Commercial Intern - Luxury Products Division Review

by L'Oreal

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.7/5
  • The Role
    4.1
  • The Company
    3.9
  • The Culture
    3.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I have thoroughly enjoyed the past year. I have a huge passion for beauty and I have felt 'in my element' to say the least. The atmosphere at L'Oreal has been so friendly and warm and I felt welcomed from the get go. It is a great place to learn and grow as a person.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • My immediate and wider team are a pleasure to spend the most part of every day of the working week with. As mentioned above, everyone is so warm and welcoming and as time has gone on, it feels as if I am working with friends. Although I am the intern in my team, they have never made me feel like just an intern. I feel like I am valued by the team and have a lot to contribute as well.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My manager has been a pillar through the duration of my placement. From day 1, I have felt as she has had my best interests at heart and has never made me feel like I cannot ask a question. Even with non-work related situations, like when I had my placement project university coursework deadline, she has been more than willing to take the time to help and review my work.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • My answer to this question heavily depends on the time of year. There have been some weeks which have been very chilled out and have meant I can really focus on some long term projects. Equally, there have been periods of the year which are extremely hectic where by I am eating lunch whilst working. Due to the nature of the industry, if there is a big launch upcoming, naturally you are going to be busier.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • Enough responsibility to be valued and make a significant difference. The way I gauge this is by the fact that when I was on annual leave, my absence was noticed. I would have to plan in advance who is going to pick up my daily tasks, as often these affected the whole team. Also when my manager was on AL, I was given the responsibility to take her role on and I was quite literally running the show.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I have most definitely learnt so many new skills and also developed my existing skills as well. To begin with, I have extremely advanced my IT skills: email etiquette and excel skills to name a few. These skills will help me in my final year of university and in any future job I have I am sure.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The brand I specifically worked on was very fun! Always an enthusiastic and excitable atmosphere in office. Huge sense of family, all birthdays of everyone that worked on the brand were celebrated and we were always nicely treated by the managing committee too! Regular happy trolleys and champers sometimes as well!

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Before joining, I wasn't too sure of my role and what the set up of the placement would be. I feel this could have been communicated more clearly. However once joining, we were fully briefed on everything and I understood the process of the placement much more clearly. HR are also very quick ay responding to any queries.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The company invest a lot of time setting up compulsory and optional training sessions. Especially for the new starters, they spend a lot of time providing really efficient and useful learning courses. There is an online platform which you can use to book yourself into training courses, which are free of cost, but with an external company who come into the office and delivery amazing and interactive sessions.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Sports and Social Club

    National Travel

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Working from home

    Travel loan

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Personally, to me, Loreal would be my dream job. I am for sure applying to the management trainee scheme and would love to be accepted onto this. For unsuccessful candidates or those not interested in a traditional grad scheme, there are also other options. Furthermore, I like how there is flexibility to move between brands/divisions/roles to allow for variety in your career.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • There is a very active facebook community of graduates and interns. If you are interested there are various social committees, one for the interns, one per division and also within teams. My year of interns organised some really cool events like a ball on a boat, a few clubbing nights out, plus regular post work drinks at the local pub - which always has Loreal faces to be seen.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Being close to the city, and near the posher area of London, food and drink and activities are expensive. However most places have loyalty scheme or Loreal have negotiated staff discount in many eateries around the office. Also remember, if you are still a student, you can claim discount through that as well in many places. I lived at home, in London, so saved on rent money. As a student who resides in London too, i also had subsidised travel through a student oyster card.

    2/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Hammersmith is a very corporate area and so there really isn't much of a nightlife. The good thing is the transport links are really good, with many buses and 4 tube lines all taking you to central London within 30 mins. As mentioned, there are a couple of pubs and restaurants, which are dominated by loreal staff and so you can always plan to go here after work.

    2/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • You can get as least or as most involved as you wish too. There is no force, but the opportunities are plentiful. They range from charity volunteering, team sports, yoga, TED talks, socials and also smaller organised internal running clubs etc. On top of this, through the year everyone is encouraged to get involved in Citizenship day as well as other opportunities. Recently staff were able to help out at the BAFTAs as Lancome were one of the sponsons.

    5/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

London

May 2019


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