Intern Review

Identifying talent to reach out to and build relationships with through seeding, events and external appointments. Creating press releases and liaising with journalists prior to product launches to secure inclusions. Monitoring influencer marketing platforms such as Traackr and Domo to gain insight into the competitor landscape and inform future strategies for the brand. Leveraging data analysis skills to identify the top performing influencers, considering their ROI for paid campaigns and relaying this to the team.

Public speaking/presentation skills - I was given the opportunity to present monthly findings from deep dives into competitor activity to senior employees, supporting this with data and recommendations for the brand and distributing my research to wider teams in the division. This hugely increased my confidence which is an invaluable skill for communicating clearly in any professional environment. I also leveraged my negotiation skills when liaising with agents to secure healthy fees for paid campaigns.

I was given lots of responsibility to own projects, work closely with external agencies and manage the reporting of results. After demonstrating that I was able to manage my daily tasks, my manager worked with me to explore opportunities for taking on projects to develop my data analysis and negotiation skills which were main goals I had identified at the start of the year. Asking for more work is always respected and appreciated.

It is very important to voice when you are struggling with work because the managers at L'Oréal would prefer to help you avoid mistakes being made than risk work being submitted incorrectly. There are many opportunities to learn and grow but you do have to seek them out and be proactive to ask for guidance if needed as it will be assumed that it is not needed otherwise.

Very much a work hard play hard culture. Long hours are not uncommon but when goals are achieved the teams do celebrate hard and it is very rewarding. It is a fast-paced working environment so the ability to remain calm under pressure is important.

It was an invaluable year for my development professionally and socially. I have grown a lot in this past year in terms of my confidence in my ability to perform well by being trusted with lots of responsibility in my role and building connections by attending networking events. The community of interns at L'Oréal is very unique with there being over 100 of us which provides lots of opportunities to socialize.

Yes

Research the company and show you are passionate and ambitious. Be prepared to work hard and demonstrate that you can handle responsibility and pressure as the beauty industry is very fast-paced. Your personality is as important as your previous work experience so be honest and engaged in the interviews! L'Oreal don't offer grad roles straight from internships so if you are looking for security then consider lots of options first.