HR Early Careers Intern Review

Responsible for supporting and running our Early Careers programs, including internship, apprenticeship, graduate, and spring insight programs. This project-based role involved introducing innovative activations to enhance employee satisfaction, such as networking opportunities, upskill sessions, career progression panels, and more. Additionally, I collaborated with several external coaches to facilitate learning opportunities for our cohort. Throughout the year, I was also responsible for the entire 'intern to MT' recruitment cycle, facilitating group exercises, conducting interview sessions, and providing feedback to all candidates.

Throughout my internship, I have been able to upskill myself in numerous ways. From scratch, I have upskilled myself in Excel, learning how to use VBA macros. Additionally, designing monthly newsletters has enhanced my Canva and general digital skills. I have also developed many of my soft skills, such as leadership, presenting abilities, developing a personal brand, and resilience.

I was certainly trusted with a lot of responsibility during my placement. Not only was I responsible for all program management-related projects, but I was also entrusted with several recruitment-related tasks and conducted extensive data analytics for the wider team. Furthermore, I supported the Learning & Development team with several activations. I also extended my efforts into Supply Chain, assisting the Luxe Supply Chain Director with a supply chain-related project towards the end of my internship.

I received a lot of guidance throughout my placement year. At the start, I had weekly meetings with my line manager to discuss work progress, task delegations, and to raise questions about my career. Additionally, I had a mentor in Supply Chain who met with me weekly to upskill me on supply chain topics, specifically business forecasting. I also had a Management Trainee mentor who held weekly catch-ups with me to discuss my well-being and provide career advice.

From my first day, everyone in HR and the wider business was very welcoming towards me. Even when I had many questions, everyone made an effort to teach me from scratch. I also appreciated how easy it was to book coffee catch-ups with anyone in the business. Often, I had the opportunity to catch up with a senior stakeholder to seek their advice.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at L'Oréal. It has been such a whirlwind experience. I have met lifelong friends and mentors that I will keep in contact with after my internship. I also enjoyed all the upskilling opportunities I had throughout the year. I would definitely say that this placement experience has opened up many doors for my career, and I would be looking to rejoin the Supply Chain Management Trainee scheme if possible.

Yes

I would advice others to conduct a strong and concise CV to start with. Do your research on our company and be familiar with our values. Be yourself in a professional way and be ready for common interview questions.