Hi there! Last Tuesday, October 7th, Aurum hosted our semesterly held Q&A event with four professionals working in corporate Sephora. The event was a definite success as the panelists were able to tell us a little bit about their backgrounds, described their “day in a life,” expanded on the EllesVMH initiative, and concluded with some significant insights on the recruitment process. Firstly, we would like to thank our four panelists for joining us and taking time out of their busy schedules and our moderator Rachael Deng and all of the students who were able to join in live. However, if you were unable to attend, no worries! Here is a brief recap of some top tips they offered.
A Brief Introduction of Our Lovely Panelists!
- Alexandra Ferroggiaro: Alexandra is currently the Fragrance Project Manager (Brand Updates Team) at Sephora. She graduated from Cal with a degree in Society and Environment.
- Sarah Chew: Sarah is an HR Generalist (Analytics, Marketing, Merchandising), and like Alex, graduated from the College of Natural Resources but with a degree in Environmental Economics and Policy.
- Trisha Brion: Trisha currently holds the position of Senior Manager (Brand Updates Team), and she majored in English at Cal.
- Yvette Nichols: Last but definitely not least, Yvette is the Executive Development & Talent Leader (Executive Sponsor of the SephoraIN Community EllesVMH) at corporate Sephora. She studied Political Science during her time at Cal.
“What Does a Day in Your Work-Life Look Like?”
One of the questions that most attendees wanted to learn about was how the “day in a life” at Sephora looks. Many of us know about and have shopped at Sephora. However, it is often difficult to imagine what having a full-time career in Sephora looks like. To answer this question, all four highlighted how every day is never the same. Working in HR, Sarah provides support and resources to all Sephora employees. She organizes various team-building and social events. For instance, Yvette mentioned that Sarah recently hosted a team bartending class through Zoom). Yvette, who moved from a leadership role to a more project based position, focuses on relationship building and recruitment processes. Finally, Alexandra and Trisha act as a link between Sephora’s retail operations and the various suppliers. As a result, they will often participate in phone or Zoom meetings with both ends to make sure both of their needs are fulfilled. They also visit and manage the visuals and design renderings of the physical retail stores.
EllesVMH: A Commitment by LVMH
We then moved on to EllesVMH as our moderator Rachael asked our panelists their thoughts on the initiative. EllesVMH is LVMH’s (which is the parent company of many known brands such as Fendi and Louis Vuitton in fashion, Benefit Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, and Sephora itself in cosmetics) diversity program to encourage the professional development of women in all positions of the organization. The panelists highlighted how EllesVMH empowered them through the various training and mentoring programs offered. It also inspired them by creating a community of strong and ambitious women who could rely on each other. Yvette also mentioned how EllesVMH’s target was to have 50% of women in top leadership positions by 2020. While LVMH has not reached this goal yet, she was proud to tell us that Sephora USA now has 70% female VPs! While Sephora has not had a female CEO yet, she does hope that that will change soon (as do we at Aurum!)
THE Hot Topic of the Night: Recruitment!
The event ended with a Q&A for our alumni, and the most common question asked was recruitment. Our avid attendees wanted to get as much insight as possible. According to the panelists, the recruiting timeline is as follows: January is when intern positions are up, and hiring decisions are typically made in March. These entry positions tend to have the words “coordinator” or “associate” in them, and all rising seniors are eligible. Some final tips offered: always check on the Sephora official website for any positions offered and apply on time!
And that’s all for today! Follow us on our socials so you don’t miss any future events! We hope to see you all at our next event with L’Oreal on November 6th.
Lovingly,
Gioia
