• ESSEC MSc Marketing Management & Digital program offers in-depth insights into the luxury world.
• Inaugural Business Week brings insights and connections for the future.
• ESSEC Career Services trains students well for the job search.

Ask Jyotsana Tripathi and Ruchika Guria from the class of 2021 why they joined the ESSEC MSc Marketing Management and Digital (MMD) program, and their answer comes easily. They were drawn by their interest in marketing and desire to enter the luxury industry.

Ask them how confident they were to succeed; the response is far less specific. With the pandemic raging on and the employment market extremely volatile, they both admit to having doubts.

Yet, the two overcame the odds and found their way to Christian Dior Couture, converting their internships in Singapore into full-time positions. Today, Jyotsana is a Client Relationship Manager (CRM) specialist in Doha, and Ruchika is an Assistant Client Development Manager in India.

This, they both concur, is thanks to their time in the MMD program.

A True Understanding of the Business of Luxury

“The MMD curriculum helped me really understand the essence of luxury even though I had never worked in the industry,” Jyotsana shares, adding that one of the most memorable classes for her was luxury brand management, where she got the opportunity to work closely with Benefit Cosmetics and the Asian Civilisation Museum.

The MMD program is also well-structured to help students understand the deeper mechanics of the luxury industry, Ruchika adds, recalling how impressed she was by LVMH Chaired Professor Sonja Prokopec’s explanation of brand DNA and codes.

“A lot of times we know about what a brand does, but not why the brand does it—Prof Sonja really helped us understand where a brand is coming from when they make each decision, even in things like the store layout and choice of lights,” she explains.

“We even had class assignments where we would have to go to the store and identify the codes that the brand uses, then come back to class the next week to discuss the distinguishing factors!”

Today, this understanding serves her well as she plans how Dior can build stronger relationships with its clients.

Networking at Business Week Pays Off

Significantly, Jyotsana and Ruchika secured their internships through networking at the inaugural MMD Business Week. This five-day conference brought in speakers from various industries to share about market trends and their companies’ direction.

“I found it eye-opening because students may not understand a company’s job functions, structure, and hierarchy,” Ruchika recalls. For her, Business Week was an opportune time to clarify what different roles would entail so she could see where she could best fit in.

It also helped that Christian Dior Couture was one of the companies invited to Business Week. Both she and Jyotsana leveraged the networking dinner to personally connect with a Dior representative.

This meeting led to Jyotsana being offered a part-time job at Dior for just 10 days, and within that time, she impressed them enough to score an internship offer. Later, when her work visa ended, she contacted her contact again and was referred for her position in Qatar.

“The experience taught me that no matter how hard it is, reaching out to people and networking can open doors to opportunities,” she declares.

Benefits of Being at ESSEC Asia-Pacific

That said, Jyotsana quickly added that she knew how to network in the first place with the coaching offered by ESSEC Career Services. The intimate size of the ESSEC Asia-Pacific cohort afforded her more face-time with companies at career fairs and with the MMD career counselor—who offered her constant emotional support and advice to hone her job search skills.

Ruchika had a similar experience: “Every country has its own corporate culture, and it’s imperative to be mindful of these nuances to put your best foot forward during the interview,” she explains, crediting the ESSEC Career Services for helping her understand the workplace and how she needed to present herself.

Reflecting on the 2021 cohort’s journey from classroom to working adult, Ruchika muses that pandemic notwithstanding, “everyone in the batch did well and landed amazing opportunities and internships.”

Her advice for those who are thinking of embarking on a similar journey? Trust the process, put in the hard work, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Because with the ESSEC MMD experience under your belt, you will have what it takes to succeed.