Driving Success in the Beauty Industry: A Glimpse into L’Oreal’s Management Trainee Program with Denisa, Petre and Irina
Are you looking for a dynamic and hands-on program to launch your career in the beauty industry? Look no further than L’Oreal SeedZ Management Trainee Program
Over the course of 13 months, 3 trainees have the unique opportunity to experience and grow in a variety of functions around L’Oreal Romania, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the industry and developing the skills necessary to become future leaders.
From in-depth training to global exposure, our trainees are immersing themselves in the industry and gaining invaluable experience that sets them apart from the competition.
Don’t just take our word for it- we invited the current generation of trainees to share their experiences and tell you why L’Oreal should be at the top of your list
Petre Smarandache, Irina Popescu, Denisa Balint
1. Tell us a bit about your journey as a Management Trainee. Where did it start and where did it bring you to?
Denisa: My incredible journey being an MT started unexpectedly yet I consider it one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I have just graduated from my university in Barcelona and focused my dissertation on AR and AI within the beauty industry so naturally I started researching more and more about L’Oréal and fell in love with the company and its values. I started visualizing myself working in the company and so my hunt for a job started.
Petre: I started with little knowledge related to FMCG and how a business works in this area. Gradually I discovered many components that made it clear for me. I learned about the importance of divisions and departments within a multinational company, training my skills at the same time.
Irina: My adventure as an MT began in the Luxe Division, as part of the Commercial team. The main project I had to organize was to keep track and analyse the return on investment on the visibility campaigns of our brands in physical stores and websites. It felt like quite a challenge in the beginning, but I have managed to successfully deliver it. After 6 exciting and beautiful months, I had the pleasure to experience one month of field visits with all 4 divisions. To be honest, it has definitely been one of my favorite parts of the MT programme because it was dynamic and I developed a better perspective of the overall business. I spent the following 6 months as part of the Active Cosmetics Division, continuously learning and discovering the complex and interesting aspects of E-commerce.
Looking back at it all, not only did I develop certain professional skills and gained a better understanding of the beauty business, but I also improved multiple soft skills such as time management and analytical thinking. I must say that applying for the MT programme is one of the best decisions a young graduate can make for his/her future and development.
2. How was the selection process you went through?
Denisa: The selection process was a fairly complex one, consisting in 4 stages. We passed through an assessment center and various interviews with people from different management levels of the company. Although a bit challenging, I can say it was a beautiful experience from which I learned a lot.
Petre: The selection process was quite challenging, requiring almost all my attention during that period. It was a long process, with quite a few stages that brought a favorable result.
Irina: The selection process was a bit long and challenging, but rewarding at the same time. My favorite part of the recruitment process was creating a two minute video of ourselves. I saw it as a great opportunity to get creative and original and I thought of it as the perfect chance to tell my story the best way I can!
3. Why was MT by L’Oréal your top choice for your career start?
Denisa: I wanted to immerse myself in the company as much as I possibly could and so as an MT you have the privilege of being exposed to every aspect of the business. When I got the role, I saw it as a ‘golden ticket’, I had access to some very experienced individuals within the company, I was able to work with managers and solve various challenges, I really felt humbled by the amount of precious information I gained every day. I had the opportunity of getting to know L’Oréal from inside out and this enriched me with the bigger picture, which made me further in love with the company.
Petre: This opportunity was an experience that I needed. I wanted to know as well as possible how a large business works and at the same time to train some skills that will help me throughout my career.
Irina: I randomly came across the MT program while searching for internships and as soon as I started reading the job description I knew it was a great opportunity for a fresh bachelor graduate like myself. On top of that, I’ve been reading about L’Oréal’s corporate culture and it felt like the perfect environment in which I can achieve personal growth and professional development. To be honest, I also applied for some internships within L’Oréal, but my biggest wish was to get accepted into the MT programme because it seemed to be the most diverse and interesting: being able to discover multiple divisions, have different projects and also gain an overall better understanding of the business due to the one month of field visits.
4. What skills have you developed the most during this experience?
Denisa: I appreciated that I had the chance to further nurture my own skills and I was allowed to be curious and explore them more. I learned how to deal with having autonomy and this came with also with responsibilities and being able to time-manage. I learned how to express my creativity within a framework and how to effectively work in a team. Being an MT really helped me evolve as an individual.
Petre: Most of all, I developed my digital marketing and e-commerce skills. But those of project management and communication are also worth mentioning
Irina: The entire MT experience has definitely provided me with a set of skills, both technical and soft. One of the most useful things I have learned is how to effectively work as part of a team and bring added value through my projects, while also improving my analytical thinking. I discovered which commercial strategies are used within the beauty business and how to choose the most appropriate one for your product. It was very complex and challenging at times, but the experience and overview that you gain through the end is definitely worth it!
5. Tips you would give to someone who wants to join the program?
Denisa: Be curious and passionate. Visualize yourself in ‘a day at the office’. Is it something you see yourself doing? Do you have an innate passion towards all things beauty and tech? Persevere, ask questions, be open and have lots of fun, L’Oreal is one of the company that truly allows you to do so.
Petre: You should be open to this experience if you want to better understand how a business works, especially in FMCG. Be open to overcome any obstacle that comes your way and learn something from it. This is a friendly space where you can have a good start in your career.
Irina: Go for it and leave all your worries and doubts behind! From my point of view, it’s the best experience for a young graduate who wants to develop different professional skills and discover the world of beauty! You’ll be able to have an overview of the entire business in order to know what you enjoy doing, what you maybe don’t like that much and then, based on that, take the most suitable career decision.
Inspired by their story? Keep an eye on how you can be the next Management Trainee of L’Oreal Romania here: careers.loreal.com
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