Each year, L’Oréal organizes the “L’Oréal e-Strat Challenge,” an online business game for students all over the world. More than a simple game, this contest is a true communications vector and powerful talent discovery tool for the global cosmetics leader. Since the competition’s launch in 2000, 256 participants have been hired this way!
The L’Oréal e-Strat Challenge Episode 7 enjoyed unparalleled success this year with the highest-ever number of registrations: 44,106 students from 128 countries. The grande finale, pitting 16 finalists against each other, took place on April 18 in Paris.
The awards ceremony that followed, at the Eiffel Tower, crowned Germany’s Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg team the winner in the undergraduate category. For MBA students, the winners were Switzerland’s IMD. Other prizes were won by teams from Turkey, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil and India. The jury was composed of L’Oréal company officers and international business consulting and media personalities.
With this operation, multinational employer L’Oréal achieves three objectives. First, to reinforce its employer image as a dynamic, innovative employer across campuses worldwide. Second, to benefit from high media coverage. Few companies can afford to invite students from all continents to the Eiffel Tower to play an online business game! Finally, to discover the best talents, charm them and then hire them. This strategy has paid off handsomely, with more than 200 participants having joined the ranks of L’Oréal in jobs from marketing to brand management, and logistics to manufacturing.
An additional argument to motivate students to put their hearts into the competition: they know that the best and brightest could be hired. . . as was Fernando Pinto Saliba, a former winner of the L’Oréal e-Strat Challenge, today logistics project engineer at L’Oréal. He was CEO for his team’s simulated company.
So, reality TV is not the only place with unexpected career opportunities!