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You’re probably familiar with L’Oréal because your cosmetics bag is filled with products from its popular brands like Kiehl’s, CeraVe, Garnier, and Maybelline (which, same). But did you know that it’s the leading company in beauty tech too?
“Most people don’t really think of tech when they think of the beauty industry,” Grace Leung, the Product Manager Tech Lead on L’Oréal’s IT team focusing on e-commerce and email personalization said. She explained that, “Besides all of the cool physical tech that L’Oreal is building out – like lipstick dispensers, face scanning tools, and more – L’Oréal also understands the importance of data and how we can use what we know about customers to serve them to the best of our ability.”
Grace has been working for L’Oréal full-time on the Digital IT team since graduating college in 2021 and has loved everything about it – from the company culture to the campaigns she works on, to knowing she’s pursuing her passion for working in tech.
Her Campus had the chance to chat with Grace to get more deets about what it’s like working at L’Oréal. She also gave us the inside scoop on what L’Oréal is looking for in a candidate and shared the best ways to score a job there.
Her Campus: What is your role at L’Oréal?
Grace Leung: Product Manager – Digital IT, Personalization/Marketing Tech. As a product manager in the MarTech space, I manage a team of engineers who build out personalized brand campaigns across the site, email, POS (point of sale), and the app.
HC: What’s something that would surprise someone about your role?
GL: Since our team is so lean, although I am a product manager in my roles and responsibilities, I also help out with any front-end campaign development if needed! Our team is extremely close and tight-knit so we like to fill in wherever we can.
HC: What does a typical day in your job entail?
GL: Totally depends on the day. I start with a daily standup — a 15-minute meeting with the team to go over what everyone is working on. Then, I will take 3-5 brand meetings to go over new campaign launches, results from previous campaigns, etc. If there is extra time, I will help out in building out those campaigns.
HC: What’s your favorite part about your job?
GL: My favorite part about the job is working on campaigns and seeing them come to life on the site/email/whatever channel the campaign is deployed on.
HC: What about your favorite thing about working at L’Oréal?
GL: Culture is the best at L’Oréal! There is a great work-life balance and I am friends with a lot of the people I work with!
HC: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
GL: Just relax, things will work themselves out if you work hard! Also, don’t be shocked if you have imposter syndrome, that will also work itself out with time. Last thing: work on your soft skills — communication is 90% of the job!
HC: What did you major in? Did you know you wanted to work in tech?
GL: I majored in Management Information Systems (MIS), and I did know! I loved my major so I wanted to continue down that path post-grad.
HC: Did you do anything outside of taking classes that helped you get your start in tech?
GL: I had a summer internship at L’Oréal during the summer of 2020. I was also in a marketing organization on campus that gave me internship experience!
HC: What’s a career experience that you’ve learned from?
GL: Take responsibility for the mistakes that you make! It’s normally not the mistake that is such a big deal, rather than the way you handle it after.
HC: What is one of the most exciting things you’ve accomplished at L’Oréal?
GL: We onboarded one of our biggest brands onto our personalization platform. It was a huge undertaking as we had to integrate across site, POS, app, and email. Now across all channels, you are able to see personalized banner campaigns as well as personalized product recommendations.
HC: What skills does L’Oréal look for when hiring entry-level technology?
GL: Knowledge in coding logic, but most of the roles you are able to learn on the job. Interviews are mainly behavioral and we just want to see that you are a good fit!
HC: For someone who wants to work at L’Oréal, what’s one thing you would tell them so they can stand out?
GL: Again culture is a huge part of L’Oréal, so show your personality from the get-go and make sure you are able to work well in a team.
HC: What types of roles across internships and full-time positions does L’Oréal offer?
GL: They offer internships in Tech, Marketing, R&I, Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain. There are also a lot of full-time open roles across all functions. Check the career site!
HC: What advice would you give to women who want a career in technology?
GL: Speak up! Don’t be afraid to disagree with someone, people are always impressed when new ideas are shared, and that’s how the industry grows!
For more information on how you can land your dream job in tech at L’Oréal, head to their job board!