Updating Results

L'Oréal Australia and New Zealand

4.2
  • #4 in Retail & consumer goods
  • 50,000 - 100,000 employees

Lucy Campbell

I would like to believe that the possibilities are endless! The Management Trainee program has been great for equipping me with a range of diverse skills that are applicable to many different industries and roles.

What roles have you had at your company?

Since joining L’Oreal 18 months ago I’ve been lucky enough to experience three different functions and roles within the business. In my first 6-month rotation of the Management Trainee program I worked in the Professional Products Division. As a marketing team member, I worked closely with the Product Manager for Hair Colour to accelerate the Redken brand, using strategic initiatives that linked marketing and education. For my second rotation, I packed up my bags and moved to the Consumer Products Division where I joined the Category Development team. In this role I supported the Category Manager for Hair, unpacking retailer specific business problems and using market insights to develop shopper centric growth plans that were mutually beneficial for our customers and our brands.

In my final rotation, I remained in the Consumer Products Division but moved across to join the Traditional Pharmacy and Priceline Commercial account teams. In this role, I was fortunate enough to work on an exciting project that was quickly accelerated in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With an enforced lockdown and strict social distancing rules in place, it was evident we needed to adapt and scale quickly. Working in collaboration with the cross divisional project team, we successfully re-launched an online ordering platform for our Traditional Pharmacy customers, giving them the ability to place orders 24/7 and reducing the need for in-person store visits from our Sales Reps during this time.

What was your journey in choosing your specialisation?

For me, my journey as a Management Trainee has been full of variety and colour! I’ve been able to explore a variety of different functions that exist within a consumer products company, and through that, identify roles, tasks and skills that I enjoy and really gravitate towards. I wouldn’t say I’ve truly found my calling yet or am a specialist in any one particular area, but I believe that’s one of the greatest things about working for a company like L’Oreal. You have the ability to pave your own career path and explore many different areas of the business before deciding on your own specialisation. My next role will still be in the commercial function of the Consumer Products Division, but this in no way limits me to working in the commercial space for the rest of my career. There are always opportunities to explore new roles or learn and develop new skills!

Can you describe a typical work day in your current role? What was the last thing you worked on?

It’s almost impossible to share a ‘typical work day’ in my current role as I find myself working on different tasks or projects every day. However, at the moment, the commercial team in CPD is doing a lot of planning and work for the year ahead, ensuring we have strong growth plans in place for the next 12 months. It’s an exciting time when we come together as a cross-functional CPD team to start planning, brainstorming and strategising for the next 12 months of exciting new launches, campaigns, activations and events!

What are the career prospects with your job? Where could you or others in your position go from here?  

I would like to believe that the possibilities are endless! The Management Trainee program has been great for equipping me with a range of diverse skills that are applicable to many different industries and roles. Personally, having worked predominantly in the Consumer Products Divison in both the category and commercial teams during my time at L’Oreal to date, I would like to continue to pursue a career in this space.

Over the next 5 years, roles such as a National Account Executive, National Account Manager or a Category Development Manager are definitely possibilities, but who knows where my career will take me! I prefer to remain open minded and to seize opportunities as they present themselves.  

What’s the biggest limitation of your job? Do you bear a lot of responsibility? Do you have to work on weekends? Are the stress levels high? 

Working at L’Oreal and more specifically, working in the Consumer Products Division, can bare its occasional limitations. We are an incredibly fast-moving, adaptive and agile business which is amazing to be a part of – but I’m not going to lie, at times it’s hard to keep up! Most of the time I find that I perform at my best in this type of environment, however, there are always going to be busy periods where you have an increased workload and a number of looming deadlines to meet. This can certainly be a little stressful. However, I now have a few tactics up my sleeve that help me manage my workload during these busy periods. You soon figure out what works for you and roll with it!  

It’s important to note you will always have a supportive team to rally around you too! The people I work with at L’Oreal are genuine, caring and always willing to help out or steer you in the right direction. As for working on weekends, this is something I haven’t yet had to do during my time at L’Oreal. There have been the occasional late nights here and there, but on the most part, L’Oreal as a company is really encouraging of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. It’s important to set boundaries and allow yourself the time to switch off, reset and recharge when you get the opportunity.  

Which three pieces of advice would you give to a current university student?

  • Don’t worry if you’re still unsure about what you want to do or what role you want to secure when you graduate from university. The next few years are about putting your skills into action and exploring the many possibilities that await you! Be sure to stay open minded, positive and up for a challenge. Apply for programs or roles that excite you!
  • A rejection letter only means you’re one step closer to finding the right role for you! That one clearly wasn’t it. Don’t take it personally and don’t lose hope. Believe in your ability, take on feedback, pick yourself up and throw your energy into the next application. The comeback is always stronger than the setback!
  • Network, network, network. I know students out there have probably heard this advice time and time again, but I 100% back it. Make the most of the networking opportunities available to you whilst you’re at uni! Go to that meet and greet event with industry professionals, volunteer on a committee with other students or attend that alumni networking night. Don’t underestimate the connections you will make, the conversations you will have, the opportunities that will open up and the value of having those people in your network. I was fortunate enough to meet some great people during my time as a student – many of whom are now mentors of mine who I still keep in contact with today!