Visual Merchandising Intern Review

My industrial placement has been both challenging, insightful and enjoyable. L'Oreal as a company gives interns large amounts of responsibility very early on. Whilst this is daunting at first it has allowed me to really take on the role and make it my own which has added to my enjoyment in the company. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and continue to learn more every day. L'Oreal also has a great intern community so it is easy to make friends, share knowledge and have support when and where needed. This is also crucial in assessing how much I have enjoyed my placement as often when the role can be challenging you always have help in the form of HR, your team or fellow interns.

L'Oreal is split into a number of divisions (Professional Products, Consumer Products, Luxury and Active cosmetics). Each division is then split into brands and then teams dependent on your role which can mean that each team is quite small. This can be beneficial from a learning perspective as you are trusted with your own projects and responsibilities. However, often this mean you get passed on a lot of work from multiple divisions and it can often be difficult to say no which is difficult. It is often hard for colleagues to see how much work you on unless you make it clear. This gets easier with time and I have learnt that it is crucial than you learn how to push back and say no so you can fulfill responsibility well rather than taking too much on and letting people down.

L'Oreal assigns each intern a line manager to guide you throughout your placement. I have found mine incredibly supportive both in work and personally. Your line manager can often act as a barrier between yourself and senior management which is imperative for a healthy working environment. L'Oreal's HR department for interns and management trainees has been excellent, setting up meetings, lunch and learns and reviews to ensure that if we come across any issues we have every opportunity to discuss how we are feeling.

Tasks vary from day to day but I have never had a day where I had nothing to do. I was busy every day but work load can often builds up in busy periods such as Christmas or new launches. However, if you forward plan and organise your time well enough makes time pressures much more manageable. Tasks vary from week to week but I have found that you are always in charge of your own schedule so as long as you are able to priorities tasks you can avoid missing deadlines, having to stay late and having to push back. It is inevitable that this may happen sometimes but there is always help at hand if needed.

Initially, L'Oreal was described to me as 'sink or swim'. This meaning that you are pushed into the deep end from the offset. This can be scary but I really believe that this is helps hugely in settling into your role as there is no better way to get to know your role than through hands on work. With only a one week handover period I was able to pick up and learn the basic tasks within a matter of weeks. This allowed me to sink my teeth into bigger projects earlier on and I felt fully comfortable in my role within a matter of months. L'Oreal has a very fast paced atmosphere so responsibility is crucial as if you don't complete something there is no one there to do it for you which encourages self-motivation.

On reviewing the job requirements I have been able to assess my current performance against the key competencies of the job role. Comments to follow the individual point: - Have strong communication and interpersonal skills (I feel I have been able to show my adaptability and flexibility with my interpersonal skills as I often have to be sensitive with my communication to different people) - Be a good all round performer with an emphasis on creativity and numerical skills (I feel I have achieved a balance of numerical skills and creativity) I have been able to develop and deploy a positive attitude throughout my work and take pride in my ability to uplift and be a positive influence on my team. I have become more confident in myself allowing me to take initiative without thinking too much about implications. For example, if I know something needs doing I will action instead of waiting for a prompt. I have good self-motivation but could benefit from continuing to begin projects early to ensure everything is completed on time. All of this will assist and help me excel in my degree studies and beyond.

The office is split amongst 8 floors and has a very open plan atmosphere. This is good for causal meetings in the lounge area or more formal meetings in booked meeting rooms. The atmosphere is friendly and allows for easy idea sharing without fear of over expression. Fridays are dress down which encourages a wind down before the weekend and L'Oreal introduces summer hours in June which means the working day finishes at 3pm on a Friday which I think encourages productiveness throughout the week.

The placement induction and handover week takes place over around the big CEO visit from Paris. Whilst it is organized well and encourages team bonding it can often be a stressful time for teams and interns as a whole. I would suggest pushing back the start date a few weeks. However, it does encourage past pace learning and how to work under pressure which can be positive. Otherwise, the brand, division and team introductions were well structured and helped us settle in quickly.

The company have a learn as you go approach. I have been lucky enough to travel the country with my role and have found it very useful in my development as I have been able to visit suppliers, stores and stakeholders. I think the firm have invested a lot of time in my development by encouraging networking and online learning. However, the online tests and training can often take hours at a time so I would suggest factoring in some diary time for everyone to complete.

L'Oreal encourage intern to apply for the graduate scheme which hires predominantly from the current interns. Our encouragement comes from our map forms which plan our personal and professional objectives for the year. The graduate scheme offers a number of rotations which is great if you haven't settled on your chosen stream. L'Oreal also offer great job opportunities outside of the grad scheme which is great if they do not offer a role within your chosen division.

There is an intern committee which includes a social sec, president, newsletter etc. This is great as it encourages intern socialization. The majority of interns also start L'Oreal at the same time which means that a large number live together. This creates strong friendships and support should anyone need it. There are also a large number of grads and PR assistants which you are encouraged to network and socialize with.

Cost of living in London is high but as the office is not central it makes finding accommodation easier. However, living costs are high and if you can't gain help through family or student loan I really think you would struggle to live on the current intern wage. There is always lots to do and it is an almost guarantee that you will have a healthy work/life balance but this often comes at a cost and money will be tight. London is a great city to live and work in and I would highly recommend.

Hammersmith is great for food and drinks. It also has easy access to Westfields and central and greater London. I would recommend living in Shepherd's Bush or South West/Clapham area if you are not able to live at home.

There are a number of opportunities through joining sports teams, charity work or runs. London is always bustling and if you are looking for things to do you can always find something. I would suggest getting a group together or downloading apps such as dojo or dice for things such as current events in the area, festivals and music gigs.