Advocacy & Commmunications Summer Intern Review

As a PR and Communications summer intern, my role is comprehensive and dynamic, contributing significantly to the brand's visibility and success. I am responsible for actively managing product seeding initiatives, ensuring our latest innovations reach key individuals for impactful reviews and features. A core part of my work involves liaising with external PR companies and stakeholders, meticulously coordinating and executing various events to guarantee their seamless operation and desired outcomes. Furthermore, I conduct monthly data analysis to monitor brand performance against competitors, providing valuable insights into market positioning. I also contribute creatively by assisting with the conceptualization and design of engaging themes for our events. Crucially, I facilitate product distribution to influencers, a vital task that generates authentic content and drives successful exposure for our products across relevant channels.

During my PR and Communications summer internship, the team was operating with a reduced capacity as approximately half of the members were on maternity leave. This significantly impacted the workload and required all remaining team members to step up and ensure our responsibilities within the division were still met. A critical instance of this was with the large-scale CeraVe Cloudy Heights event, for which one of the main leaders went on maternity leave just two weeks prior to the event date. My primary task was to adapt quickly to the heightened demands, engaging harder in my role to help compensate for the reduced team size and ensure critical projects progressed without disruption. Specifically for the CeraVe Cloudy Heights event, my task was to ensure all pre-event preparations were completed successfully and to a high standard, despite the absence of a key lead. On the day of the event, I was responsible for interacting with influencers and ensuring the overall smooth and successful execution of the day. I proactively embraced the increased responsibilities, taking on several vital tasks that contributed directly to the success of major projects, closely with the remaining team, demonstrating significant teamwork and resilience to meticulously complete all necessary pre-work, ensuring everything was prepared to a high standard. On the event day, I was allocated to engage with influencers, facilitating connections and ensuring their experience, and subsequently the event's flow, remained seamless and successful. This required me to quickly learn and adapt, especially given that this was a pivot from my initial marketing intern placement. Through my dedicated efforts, the pre-work for the CeraVe Cloudy Heights event was completed successfully and to a high standard, directly contributing to its overall success, allowing the division to maintain its output and performance despite team shortages. This experience was invaluable for my personal and professional growth. It demonstrated my strong resilience and adaptability, particularly as I was able to seamlessly transition from a marketing intern role into the PR and Communications environment. I learned that I can thrive in fast-paced, challenging, and rapidly changing circumstances, consistently delivering high-quality work and collaborating effectively to achieve team goals.

During my internship, I significantly enhanced several key skills. Firstly, my resilience and adaptability were greatly strengthened; stepping into a new PR role from a marketing background, especially during a period of significant team reduction, required me to quickly pivot and take on substantial responsibilities, proving my ability to thrive in fast-paced, challenging environments. This experience fundamentally reshaped my understanding of my own capacity to perform under pressure and embrace change.
Secondly, my teamwork capabilities developed immensely. Working within the CDO Clinic, and specifically collaborating on the monthly data report, truly highlighted the importance of seamless collective effort. We worked closely to ensure accuracy and efficiency, consistently achieving great and cohesive results. This reinforced the power of collaborative synergy in driving exceptional outcomes and taught me the nuances of effective team contribution.
My communication skills have seen substantial improvement since joining L'Oréal. Engaging with a brand new internal team, coordinating with external PR agencies, liaising with various stakeholders, and directly conversing with influencers at events like CeraVe Cloudy Heights pushed me far beyond my comfort zone. This constant interaction has not only refined my ability to convey messages clearly and effectively but has also instilled a much greater confidence in tackling future professional challenges. Reflecting on this, I recognize a profound growth in my interpersonal and professional communication, which I now view as a critical asset for any future role.
Beyond what's already been mentioned, my internship significantly strengthened my project coordination and logistical planning abilities. From meticulously organizing product seedings and dispatching items to influencers, to actively liaising with external PR agencies and orchestrating the pre-event logistics for large-scale initiatives like the CeraVe Cloudy Heights event, I gained invaluable experience in managing multiple moving parts to ensure successful outcomes. This taught me the critical importance of foresight and meticulous organization in executing complex projects efficiently.
Furthermore, my analytical and data interpretation skills saw considerable growth. I was responsible for calculating and analysing monthly brand performance data, comparing our standing against competitors. This involved understanding what the data signified for our strategy and identifying key insights to inform future decisions. This experience honed my ability to translate raw data into actionable intelligence, a skill vital for any applicable field.

The exceptional support from my coworkers and superiors was invaluable, especially with a reduced team. This directly fostered my growth in teamwork, as I learned seamless collaboration, and significantly enhanced my communication skills. Engaging with new internal teams, external PR agencies, and influencers pushed me beyond my comfort zone, boosting my confidence. Reflecting on this, their unwavering support accelerated my learning curve, solidifying my belief in collaborative environments and shaping me into a more confident and capable professional.

The company culture was truly amazing; it felt like a family, incredibly accepting, and fostered an environment where personal growth was actively encouraged. This supportive atmosphere, coupled with abundant opportunities, made it a fantastic place to genuinely flourish both personally and professionally.

Overall, I absolutely loved this internship; it was an incredibly enriching experience that taught me a great deal about myself and my capabilities, all while enjoyably testing and expanding my skills.

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