How We Recruit at L’Oréal!
Have you ever wondered how to join one of our teams at L’Oréal? We like to keep it interesting here, just liking creating your own job description, you can also create your own recruitment story! We have heard plenty of stories from our employees, but we picked a few to share some of the most common ways to get recruited here 😉 Let us introduce you to: Ricardo, Product Developer in Consumer Product Division; Daniil, Digital and eCommerce Manager; Megha, Business Development Director — Travel Retail; and Reem, Young Talent Project Manager.
Let’s start with a short introduction 🤝
Ricardo: I studied Engineering Technology with a focus on Manufacturing Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET). The degree is quite diverse, in that we learn everything from gear design, to material compositions (plastics, glass, metals), but also various workshop techniques such as welding, use of lathe and CNC machines.
Megha: Born as an Untouchable “Dalit” and schooled in a catholic convent in a village in India, I shifted to Bangalore to complete my engineering. I began my career as an engineer in Information Technology in India in 2004 and worked in the field of Telecommunications, Healthcare. I got introduced to ESSEC Business School in France that taught Luxury Brand Management as an MBA course tailor-made to enter this industry. I felt it in my gut that this is exactly what I was meant to do.
Daniil: I was studying management and my work is totally about management in different ways — project management, relationship management, etc. I strongly believe that my education helps me a lot because it taught me teamwork, leadership, and other skills that correspond with L’Oreal competencies.
Reem: My first Bachelor was in Economics, and so I worked for a couple of years in audit and consulting until I decided that the world of work psychology and HR awaits 😊 I quit my job, went back to school, did a Bachelor in Psychology and then a Masters in Occupational Psychology. I am working in the field of HR now which is the applied métier of occupational psychology
How did you ultimately land at L’Oréal?
Daniil: Actually I was recruited to L’Oréal twice — once for a Summer Internship “A Taste of L’Oréal” and the second time for a Manager-Trainee Program(MTP) which I am still doing now 😊 The first time round, it started with my application to the internship program on the careers website which I became aware thanks to my university! The second time, I was already close to graduation so the graduate recruitment manager called me and offered to pass some of the interviews for MTP-position (because I had already done my internship there!)
Ricardo: During my Junior year of university, I had received an invitation from L’Oreal for one of their workshops about their rotational Management Development Program, and this was something that caught my eye. At the workshop, I went up and talked to one of the recruiters, whom to this day I credit for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to join L’Oreal. I remember our discussion centered around my passion for product development of consumer goods. The next day, I left with an interview for the Summer Internship Program schedule for the coming days. And finally, at the conclusion of my internship, I received a full-time offer to join the company in the Florence Manufacturing Plant and the rest is history!
Megha: My recruitment was a very different one as it did not follow the normal process of applying via the website or headhunter presenting an opportunity. I was referred by my mentor and the CEO of my previous job to meet M. Jean-Claude Le Grand. Hence, I had the opportunity to meet him for my first interview. After the interview that went very well, very soon I received a call from the Travel Retail HR Director Michael Kienle who I met and following which there were few others (Gianguido, Astrid, etc) who I met before I received an offer to join the Travel Retail team. In the meantime, I was also introduced to other employees at L’Oréal to understand better the culture and growth opportunities. It sounded very promising and it was a pleasure to have met them all!
Reem: I was actually a first year masters student at the time and I was looking for a part-time internship opportunity! I saw a job offer on LinkedIn for HR interns and applied via LinkedIn. I got called back a few days later for a quick phone interview asking about pragmatic information such as when I would be available to start, etc. I was then invited to participate to a super fun half-day assessment center with other candidates. At this point it unfortunately did not happen for me as all of the managers were looking for full-time interns but I was invited to connect with the recruiters again a few months later, which of course I did! 🥳 I was finishing my second year as a masters student and was looking for a full-time internship and so I was invited to have an exploratory interview with the HR recruiter. I heard back about 2 or 3 weeks and was invited to interview for a first opportunity. The discussion went well but the manager expressed with a lot of transparency that she was looking for someone with communications experience with was obviously not me 😊 I still felt super ‘wanted’ because I was then positioned by the recruiter on a second potential mission which was IDEAL for me. The interview with the manager was so much fun, I heard back a few days, started a few weeks later, finished my internship with this team, signed a short-term with this team, signed a permanent contract with that same team. They say you never forget your first experience with an employer, I definitely won’t forget mine!
How long was your recruitment process? ⏳
Daniil: In total it was about 2.5 months, not too long! It consisted of several steps — at first I was interviewed via phone call, then I also did an online test, and afterwards I was invited to 3-day assessment exercise which included solving a case with a team of other applicants and personal interview with HR and hiring manager.
Ricardo: Very fast, it took one month in total. I remember the recruitment moved at an incredibly fast pace, where even soon after I finished my phone interview with the Consumer Product Division Development group, I received an offer about 3 hours later to join the Garnier Skincare team. I was beyond ecstatic! I loved the fast pace, the ambitious and dedicated people around the company, and the unlimited opportunities it presented.
Megha: It was a very fast one as I was recruited and confirmed in a very short period of time. My interviews started in the month of June last year and I was offered the position of Business Development Director for the India and Indian Sub-Continent for Travel Retail by end of August. I was pleasantly and positively surprised that it went so quickly!
Reem: I mentioned it earlier as it goes hand-in-hand with my whole recruitment process. Once I applied on LinkedIn, I heard back a few day later. The second round was more 2–3 weeks. Overall, each time went pretty quickly!
Did you consider L’Oréal before you ultimately joined?
Daniil: It was the middle of my bachelor studying process so I had just started exploring the market in terms of potential employers for me. Receiving the e-mail with info about the internship from my school was very relevant for me and I started to explore info about the company — a bit later it was a very easy decision for me to submit an application for this program.
Ricardo: Coming from Texas, where Oil & Gas companies reign supreme in the recruiting of engineers at all career fairs, L’Oréal was never a company that I knew about, sought out, and much less planned to dedicate a career to. In fact, the top company that I wanted to work for was our competitor, Procter & Gamble! So how is it that managed to land a career at L’Oréal? It can all be boiled down to one word: Luck 🍀
Megha: Yes. I did think of applying to L’Oréal before I was recruited as I had heard the strength of mobility, diversity and opportunities at L’Oréal were very well managed. Also, I was looking forward to work in a commercial role after my experience in luxury marketing for 7.5 years in my previous job (prior to which I worked in the field of Engineering for 6 years). I knew that L’Oréal does not put anyone in a box and opens doors that can help one strengthen their skills. For me, it’s an honor to get to work for a prestigious French Group such as L’Oréal whose brand name is trusted around the world. It was a natural next step for me.
Reem: Honestly not specifically. As an HR profile, I wasn’t looking for any specific industry but more for the actual role that would make me grow, test, challenge myself, etc. When I saw the job ad and applied, I shared the news with some of my French friends (I am from Lebanon and not a French citizen at that point 😊) and received so many positive reactions saying L’Oréal is such a good place to learn and that starting there would be a great first move! I had already worked in multinationals before and had some FMCG experience so a next step in L’Oréal made sense for me !
What’ next? Come create your own recruitment story and join us!
