From being a player to an employee: Three Brandstorm Alumni share their journey!

The celebrated annual competition which garners a huge participation from students all around the world🌏 to work on a mission that will help them build their skills on a real business case while being coached by L’Oréal is not only a way to learn more about beauty tech and innovation but is also an excellent avenue to be hired at L’Oréal 💡! Read on to be inspired by three Brandtsorm participants on how they got hired after playing in Brandstorm.

What motivated you to apply for Brandstorm? 📝

Maira: A teacher of mine sent the Brandstorm application to me and my classmates. At the time I didn’t know about innovation challenges in big companies. My friends and I saw it as an opportunity to challenge ourselves, do something really fun together and maybe go to Paris, after all. It was a great opportunity for us to get closer and work on a new project. We thought it would look good on our resume and could improve our soft skills. I particularly got excited because I am very passionate about beauty. So when saw it was L’Oréal, I got even more determined to do my best!

Gavin: I was and am still passionate about the beauty industry and had tried to apply for a position at L’Oréal in the final year of university. Seeing that I did not manage to get the position, I decided to try my shot at Brandstorm with my friends. I was willing to give it all I had to get a job at L’Oréal!

Aakriti: L’Oréal Brandstorm is one of the biggest and most celebrated school competitions in India. Not only does it provide you with the opportunity to come up with some excellent ideas, but also provides you with mentorship and guidance from renowned business experts. L’Oréal also provides with a PPI opportunity to selected students and winners that was a great motivator for us to be a part of the competition. How could we have passed up the opportunity to work for one of the world’s leading beauty tech companies?

Did you know about the opportunity to be hired at L’Oréal when you applied for Brandstorm? 💻

Maira: I actually don’t remember when I found out about the opportunity to be hired but it was really early. On the Brandstorm webpage there was some information about that. There was a special space to upload your resume for future job opportunities as well.

Gavin: I have heard people talk about it, but I carried no expectations, I wanted to go into Brandstorm learning about the beauty industry, as well as learning from business experts from L’Oréal.

Aakriti: Yes, it was one of the biggest motivators for me to participate in L’Oréal Brandstorm.

What were some valuable learnings from Brandstorm? 💡

Maira: I learned to believe in myself even more! One of the first things that I heard from the L’Oréal team was to have a ‘winner attitude’ and that made total sense for me. If you can picture yourself and your teammates taking your idea off the paper in Paris by the end of the challenge you are on the right path. What I mean, is that you have to believe in yourself and in your idea. The idea can always be improved and my group and I were working to the best, making us believe that we could do it. I also learned the importance of teamwork and innovation, you don’t have to be a genius or anything you just have to take a step.

Gavin: The most valuable takeaways I had from Brandstorm would be:

• Insightful sharing sessions by L’Oréal experts: From these sessions, I learned a great deal about working within the industry, consumer insights, tips on approaching ideas as well as Beauty Tech trends across the world
• Mentor program with a L’Oréal senior: We gained a lot of insights on some minute details to consider that would end up being extremely important and that we have not even thought about! The experience and wisdom from our mentor really expanded our knowledge on factors to consider in planning a new innovation.

Aakriti: Brandstorm provided a great learning experience from the very beginning at every step of the journey.

The most important lesson we took away from Brandstorm was the importance of teamwork! Working from three different states and never having met in person, it was difficult to connect at the same time and prepare for the presentations. As a result, we brainstormed methods to bond, support, and give feedback on each other’s flaws while also leveraging each other’s strengths.

Another learning was to go beyond conventions. L’Oréal as a beauty Groupe is very technologically advanced, hence it took a lot of sweat to think of something out of the box. We had to give up on our stubbornness to stick to one idea. We got used to giving up ideas and starting from scratch. This brought the best in us and the idea.

How did you end up at L’Oréal after Brandstorm? 💼

Maira: In Brazil after the national final ended they told us that all 21 national finalists got a golden ticket for the internship program. That meant that we were going to skip a few stages in the internship program and go directly for the interviews. I went to 3 interviews, the first one was to understand where did I fit in and what I liked. Then, they sent me my specific job opportunity and after that, I had an interview with human resources, who sent me to the last interview with my future boss. The whole process was very nice. I really tried my best to show not only my abilities but also my passion for beauty and my desire to be here.

Gavin: My team very humbly, emerged as National Champions in Singapore. We were then each offered a position at L’Oréal to continue learning and gaining experience.

Aakriti: After my team was awarded India’s national winners, we began preparing for the international semi-finals. I was so excited, nervous, and grateful for the opportunity that had come my way even before I moved to my second year. This six-month Brandstorm experience had been extremely gratifying, not just in terms of securing one of the best jobs, but also in terms of learning and networking with the right people.

What tips would you share with future Brandstorm participants? 👀

Maira: Every great idea starts with a real problem, so it’s important to find a great problem and then think about the idea.

1. Creative ideas are usually simple so try not to complicate your idea. A simple idea that solves a great problem will not only be more interesting for the consumer but easier to sell in your pitch.
2. Believe in your idea! If your team has doubts then possibly the L’Oréal judges will have as well. A winning attitude is very important as well, imagine yourself getting hired and working on your idea in Paris.
3. Besides that, enjoy the process! It’s an amazing opportunity to get to know new people from your country, do some networking with the L’Oréal team, get closer to your friends, improve your soft skills, and be spoiled with some great L’Oréal gifts.

Gavin: 1. Never be afraid to try — Don’t doubt your ideas and constantly question and refine them (No idea is bad — even if you convince yourself so sometimes).

2. Keep asking questions! — Keep an open and inquisitive mind.

3. Always think of the consumer and how your ideas will change the game for them!

4. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun and immerse yourself in the Brandstorm experience!

Aakriti: 1. Think outside the box, and let your imagination run wild! Brandstorm is unique in that it is not just another case competition. It allows you to explore horizons that have yet to be found and explored. It allows you to look at the bigger picture, therefore go crazy when coming up with new ideas.

2. But don’t forget to consider scalability, usefulness, and innovation when developing your ideas. Every suggestion must be feasible, or you must be able to envision it being executed.

3. Don’t get too rigid when it comes to changing your ideas 180 degrees. Brandstorm is all about improvision, evolution, and betterment. Let the L’Oréal mentors steer your wheel in the right direction, and take that leap of faith in them. Make sure to keep your minds open to newer and better ideas.

4. Lastly, believe in yourself!

If you would like to immerse yourself in a multicultural atmosphere and excel in the field of beauty innovation, then know more about Brandstorm here:

L'Oréal Brandstorm - Brandstorm 2022