How Landed My Dream Fashion Internship as a USC Marshall Student
by Ela Ryback ‘25
Finding a summer internship can be a very overwhelming process, especially given the difficult job market for various industries. However, as USC students, we have so many networking opportunities that help make this process a little bit easier.
As a business major with a passion for fashion marketing, my summer 2024 internship process began back in the early spring of 2023 by attending a beauty speaker panel with L’Oréal employees from the Urban Decay and NYX brands hosted by the USC Business Cosmetics Club. Little did I know this one club event would make such a significant impact on my future. As I took notes during the event, I noticed how happy all of the employees seemed to be when talking about their daily routines at work, and I instantly knew this was the type of work environment I needed. Soon after, during the spring of 2023, I continued to research how to attain an internship at L’Oréal by watching YouTube videos and reading various articles. As the 2023 school year came to an end, I applied for the Career Advantage Program (CAP) that USC Marshall offers to match students with a mentor in their desired field. The decision to apply to this program heavily impacted my experience leading up to receiving an internship offer from L’Oréal.
During the summer of 2023, I discovered that I was matched with a beauty and fashion professional in the creative marketing industry. Through many chats with her, I received priceless advice and invaluable connections to companies like L’Oréal. This knowledge set me up perfectly for beginning the application process for the L’Oréal Summer Marketing Internship. Once school started again for the fall of 2023, I had already begun working on my cover letter, resume, and special market research project tailored towards my passion for L’Oréal and marketing in the beauty industry. After a few coffee chats with L’Oréal professionals, whom I reached out to via LinkedIn, and a visit to the L’Oréal booth during the Career Fair, I knew I was ready to submit my application on the company website.
Waiting is by far the most challenging part of the internship application process. However, after a month, I received an email that I had been chosen to partake in L’Oréal’s virtual interview day. I prepared for the interview by creating a presentation about myself and researching more about the company. After the interview day was over, the waiting period continued. Surprisingly, I received a personal phone call from the hiring manager an hour after my last interview with the news that I had been selected as a Summer 2024 L’Oréal Marketing Intern in the New York City office.
It has been a few weeks since I received the offer, and it still feels like a dream! The most important thing I learned from this process is that you never know what will come out of a simple connection on LinkedIn or attending a club meeting. If you get comfortable with putting yourself out there, you’ll find that applying for internships isn’t as daunting as it seems.
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