By Alice Camporesi, MSc in Management 1st year student, Italy
Alessia
Perego is an Italian student attending ESSEC Business School's MSc in Management.
She graduated previously from Bocconi University and joined ESSEC in September 2013. Since
then, she has found an apprenticeship at Parfums
Christian Dior, part of the LVMH Group.
·
Why
did you join ESSEC?
I wanted to come to
France because my dream career was to work for a luxury fashion company and I
know France is a leader in this industry. Moreover, I was aware of the fact
that ESSEC has good business relations with many companies of my interest and
offers great opportunities to introduce its students to the luxury industry,
such as the LVMH chair, and so I chose to apply for ESSEC. I also applied
because of the opportunity to go to Asia, to the Singapore campus.
But honestly I had not
realized how amazing the program and the school is until I actually started here
in September 2013. I could not have made a better choice. I love Paris, I love
the flexibility that ESSEC offers, I really enjoy the connections with
companies that ESSEC has, and I love the mentality of the ESSEC students.
·
Now,
tell us about your apprenticeship.
I am working at Parfums
Christian Dior as an Internal Controller. I work 3 days a week and am on campus
for the remaining two. 95% of my job is conducted in English, so I had no
problem with the language. I really like it: I love the company, the people and
the position. Next year, if I learn fast, I could even go abroad with my team to
do some internal auditing missions!
·
Was
it hard to get?
I did not feel it was
hard, but I think I also had luck on my side. I was not looking for an
apprenticeship since I thought I needed a better level of French to work for a
French company, but then I saw the job offer on ESSEC career service website
and the position and the company were what I really have wanted to do for
years: it was my dream and I wanted to try.
At midnight I wrote a
motivation letter in 10 minutes, thinking that I would have never been
accepted, but the next day I received a phone call for the interview!
I had to pass 3 hard
interviews before getting the position, but with hard work, and ESSEC people’s
support I made it!
·
Did
ESSEC help you? What about your tutor?
Yes, they helped me a
lot. First of all, as I said, I found the offer on the ESSEC website. Second, I
asked for many suggestions from some professors and from the career service to
get well prepared for my interviews, and they all were very helpful.
This is what I really
like about ESSEC: the people who work there are not just “employees” of the
school, but they really care about motivating you and helping you succeed. For
example, I spent 2 hours at one of my professors’ office and he was just glad
to be useful and helpful. My tutor also knew the company well, so she gave me many
useful tips and advice too.
·
Are
you satisfied with your choice?
Yes, working and studying
at the same time really opens up your mind. You can apply what you see at work
on a daily basis in business cases in class, or vice versa. I am economically independent,
I feel part of the company but at the same time I keep being a university
student, and I am building very strong relationships with Dior. Working for two
years in a company helps you a lot to really know the work environment
surrounding you and it allows the company to invest in your training more than
it would do for an internship since you are a long-term investment.
·
Would
you change any of your choices if you had the chance?
No, none.
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