Summer Internship: A Day in the Life of Louis Jimenez
Finance Major
Louis Jimenez, Finance major.
Hello! My name is Louis Jimenez Gil, I am a fourth-year Finance major at San Diego State University. This summer I had the opportunity to be a Sales Analyst Intern at the #1 Beauty Company in the World, L’Oreal!
L’Oreal is a French company that owns over 36 brands and reaches consumers worldwide. Its omnichannel business strategy has generated revenues of over 29 billion EUR in 2019. L’Oreal’s portfolio is separated into 4 divisions; Consumer Products, Professional Products, LUXE, and Active Cosmetics. I was in the Consumer Products Division.
What attracted me to L’Oreal initially was that I knew this was going to be a fast-paced work environment where I could develop a new set of skills. My work revolved around data analytics, reporting, storytelling, and providing recommendations around the data. Landing this internship was not an easy job. I went up against 28,015 applicants for the intern class of 2021 and L’Oreal only selected 121 interns across all functions for the U.S. offices, with 10 in Sales. I like to refer to this as my Harvard experience.
Welcome to a day in the life of a Sales Analyst Intern at L’Oreal USA:
6:15 am - I usually wake up within 5 or 10 minutes of 6:15 am. I like to begin my day with a hot cup of my favorite tea and watch Fox Business. I proceed to check the financial markets and do some day trading before I have to get ready for work. Being on the West coast, we are three hours behind the offices on the East coast which means sometimes heading straight to meetings as soon as you wake up.
7:15 am - This is time to check my email, prepare for meetings and have a brief discussion with my manager and update her with what I plan on working on today. My manager, Rachel Misko, is the Director of National Accounts for L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics for the Walgreens Account and it’s imperative to check in throughout the day and debrief first thing in the morning.
8:00 am - I will typically have my first meeting around this time. As an intern, I get to sit in on different meetings with Directors and some VP’s where they will discuss hot topics. Directors from different retailers strategize their plan for product launches, discuss important sales figures, elaborate on new opportunities for viral trends on social media, and brainstorm future projects. In these meetings, I get a feel for what is going on nationally with L’Oreal Paris products.
9:15 am - I will have my first stretch of the day and eat breakfast. I like to take some time out of my day here to plan what the remainder of my day will look like. Usually planning what data might be useful to look over for my Summer Project. This is also the time I start sending out weekly reports I’ve helped refresh for the team including a Market Share Report, Category Share Report, Topline Weekly Business Review, and a Promo Tracker.
10:00 am - This is where the fun stuff comes in. I have access to L’Oreal’s databases, where I can see data ranging from changes in dollar/unit sales of products to consumer insights such as customer trips, and customer baskets sizes. This helps me illustrate a story around the data. I get to create a narrative of what the data shows and point out where the opportunity for business at L’Oreal is.
Jimenez and fellow L'Oreal interns.
11:30 am - Around this time, I will usually have a meeting with my mentor or meet a new person at the company from a different function. My mentor for the summer at L’Oreal provided me with several contacts I can reach out to and set up a time to meet, where I can ask questions and receive insights on their side of the business. From finance to marketing and category development teams.
12:00 pm - Lunchtime is here! Since I spent all summer coming in and out of Florida and Cancun, I will head for a stroll on the beach or go for a run. This is my hour to clear my head and re-energize. Lunch will mostly be a reservation on the beach or if I’m in and out of airports I will settle for a sandwich.
1:00 pm - Work on Summer Project. I begin to crunch down the numbers on Excel to find averages, trends, and sort out patterns. Then I input the data nicely into my PowerPoint that I will have to present at the end of the summer. Working at L’Oreal I learned that presentation is very important and your PowerPoints must represent quality work and great attention to detail. My project leveraged an e-commerce strategy, social media, and eventing strategy.
2:30 pm - I will have a daily touch base with my manager, where I will discuss all the insights I found and how I plan on moving forward with my project tomorrow. My daily call with my manager is my favorite part of the day, because it's a non-formal discussion where I can ask her questions. From career advice or learn more about the business of Walgreens such as customer insights, to P&L’s, and the landscape of social media and how it’s shifting. She really wants me to succeed at L’Oreal!
3:15 pm - Clock-out, probably off to an adventure in Tulum on my moped...
Some of my accomplishments this summer were:
- 1 of 4 interns chosen to share their experience on LinkedIn with over 3.7MM followers.
- Shared my Summer Project ideas over virtual lunch with the President of L'Oreal Paris USA
- Built a business plan for Lash Paradise with a projected return of investment of 2.1:1 or $549K
- Balancing 2 Finance classes whilst being a full-time intern and auditioning for CBS Survivor!
I enjoy taking things to the next level and collaborating with innovative teams. I couldn’t be more grateful for such an incredible opportunity this summer. This internship was the right place for me in every way. For anyone who is seeking a place to grow with a dynamic and fast-paced work environment, L’Oreal is the perfect place to begin your career!
