Confident yet practical, Prakash spent hours researching case studies to prepare and identify ways she could stand out. “I put my head down and tried to think from the perspective of a recruiter,” says Prakash, who leveraged her experience as a recruiting intern in Bentley’s Pulsifer Career Development Center. She also worked closely with the center’s associate director, Paul Stanish.
“Paul uplifted me every single time things didn’t go the way I wanted,” Prakash says. “I don’t know how many times he sat with me to talk about my journey and different ways to apply to job postings and explore what I could do to stand out.”
Persistence paid off when Prakash was hired for a human resources internship in summer 2021 before joining L’Oreal full time as a supply chain analyst after graduation. Among her responsibilities: ordering inventory for more than 9,000 CVS stores in the U.S. for the Consumer Products Division, which includes L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline, Garnier, Essie, NYX, Thayers, Carol’s Daughter and SoftSheen-Carson.
“My scope is big; I work with brands with many categories like hair care, hair color, cosmetics and skin care, place orders to ensure that all CVS stores in the U.S. maintain products on store shelves, track and report orders and analyze large amounts of data daily,” Prakash says. “Every single day I come into work, I feel good about making an impact. It’s a challenging job, but I’ve learned so much — technical skills like Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint, but also soft skills like building a relationship with my CVS clients. It has been invaluable.”
In her role, Prakash is a liaison for various internal functions and CVS reps, which has presented her with opportunities to combine her analytical and creative sides.
“I really like storytelling, and I get to tell stories through data, let our customer know what is happening with the product and then share recommendations on next steps,” Prakash says. “Effective communication is an art form, and I have a strong passion in utilizing my curiosity to develop innovative solutions to problems in fast-paced environments. I value meaningful conversations.”
