Pros
#1 - People. I work at the HQ and I was worried coming from tech industry (no beauty experience) that this was going to be like Devil Wears Prada and everyone ate air sandwiches for lunch and wore the most expensive designer outfits imaginable. NOT the case. This company is filled with incredibly sharp, passionate, and "real" people. The pace is CRAZY here, but we're all in it together and there is a lot of (successful) cross functional partnership. It's a very collegiate, passionate culture. #2 - Career Opportunities. The company is growing so quickly, we're constantly creating new teams and taskforces. Sephora has a very lean organization for the size of the business it generates so you have the opportunity to wear many hats and try new things. #3 - Work Life Balance... tricky because this is so subjective and really depends on the department, but it's one of the company's values and most senior leaders are big proponents of maintaining a balance (and they lead by example) #4 - Bonus. The company has paid out ABOVE bonus target for the last several years. Not many companies can say that. #5 - Innovation. A lot of companies claim to be innovative but only few are. Sephora is truly innovative in its merchandising practices, technology, retail ops, and eCommerce/mobile functions. It's very cool to be a company that wins but never gets complacent.
Kontras
#1 - Internal systems/processes (or lack thereof). It's shocking how old some of the processes and systems are here. It's on the senior leadership team's radar to update, but it can be incredibly frustrating, causing you to be less efficient than you'd like to be. #2 - Decisions are often made to start programs or initiatives without the proper planning, resources, or buy-in #3 - Ultimately, we report to LVMH and there can sometimes be a disconnect between San Francisco and Paris