One of the biggest challenges fresh graduates face is proving they have the experience to do the job.

This is where candidates from ESSEC’s Global Bachelor of Business Administration (GBBA) program stand out: Each comes with at least three internships spanning ten months of work experience.

Contrary to what one might think about interns being relegated to menial tasks, GBBA students have found meaningful opportunities that allow them to put their classroom knowledge into practice even as they pick up new skills.

GBBA students Priscilla Ayleen and Eun Li Seo tell us more.

Priscilla Ayleen
Sales & Marketing Intern at EssilorLuxottica

With interests in retail, events, and marketing, finding a role at EssilorLuxottica’s travel retail wing was the perfect step in Priscilla’s career journey.

She applied for the role on LinkedIn, and the recruiter reached out to ESSEC’s Career Services department to enquire about her.

“I believe ESSEC attested to my abilities because I got a call soon after,” she shares.

Just two months into her stint, she shares that it has been a whirlwind of managing clients, creating line sheets (industry-standard sales tools), uncovering the potential of Microsoft Excel, seeing concepts about merchandising matrix and visual merchandising play out—all in all, building her understanding how a global brand operates.

For a third-year student like Priscilla, grappling with the new knowledge can be a challenge.

However, “having global friends and professors from ESSEC has helped me better integrate with my colleagues who are also diverse in terms of race, nationality, and age,” she says.

Her biggest takeaway so far? “Not knowing something is perfectly normal, but being willing to learn is a game-changer!”

Eun Li Seo
Portfolio Management Intern at FBG Capital

As an intern at digital asset management firm FBG Capital, Eun Li helps conduct research to support the company’s portfolio investment decisions and provides insights into potential opportunities.

In marketing, she also supports the management of online crypto companies by disseminating information about FBG Capital projects and moderating online discussions.

Worth noting, though, is that she has managed to take on these roles despite having yet to gain prior experience in the finance or IT industry.

“During the interview, I made a deliberate effort to bridge the gap by highlighting how my overall skill set was transferrable, and emphasized both my ability to adapt and my enthusiasm for the Web 3.0 industry,” she shares of how she got the job.

Once she started, she found the comprehensive but broad curriculum at ESSEC served her well.

“It gave me the foundational knowledge and insights needed to understand financial concepts, strategic management, and marketing principles,” she says, adding that the language classes and regular group work also contributed to her ability to communicate and connect well with her team.

Her advice for other interns? “Recognize that every experience, even the challenging ones, provides valuable lessons and insights. Finding growth in every situation helps you stay motivated and focused on your career journey.”