Workshop: Personal Branding Beyond Linkedin

 Blog post by Mireille Francis, ESSEC Global MBA Student Ambassador

On Saturday the 19th of November, students from the Strategy & Luxury track attended Youri Sawerschel’s Personal Branding workshop to help the students get their personal brand into shape, stand out during interviews, and make networking easy. One thing that stood out from Youri's presentation was his quote on Personal Branding:

“If you are smart and do a good job, you only have the basics to enter the game. Personal branding is about knowing who you are and where you want to go”  

- Youri Sawerschel 

A strong personal brand is key to successfully reach your professional objectives. Original teaching techniques were used to acquire and validate various hard and solf skills. 

Students enjoyed their Saturday at le Coeur de la Défense campus in Paris, reflecting about their past and future path and working on taking ownership of their career goals. They were able to define a roadmap and think outside of the box by doing many group and individual exercises. 

We asked one of our classmates on what he learnt during the workshop:

 “Yesterday’s workshop taught by Youri Sawerchel was definitely something to remember. Among many other things, it allowed me to think long-term by looking back, a process I had not encountered before. We took time to write our own obituaries (an interesting exercise for sure) which allowed us to reflect on our successful careers before the end of our lives. By jotting down what a successful career looked like in my eyes, I unknowingly wrote a career plan that I would be thrilled to progress through. It helped me set specific goals for myself in a very simple, yet ultimately effective manner”  

- Santiago Xavier Elizalde, Strategy & Digital MBA’22

In a nutshell, students were advised to become the CEO of themselves, define their vision, anchors, topics and eventually take the right decisions accordingly. 

How to Get the Most Out of a Mentoring Relationship

By Ingrid Cazalis, Global MBA 2013-2014, France

The Global MBA offers a unique mentoring program. The administration takes 2 months to assign the right mentor to the right mentee, depending on our profile and future career path. My journey with my mentor started in October 2013.

What is the role of the mentee? The mentee needs to be active with the mentor! Since our mentors are professionals who travel a lot and have full agendas, perseverance is key. Furthermore, since the relationship is new for both parties, it needs to be built up together, depending on our specific needs and career stage. Some initial steps include reviewing your CV and cover letter, considering strategies for getting into the job market, developing network connections…

So what is a good mentor? In my case, and for most students, a good mentor is someone who finds the time to meet with you, follows up with you, and helps the mentee fix personal deadlines. Since students are so focused on studies and exams in T1, we think that we have plenty of time to work on our job hunt later. This is wrong. By Christmas, you should know where you want to go and have finished constructing your CV, cover letter, and networking approach. The mentor, who is removed from day-to-day student life, can help you organize these tasks and clarify your thoughts.

For my part, I had a dilemma: with 7 years of experience in purchasing, should I stay in this activity, or change to another industry such as automotive or railway? My mentor, Luca Manici, Purchasing Director at Faurecia, did not give me solutions, but helped me to define my project step by step. We met once a month for two hours, sometimes by phone if he was traveling. Since our mentors usually work in our industry, or the industry we want to work in, they can also give us some key tips on networking. Posted job offers only represent 20% of the job market, so it is very important to develop your network, starting in January, to reach the 80% of jobs in the “hidden market.”

With interviews approaching, your professional project has to be logical and well thought out. This doesn’t mean that you have to follow the same career path, but you have to be able to explain your evolution clearly. The mentor is there to challenge your project and help you prepare for interviews. Personally, in 7 years of working, I had never done an interview in person (it was always via Skype, conference call, etc), so Luca was there to support me and tell me what points were important to consider in a face-to-face interview.

Everybody should have a mentor either inside or outside their company to discuss doubts and questions about careers. Luca is my 4th active mentor and I keep in touch every month with my earlier mentors, which is a key step to finding the next step in my career. Thank you to all of them.

Seeking Careers in Asia

By Claudia Pumarejo, Global MBA 2013-2014, Mexico

After taking several interesting courses focused on Asia, while also welcoming a number of guest speakers after class, we devoted our last week in Singapore fully to career events. This was particularly useful for those of us who want to make a career in Asia. For the rest, it is always good to meet new people, learn new things, and network. You never know how the dots will connect.

We opened grandly with a visit to Louis Vuitton Island, the largest Louis Vuitton store in South East Asia. We marveled by this very high-end venue and top quality products. This French Maison, whose DNA lies in the travel experience, has a wide range of offers, from watches to books, from purses to suitcases, all crafted for the most discerning clients.

In the afternoon, we went back to our National Library Building classroom to listen to a lecture on "Sustainable Development in the Construction Industry" by a representative of French conglomerate Bouygues. Unlike our French classmates, who are very familiar with this company, I thought their biggest business was in telecommunications. During the talk I found out that it is actually construction and that they have carried out huge projects in many countries, such as the new stadium in Singapore.

On Tuesday, we spent the whole day in a workshop lead by Alex Lanjri from Timeo Performance. Mr. Lanjri is a certified experienced recruiter, a personal coach and a professional trainer who gave us some valuable tips on how to manage the recruitment process and prepare for interviews.

The next day was a long one. It started out with a visit to KPMG Singapore, led by Leonardo Banegas, a Global MBA alumnus from last year and consultant at KPMG Singapore. As you may know, this is one of the big four auditing firms, along with Deloitte, Ernst and Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Leo gave us a tour around the KPMG offices, meeting rooms and work stations. He divided his presentation in two parts. He first discussed about the ever-changing nature of his job, which allows him the chance to apply his skills, while also learning new things. In the second half of his talk, he shared his first-hand experience looking for a job. Job seeking is actually a job in itself, involving a lot of research and even daily job applications, in his case.

We then continued to the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which is a landmark of the Singapore skyline. We got a tour around this breathtaking property, entered its very exclusive suites and casinos and even got the chance to speak to the Marketing Manager. We clarified a lot of doubts about the business and were very pleased to learn about the operations of such a renowned hospitality leader. Time was running out, so some of us rushed back to the National Library Building to listen to Vallourec’s Asia Pacific Corp representative, Mr. Eric Atton.

That day ended up with a birthday party for Arnault, Sangwon, Rene and Ingy – all those people having birthdays in March! – which doubled as goodbye party for our pal Dingqian, double degree student from prestigious Peking University.

Finally, on Thursday some of us had the chance to attend the “All Industries Get Together” for careers in Asia, organized by the Career Services on the Singapore campus.

Livin’ la Vida Local

By Claudia Pumarejo, Global MBA 2013-2014, Mexico

After reading about our first week in Singapore, you must be wondering if it’s possible to top that experience. Well, I can assure that – now that the jetlag’s finally gone – it’s only getting better.

This week we learned about Human Resources in Asia from Monsieur Philippe Bonnet, Vice-President of Human Resources for Asia Pacific at Essilor, a world-wide leader in the corrective lenses market. Originally French, Essilor has been able to position in the Asian market itself thanks to its strategic bilateral partnerships and its top of the line technologies. Among other interesting topics, we discussed the shift in leadership style required for Asian managers and the challenges of being or dealing with expatriates. With Bonnet as our professor we had the unique chance of interacting face to face with someone who figures as a character in a business case study used by the most prestigious business schools. He told us firsthand about that particular case and gave us more off-the-record details about the situation, which was a privilege to hear.

On Monday after class, Ingrid, Richard, Naoki and I – the Shanghai Hult Team – had a work meeting to polish our project presentation. Next week we will be presenting it to our class to get some more feedback from our dear classmates. We are sure their bright minds and contributions will be very helpful for making us as well-prepared as possible for the real competition. We have made it a challenge: we will pay for the drinks of whoever raises the most relevant questions.

On Tuesday afternoon we were taken to the Asian Civilizations Museum. I generally enjoy visiting museums, but this time I must confess that I was not very enthusiastic at first. To my pleasant surprise, these exhibits are absolutely on par with those in Paris. The museum is world class, with extensive arts and crafts from the whole region. We first went to South Asia, where we focused mainly on India. It was great to refresh our memories about Indian deities such as Brahma, the creator of the world; Shiva, the destroyer; Vishnu, preserver of the status quo, and Ganesha, remover of obstacles. We also covered some of the story of the Buddha. Then, we went to the China section, where the guide gave us an introduction to its traditional philosophies of Daoism and Confucianism, as well as Mazu, the goddess of the sea, worshiped in southern coastal regions of China and in Taiwan.

We continued our journey to South East Asia and by the end of the visit we were able to tell apart the Buddha figures from Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The next day we welcomed Nicolas Morineaux, Vice President of Finance for the Fashion Division of LVMH in Asia-Pacific. You have probably heard about this company, a huge French conglomerate of Luxury brands. Monsieur Morineaux was amazingly sharp in his talk. He could discuss about operations, distribution, contract law, sales, marketing or any other business topic with great knowledge and understanding. Apart from having a remarkable mind, he was the perfect image of elegance. We could have not asked for a better representative of LVMH.

On Thursday, we had another guest speaker, Olivier Hui-Bon Hua, the GM for Asia of a leading recruitment firm called BeThe1. He told us about his professional path and we got details about some of his projects. He manages three offices with very different profiles: Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, but he knows his market very well and it was very interesting to have this interactive session with him.

Overnight, the working week was over and it was time for us to relax. We had the perfect occasion to do so when Leonardo Banegas, an ESSEC Global MBA graduate from last batch, kindly invited us to join him for a cocktail. We went to Marina Towers to meet him and we could enjoy the nicest views of the city from one of its top floors.

Leonardo is currently working here in Singapore, he landed a job at one of the big four world-wide consulting firms, KPMG. We were very happy to see him and his insights about the post-MBA life were truly useful. We had the very nice surprise of also seeing again Maryam Mohamed, another alumnus from the last batch, who went back home to Qatar and is now working for the National Financial Regulatory Body. She was on her way to a well-deserved vacation in Bali, when she decided to make a quick stop in Singapore to say hi!

Today, after a day of hard work preparing for what’s coming up next week, I decided to go stroll around the Arab Quarter during some free time. In this very lively place I saw a beautiful Mosque, tried delicious food and, in typical fashion for this very diverse and international city, I found a Mexican restaurant in the middle of the Arab Quarter! Welcome to Singapore!

Our First Week in Singapore

By Claudia Pumarejo, Global MBA 2013-2014, Mexico

How time flies! It’s been more than a week since we arrived in Singapore. Here’s an update on our latest and hottest (literally) happenings!

We got here on a Thursday afternoon. We were really tired after the long flight with a middle-of-the-night stop in Dubai. Dubai airport is a world class place, with all the facilities we might have asked for and even within our short two-hours stay, we were able to get a glance of Arabic traditions by the clothes some people wore, the indoor mosques (for male and female) and the great food!

When we finally got settled in Singapore, some of us went for a taste of its world famous food courts to try out local specialties, while some of our classmates went to meet their friends, former colleagues or contacts in this city.

The Far Plaza Residencies we’re staying at are in the heart of the city. The building is located within a short walking distance to the bus and the MRT stations and a lot of options for shopping and dining in the famous Orchard Road. We share a three bedrooms apartment with our closest classmates, or those we thought would have a similar lifestyle. Check out the views – Singapore sunset!

The next day, it was administration day. We headed to the immigration office to get our student passes sorted out. Even if it’s a rather long procedure, we witnessed the award-winning efficiency of the Singapore government.

Saturday was Valentine’s Day. Instead of being weepy about our dear ones, we decided to take the chance to explore the night life and headed out to a rooftop bar.

The last day of our long weekend to enjoy Singapore before starting classes was Sunday. On that day, some people still full of energy went to Sentosa Island to finish their reading of “The Adventures of an IT Leader,” a mandatory book for our Managing IT in a Networked World class, which was starting the next day.

On Monday we went back to reality and started classes in the Odeon Building, close to the National Library Building (actually, everything here is pretty close!). We met Professor Yan Li, an expert on the latest trends in IT, including cloud computing, big data, social networks, and media and mobility. We formed teams to present the different topics of the book (CIO leadership, IT cost and value, IT project management, IT priorities and budgeting, Managing IT crisis, Managing Emerging IT challenges and Managing Risk), and to act as a jury challenging the presentations of other groups. The discussions in class were very interesting, enriching and intense.

On Tuesday afternoon we stayed on campus to listen to a Paypal Manager talking about “The Asia Digital Payment Landscape.” We joined the audience, which was composed mainly of Executive MBA participants, who also came to Singapore and now are on their way to India. When we came back home, my Hult team (myself, Naoki Kitabayashi, Richard Huynh and Ingrid Cazalis) gathered for a couple of hours to work on our project for the Hult Prize Competition. We will be leaving for Shanghai very soon!

On Wednesday after classes, we had a talk with Mr. Laurent Pinna, a French headhunter focused on Singapore and Southeast Asia. His insights about the job market in this region were interesting and helpful. Later on we had one-on-one appointments with him to discuss our particular career paths and expectations.

On Thursday we had another career event. We welcomed people from Singapore Connect, who came to tell us more about moving to Singapore as an expat and some of the administrative implications in terms of permits and regulations.

After a long week, here comes the weekend again! Time for us to explore the city – beaches, cultures, gastronomy, night life, you name it!

The Value of a Mentor

By Claudia Ordoñez, Global MBA 2013-2014, Colombia

“Working smarter, not harder” is the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking about mentoring programs. Mentors help mentees to gain a clearer understanding of their academic and career plans through exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences. In many cases, the mentor-mentee relationship is just the beginning of a lasting professional and personal network.

All Global MBA students have the opportunity to be put in contact with mentors from various backgrounds and professional experiences. This year we have mentors working in managerial positions, others who are entrepreneurs, bankers, marketing VPs, and CEOs. They work in all kinds of sectors, including consumer goods, oil and gas, banking, health, and beauty and personal care, among others. In January, Ingrid Cazalis, our class representative, organized an informal mentor-mentee reception at the Hôtel du Collectionneur. It was a nice opportunity to build our relationships with our own mentors, to get to know other people’s mentors as well, and to share the good experiences we have had during the program. 

Have you ever thought about the benefits of having a mentor? Have you ever been a mentor or a mentee? Before doing my MBA at ESSEC, I had neither been mentored, nor mentored anyone else. For me, this has been one of the most interesting aspects of the Global MBA and one of the reasons I chose to do the program. The fact that experienced professionals with career goals similar to yours take the time to meet you one-on-one to share their advice, knowledge, and insight to help your professional future is priceless. The Global MBA’s mentor-mentee program has helped us students gain invaluable insight beyond our own education and experience.

Elevator Pitch – You’ve got a minute to win it!

By Dhriti Chandrashekar, Global MBA 2013-2014, India

What would you do if you’re stuck in an elevator with Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or the CEO of your potential employer?

Last week at ESSEC, Global MBA students participated in a workshop conducted by Career Services where each of us had to “sell” ourselves in 60 seconds, talking about our background, professional goals and aspirations. The term “elevator pitch” comes from a scenario in which you accidentally meet someone important in the elevator. The idea is that you should be able to deliver a quick summary of yourself in the length of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes. The goal here is to get your point across quickly to that important person. It is the perfect opportunity to make people want to know more about you, especially when you are trying to land a job.

All of us have a lot to say about ourselves, it comes easy to us, but putting the pitch together in only 60 seconds is a lot harder. The workshop took place over two sessions. Mr. Tim Robinson took us through the first session covering the framework of elevator pitch. In the first session, we learned to be introspective, to identify our unique individual selling points and to articulate our goals. By the end of the session we had our elevator pitches ready and rehearsed.

Next came the most dreaded part. We were told that our pitches would be recorded and aired in front of our classmates during the following session. Every one of us came dressed elegantly (not that we don’t dress elegantly on other days) to put on a brave face for the camera. Mr. Philippe Tinet helped us ease our nerves in front of the camera. In 60 seconds, we made our best pitches. Phew!

After it was over, we reflected on the recorded pitches. What we saw took us by surprise. The videos gave us startling insight into our distinctive traits. Some of us came across as friendly, some came across as confident, some very professional, and some spunky. This was one of the most enriching experiences for us (well, not everyone, it terrified me – I’m not too good in front of a camera).

After this experience, I can fully say that I’m well-equipped to reel off my elevator pitch at any time, from a job interview to a cocktail party conversation. All that I’m hoping for now is a casual encounter with Bill Gates in an elevator. :-)

All suited-up for our pitches!