As a top Fortune 500 company and the #1 beauty company in the world, L’Oréal has established itself as an industry giant. In their 100+ years of existence, L’Oréal has pioneered sustainability initiatives, shifted boundaries, and paved the way for some of the most groundbreaking innovations in their respective realm.
There are several factors that contributed to L’Oréal building the legacy that they have today, but one of the most influential is their dedication to hiring only the most unique, driven, and passionate minds in the job marketplace. How do they do that you might ask? By creating an application and interview process that strives to reach individuals from all walks of life and every kind of demographic.
While most potential candidates rarely get the opportunity to find out what is to be expected during an application and interview process, WayUp got the chance to speak with a couple of current recruiters at L’Oréal to offer a behind-the-scenes perspective on how you can secure a job at one of the most innovative companies in the world.
Exemplify your passion
At L’Oréal, they want to know that you’re passionate about something. It doesn’t even have to be related to beauty or cosmetics necessarily!
Take Tangela Woodley for example, a Talent Acquisition Manager who studied at the University of Michigan and was an active member of the student improv group on campus. The recruiter interviewing Tangela saw that her passion for improv was something that got her excited and something she committed herself to.
Not only that, but the recruiter also saw some transferable skills that Tangela could take from her talents from improv to the workspace, such as her ability to think on the spot. It served as a perfect example of how much of herself she pours into something she cares about.
Stay away from copy and paste responses
As far as interviews go, nothing is worse than a prospective employee reading from notes they have written on their screen. Michael Wehbè, Manager of Talent Acquisition at L’Oréal, said he can tell “when a person is reading something they’ve prepared as you can see their eyes moving.” Michael also went on to explain how much of a disconnect that creates when interviewees aren’t being their authentic selves. After all, L’Oréal wants every employee to feel empowered to express themselves freely.
The recruiter already knows what’s on your resume and cover letter. Use the interview as a time to show them who you really are and take the opportunity to have a real human connection with the person you’re talking to. That brings us to our next piece of advice for the interview process: Be personable.
Show your personality
When you allow yourself to be your true authentic self and let your personality shine, you put your mind in a position to think clearer. In other words, a good attitude can have a positive impact on your productivity!
But productivity aside, no one wants to work with a robot. During your interview, the recruiter is going to look for characteristics that go beyond hard and soft skills. They want to know that you’re someone who the current employees are going to enjoy working with.
Research the company
One of the biggest red flags that recruiters have seen in interviews and application processes is someone who doesn’t research the company prior to applying. Some current students and recent graduates have a tendency to fill out mass applications all at once without really looking into each company. What this shows to the recruiter is that you’re not passionate about the role or the company and that you’re just looking for a job.
In a L’Oréal interview, expect to be asked what about the company or industry interests you. Recruiters will be able to recognize if you are giving an informed and educated response or if you’re throwing something together on the spot. Interested in learning more about L’Oréal? Check out their WayUp profile page.
Don’t be afraid to talk about hardships
Life will never go 100% perfectly. And neither will work or your job. L’Oréal is a company that is well aware of that so they want to know that you can handle difficult situations and that you’re able to overcome them while making the correct changes to avoid them in the future.
Keep an open mind
Although you may be applying for a particular position, try to keep an open mind towards other opportunities that might be available. More often than not, the person interviewing you may also be looking to fill other positions besides the one you might have applied for.
Talent can be expressed in many different ways. If you don’t happen to fit the match for the position you are applying for, you may meet the criteria for another role and secure a job.
Demonstrate a willingness to learn
L’Oréal operates in a landscape that is constantly changing and shifting in unpredictable ways. And because of this trend employees need to be able to adjust and shift in the same ways to be able to keep up with the industry and do their job correctly. This means you need to demonstrate an ability to pick up new skills, or what L’Oréal calls “learning agility,” one of their five dimensions of potential.
They want someone with learning agility because you need to be flexible across various departments or to stay adaptive in a changing environment, this hard skill will put a crown on your application.
The most important tip – APPLY
At the end of the day, L’Oréal is looking for individuals who have a unique value that they can add to and grow within the company. What that value might take the form of will vary from person to person – It is the recruiter’s job to be able to recognize that, but it’s your job to take a chance on yourself and go for the opportunity. Whatever might be holding you back from applying doesn’t compare with the chance to work at a company that can propel the rest of your professional career to places you’ve never imagined.
