“I help students by listening and providing my expertise on the professional world”. Bérangère Deregnaucourt, Career Advisor at EDHEC

What role does a general career advisor play? 

My role involves helping EDHEC Business School’s students to define their career plans and put them into practice. During interviews, I listen to them carefully and harness my expertise on the professional world. I support all the School’s students from their first year at EDHEC, irrespective of their programme, with the exception of finance. For this specific area, our Career Centre has specialist career advisors.

At EDHEC, 80% of the Career Centre’s services are personalised, according to students’ needs and career objectives. I can give advice to students who want to work in the retail industry or in marketing, or who want to start their own business. 

In addition, individual support with a career advisor is one of the components of the EDHEC Career Booster, the career support programme created by EDHEC. Through resources and tools, (coaching sessions, training, events, etc.), this programme offers career orientation, the chance to discover different jobs, career preparation and initiatives connecting employers and graduates. 

How do you support EDHEC students in putting together their career plans?  

Each year, the career advisors conduct close to 6,000 one-to-one interviews – either virtually or in-person – for students on the School’s business and management programmes. During these sessions, EDHEC’s career advisors help students put their professional projects into practice, whether they already have a firm idea of them or not. When a student has difficulty in envisaging themselves in a profession, I take the time to understand their centres of interest, and to discuss their skills and the subjects they like. Together, we explore different avenues in order to come up with a customised career plan. 

I give them information on job market trends, such as new jobs related to data, AI or ESG. I also help them to be realistic about the professional world. For example, I often mention the luxury industry. A lot of students want to work in this industry, but it’s competitive and demanding. When the student’s career plan becomes clearer, I can arrange an appointment with a sector expert, so as to acculturate the student with the area they’re interested in. The Career Centre also offers digital and printed resources on different professions and professional sectors. 

For students with well-defined career plans, I support them in their hunt for internships or jobs. I do this by giving them information on businesses or sectors that are in the process of hiring. I advise them on building professional networks or on their CVs or motivation letters. Lastly, I prepare them for their interviews, particularly by helping them to become more comfortable when speaking. At the same time, the Career Centre organises workshops, either on line or in-person, on different topics such as putting together a CV or recruitment interviews.   

How do you stay up to date with what’s going on in the professional world? 

It’s a continuous process. I take part in corporate networking events organised by the School such as the Industry Day, the Consulting Day, the International Career Day or the Luxury Week. I meet a lot of professionals during these events and try to understand changes in their professions and businesses or in their recruitment needs. In addition, I also improve my knowledge by drawing on the expertise of EDHEC’s other career advisors.  

Within the School, I’m in contact with the International Corporate Relations team, as well as with our country managers. They’re tasked with developing relations with businesses abroad. They refer a lot of internships, graduate programmes and jobs to us. EDHEC’s alumni also support us. Thanks to their in-company experience, they provide us with privileged information on market trends. Lastly, we work closely with the Corporate Relations team. We talk with them about organisations’ strategies and about positions already open or soon to be opened.