Each year, AMSE invites its students to meet professionals for a day of exchanges dedicated to internships and employment. The main idea is to give our students a professional perspective and a first-hand look at their career options as economists in both the public and private sectors. The aims are to enable our M1 students to get a clearer picture of the job market before choosing their M2 track, to expand the professional network of our M2, as well as to obtain concrete leads for the end-of-study internship. Julia Thomas, who graduated from AMSE in October 2019, participated for the first time as a professional:
I agreed to take part in the Career Day because I know how important it is for students. Having information about the professional paths and the positions available when we leave the university helps students form a concrete vision of their future jobs. It is an opportunity for them to get an idea of the variety of sectors in which they can work through hearing speakers with different experience and career backgrounds. This day is also an opportunity for students to broaden their network, which is useful when looking for an internship or a job, and to gain confidence in themselves and their abilities by meeting young graduates who have successfully joined the world of work. I really enjoyed the Career Day, particularly the exchanges with the students, who were very motivated and curious both about my working environment and the techniques used in data science in my company.
With a job market depressed by the health crisis, our students need this boost more than ever; some of them were able to benefit immediately from the offer of an internship. Jean-Sébastien Blanc, Marketing Packaging EMEA at INTERNATIONAL PAPER (based at Watermael-Boitsfort in Belgium), took part for the first time this year:
The career day is an effective event in terms of recruiting trainees, well organised, with responsive technical support and a warm welcome. The afternoon we spent interviewing candidates was optimised over time and proved profitable. We’ll be there for the next cohort!
Once again this year, students heard testimonials from AMSE alumni throughout the morning. This is a real highlight of the day, during which our graduates share their experience of entering the job market, share their feelings about their job, provide advice, and answer questions about their daily working life, their salary, etc. A new feature in 2020 is that the testimonials will soon be available in the form of video capsules, to allow our students to hear the graduates’ presentation again. Juliette Le Gallo, who graduated in 2018, agreed to participate:
As an alumnus, I believe that this day is essential for student orientation. During the master’s course, it can be difficult to look ahead and realise how the economic theory taught at AMSE can be applied in a professional context. Career Day provides this visibility. I appreciated the constructive exchanges we were able to have with the students. While it allows us to reflect as graduates on the road we have taken since graduation, this day is also an opportunity to meet potential future trainees or colleagues. In my opinion, it is crucial to maintain this link between the professional and academic worlds. Finally, it is always a pleasure to come back to AMSE (even when the meeting has to be 100% digital)!
In the afternoon, the M2 students were received in individual online interviews by professionals from the consulting, banking, service, insurance, industry, government, and other sectors. A total of 236 individual interviews were organised. Many thanks to our partners for this marathon afternoon!
The Career Day enabled our students to meet companies in a minimum of time, multiplying their chances of getting an internship. Christophe Saichi Kauffer, a current M2 student, confirms that this career day was of great benefit for him:
In addition to the very enriching exchanges that I was able to have with the AMSE alumni, I was especially fortunate to be able to complete my end-ofstudy internship at International Paper. I would like to thank the people who contributed to the good organisation of this webinar.
Tanguy van Ypersele, Director of AMSE graduate school, underlines that:
This Career Day can be moving for the teachers involved in the programmes of studies. We observe with pride what our students have become. We are delighted with each one of their successes. They tell us how their training has been useful to them. This year, I get the message that the ability they have developed to learn and to be open to new things as they enter the business world is almost as important as the stock of knowledge they acquired during their university course.
Participating organisations : AIRBUS HELICOPTERS, ALEHOS SERVICES, ARVALIS, AXA, BANQUE DE FRANCE, BETCLIC, BPI, CGI, CIC LYONNAISE DE BANQUE, CREDIT AGRICOLE ALPES PROVENCE, EQUANCY, FMI, INTERNATIONAL PAPER, IPSOS, IREEDD, JELLYFISH, NATIXIS, OLX GROUP, ORS PACA, RECTORAT D’AIX-MARSEILLE, THE ANTICORRUPTION INSTITUTE, THE POLICY CENTER FOR THE NEW SOUTH, UPPLY.
© Photo by AMSE
→ This article was issued in AMSE Newletter, Fall 2020.
