Visual Merchandising Inern L'Oreal Luxe Review

My placement at L'Oreal has been such an incredible journey. I have learnt so many skills that I can take with me back to university and I feel that I have found a career path and job role that I would love to do in the future. The company gives you a high level of respect and good responsibility in the tasks you complete during your time on placement. I had no idea I would get to be so involved in big projects and get to work directly with suppliers in implementing my own designs with the opportunity to take ownership of my own projects and work.

Due to the level of responsibility you are given by the company and the importance of your job role you are always considered a highly valued member of the team. All my team members were extremely accommodating of my training and helped me to feel comfortable in my first few weeks. Towards the end of my placement I asked the whole team for feedback and they got back to me with some really positive feedback on my year.

Throughout the year my management changed due to maternity leave. It was actually a great opportunity for me to experience two different management techniques. Both my managers were incredibly supportive of my learning and helping me to manage the complexity of my work load. My manager was also really supportive of my decision to apply for the grad scheme and helped me to work on my application for this.

In general I was very busy every day on placement. The work load only builds as you feel more confident in your job role and how to manage all systems and processes. I also feel that the work load is dependent on how much you put into the role, I kept asking for more involvement in additional tasks to really make the most of my experience.

I was really surprised by how much responsibility I was given as an intern. From various university lectures I was under the impression that the bigger the company the less responsibility you got. L’Oreal is not like that at all! Every intern had a real level of responsibility in their job roles, they are a fully functioning part of the team.

I feel that the skills I learnt this year will be beneficial in my future aspirations! Although I will take these skills with me when finishing my final year I feel that more importantly they have developed me personally and professionally. I have also managed to put together a portfolio and re built my CV. I feel really confident in getting a job post-graduation in the cosmetic field.

The general atmosphere was busy. Everyone is always very busy, there is always a lot going on. Everyone is very friendly and despite their busy schedules always stops for a chat when passing. There is a great culture within the company where everybody no matter what the job role is welcome and respected.

The overall placement program is really well organised. There is a lot of support within HR and a huge intern community within the office. Throughout your time with the company there is mandatory training sessions, feedback sessions and the opportunity to learn more about additional job roles should you wish too. The structure of setting objectives then having the mid year and end of year review help you as an intern understand how you are performing in your role. It also is the time that you can asses your learning aspirations to make sure you are making the most out of your time.

There is lots of opportunity to learn and develop your skills during your time in the company, The HR department always encourage you to attend Lunch and Learns as well as more formal meetings that discuss other areas of the business. I feel that the level of work you get given is also a way that the company are investing in our education, the more exposure you get during your time the more you learn.

Every intern is encouraged to apply for the graduate scheme. This is very appealing after your time within the company as its a great way to get into the business post-graduation. You get to learn a lot about the graduate scheme during your time with L'Oreal and meet the current grads to here about there experience so far. I full intent to apply for a position on the graduate scheme.

There is an intern comity within the company as they hire around 120 interns a year. The comity does run the odd event throughout the year usual socials in the evenings. As I chose to commute I personally didn't go to many of these as I had to get home however they were always well organised and there was a great atmosphere amongst all the interns.

As Previously mentioned I chose to commute to London so I had my train ticket to pay for, this was extremely expensive. The company did offer a loan for the payment but then it was a very large chunk out of my wages every month. The cost for food and drink was also very expensive, there are lots of team lunches and coffee catch ups where you are expected to use your own money. You can expense things when you are out of the office and working however team lunches and coffee catch ups arranged by yourself are not included in this.

Although as a commuter I did not go to many night events those I went to were great. London always has such a buzz, there is lots to do so, so many lovely places to eat and drink. Its a very social city and really enjoyable to be a part of. The only downfall is that its very expensive to go out, on intern wages you cant fully enjoy the experience.

I did not see the opportunity to get involved in activities outside of work. I was so busy often I would finish late and then just get the train home. On weekends I was not in London and did not go up to London for any activities.