I have noticed improvements in are: - Presentation Skills - Professional writing - Communication and interpersonal skills - Excel skills - Functional skills: POS creation, designing HTML emails.

Yes - a lot of responsibility is given to interns in the business. I feel that on a day-to-day basis, I was engaging in meaningful tasks within a team project, and my decision making had a big picture impact. However, due to the leanness of my team, at times this responsibility was a lot and felt more like a full time role as opposed to an internship. I didn't feel as though I had the time to engage in trainings and ways to seek personal development, because of the sheer volume and pace of my role. Therefore, while my industry specific skills were greatly developed, I feel there was much less focus on enhancing my soft / professional skills. There is a great deal of autonomy and exposure to the business, especially as we transitioned to a hybrid office model.

Within my division, there were 4 interns altogether. This was great for support and assistance along the way. In addition to peer support, my line manager was great in supporting me in my day-to-day roles, with a really kind and patient attitude. I didn't feel at any time as though I couldn't share problems - given the leanness of my team, I was quite close to my manager with much daily interaction. The wider team also provided great support if ever needed cross functionally. There was no "mentor" or buddy system, but I didn't feel I needed this as there were plenty of people to ask for support. The only thing I would note is a slight fall-down in guidance during the internship - although I felt highly supported in my daily job roles, I would have liked to have the opportunity to receive guidance on my personal development in particular. As an intern who was having their first professional work experience, I feel I would have benefited from more direction / suggestions in ways to enhance my personal journey with L'Oréal and beyond.

Our first 6 months (ish) were remote, and therefore the L'Oréal company culture was far less evident. However they did make an effort to engage us in a virtual events, weekly team check-ins via Teams, a virtual "Citizen's Day" (which was an opportunity to spend the day giving back to a local charity/organization), and set up lunch time calls with different senior managers to expose us during our first few weeks. Once we returned to office, we have had after work drinks, lunches, "away days" which have all been brilliant. The social aspect is good given the current Covid-19 situation, and I'm sure will continue to improve.

Overall I hugely enjoyed my internship experience and have benefited hugely from it. My work was meaningful, and throughout the year I have felt my knowledge, business acumen, and confidence greatly grow. My team was welcoming, relaxed and inclusive and overall the company culture exuded energy, excitement and a fast paced environment. It has definitely met my expectations and I would highly consider returning as a graduate.

Yes

The interview process is long, so don't let this put doubts in you! I remember waiting months to hear back about an assessment centre, so was sure I hadn't gotten it, but held out hope! The application process is quite gruelling with many stages (initial CV and cover letter application, video questions and written questions, numerical and psychometric tests, case study interview, competency interview), but I would view it as a great and rounded experience for future interviews. Assessment centre advice would be to focus less on the tests, and more about your attitude, energy and creative way of thinking. You can't prepare too much for the tests, but the case studies require you to look at problems in different ways, so study L'Oréal as a business in as much depth as you can to bring any ideas and fresh insights to the table.