Visual Merchandising Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my year at L'Oreal, and it has been an incredible, eye-opening experience. I have learnt a huge amount about an industry that I am very passionate about, as well as having gained an invaluable awareness of how an large company at the fore-front of its field operates.

For the most part I have felt very valued across the whole of my division, forming strong relationships with people across all brands and functions. This has been integral to making my year so enjoyable, and a strong network has enabled me to perform much better in my role. At the beginning I have felt that it is important for you to emphasise your key skills to your team in order to ensure that you can use these skills on relevant tasks, and this will ultimately mean you do a better job and are valued more by your colleagues.

I have been exposed to varying management styles which has been my biggest learning curve, but this has given me a vital understanding going forward into future roles. Generally, I have been supported very well by my managers and other managers across L'Oreal, on both a professional and personal level, and I have received a lot of helpful advice.

The role has been very busy, especially as I have been working across four very diverse brands. At the beginning, the level of work was quite overwhelming, however, over the year I have developed skills to manage the complexity of the work. There is never a dull moment, especially if you put yourself forward for extra projects where you have more responsibility.

Generally you are given a high level of responsibility from Day One. I have found that the level of responsibility that you are given often depends on the different management styles who you work with, however it has been really valuable for me to ask for more responsibility as this has given me more fulfillment and has allowed me to showcase my skills. It has also allowed me to have a greater contribution to the brands, and make more of an impact.

100% Skills for Life. I have learnt so many invaluable skills that I will take forward with me into future roles, for example networking, negotiating, time management, project planning, and presenting. I have learnt the importance of strong relationships on both a personal and professional level, as well as how best to work under different management styles. Alongside this I have gained a huge amount of knowledge about the beauty and retail industry, as well as the divison that I am in. I couldn't recommend it more.

The passion for beauty, and for the work at hand, is palpable in the office on a daily basis. Sometimes there is tension due to high pressure and deadlines, but this is offset by the positive energy of the teams. There is a good social atmosphere, especially due to the fact that there are a lot of young people working here.

I have felt a bit disappointed in the support that I have been given from my University relating to my placement, especially during the initial application process. However, during my placement the overall organisation has been very good from L'Oreal, and it has been very easy to contact HR for support when needed. It has been very beneficial to have so many other interns in the same position, in order to get extra information or support.

L'Oreal has a great attitude to development, and they invest a lot into training and development, for example running schemes such as 'Lunch & Learn'. All employees are put through appropriate training for their brands and when they first start everyone has inductions with all departments within their division. For all permanent employees there is a very in-depth learning scheme, which I think would be very valuable for Interns to also benefit from.

I am currently in the process of applying for the L'Oreal Management Trainee Scheme.

Very good!

Quite expensive, but you get by!

There is plenty to do in London!

Plenty.