Meet an alumnus: "EDHEC's professors are both academic authorities and industry experts"

What was your undergraduate major before attending EDHEC?

Finance.

Can you briefly talk about why you choose to join EDHEC and your current master's programme?

There are two reasons for choosing EDHEC. 
1) EDHEC’s finance programmes are highly recognised globally.
2) EDHEC Nice Campus is located on the French Riviera, where the weather is relatively good and you can often see the sun and the sea.

I chose the Master of Management programme mainly because there is a gap year, which can be used to find internships. This curriculum gave me a certain buffer period to experience different internships and determine my career plan.

What was your academic experience like in your programme?

In the second year of graduate school, I chose the MSc corporate finance and banking as the subdivision direction. Most of the homework was in the form of teamwork assignment, so I stepped out of my comfort zone, cooperated with students from different countries, and learned their work styles. Because of the many times of random grouping experience, my teamwork ability has improved, which made my cooperation with my colleagues very smooth during the graduation internship.

My favourite class is Olivier Levyne's "Investment Banking", he has enough industry experience, so the knowledge shared is highly practical, and secondly, his course content also allows me to develop a different understanding in model valuation.

How about your living experience studying abroad?

Nice has left me with many good memories. When I was in school, I would often take a walk with my friends along the Promenade des Anglais, go to the beach or the school balcony to chat and relax.

Because Nice is located in southern France, it is very convenient to travel to Monaco, Cannes, Italy and other places.

What position are you working in?

I recently received an audit offer from Ernst & Young Luxembourg.

How did you find your current job at Ernst & Young?

I successfully got the offer through networking with alumni, familiarizing myself with the job content, interview and written test process, expressing my motivation and skills in the interview.

The process of finding the current job is a bit difficult for me, because I don't have any relevant professional experience or work experience in Europe, and I was already in China when I applied for the job. In short, I was able to get the offer, and I am very grateful to my classmates and alumni for their advice and help.

Did the EDHEC programme help you qualify for the job?
 

I just joined my new job, so I can't comment too much, but as far as my previous internship experience is concerned, the EDHEC programme has helped me a lot. The main reason is that the professors at EDHEC are both academic authorities and industry experts, so I have accumulated a basic knowledge reserve.

Secondly, the internship opportunities in the gap year and the group work mode of randomly assigning team members allowed me to improve my soft skills.

What advice do you have for Chinese alumni looking for internships/jobs?

Analyse your current situation, if you don’t have an interview, do more networking, and if you don’t have an offer, find someone to do a mock interview.

Secondly, I struggled in the end because I was always vacillating about the type and location of the job. Therefore, it is recommended that students who are in the gap year should determine their final career direction, understand the prerequisites for achieving their goals, and try to rely on this direction for the internship they are going to do, so that they can find a job that they are satisfied with after graduation.