In his personal life, Matteo Keller is open to experiences and has diverse interests ranging from music and golf to Formula 1 racing and cryptocurrencies.

In the three years he has been at ESSEC Business School, the Global Bachelor of Business Administration (GBBA) Student Ambassador has taken a similar, exploratory approach to his career decisions.

He co-founded a start-up providing environmentally-friendly takeaway packaging solutions back in his home country, Switzerland, interned at Porsche Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd, and most recently, juggled school with work as Business Management Intern for Otsaw Swisslog Healthcare Robotics—all while maintaining his position on the Dean’s List.

Hear more about his experience at ESSEC Asia-Pacific.

You mentioned that life is about trying new experiences. Tell us more.

That’s one of the reasons I’ve come to Singapore to study.

The fact that ESSEC has students from all over the world has allowed me to connect with so many people and learn from each of them.

I’ve also enjoyed interning at different places and learning about other businesses.

I do not have an exact career goal at the moment. Still, I hope to work and lead in a global environment and maybe start my career in a consulting firm, which will allow me to experience different sectors and refine my career goals further.

ESSEC has enabled me to think big and do what I want to create a unique path for myself.

How did what you learned at ESSEC impact your professional life?

As a business management intern at OTSAW Swisslog Healthcare, I took on a lot of different tasks and supported the set up of a new office in Germany.

ESSEC helped me improve my presentation skills, which was helpful when I had to share my ideas and findings with clients and colleagues.

The research skills I gained also came in handy when I had to develop analyses on different focus topics.

How do you manage time for school and work?

My internship was done part-time during school and then full-time from abroad.

It takes a lot of organization to not lose track of what needs to be done, especially during the last part of the school term.

To succeed, I put a Kanban board on my wall to stay on my schedule.

I also allocated a small amount of time to revise my notes each day, so I would not have many lectures before the final exams.

What was your internship experience like?

I stayed in touch with my boss after I finished my first internship, and when he changed jobs, he asked if I wanted to join OTSAW and work alongside him.

It meant a lot to me as it reassured me that he appreciated my work in the past and enjoyed working with me.

What do you think is critical to a good working relationship?

I have learned that it’s essential to communicate with my manager if I have questions or am unsure how to work on a task—this is better than pretending you’ve understood.

That said, you also need to find balance and avoid asking questions you can find answers for on your own.

Being a good communicator is also about remembering everyone’s time is valuable.

I recommend interns be willing to ask for feedback. It can be challenging to hear, but learning from positive and negative points can significantly improve your future career and chances of success.

Have you tried the ESSEC Jobteaser portal?

In my experience, LinkedIn and Google Jobs are good ways to find jobs, but many of the roles advertised require you to have previous work experience.

In contrast, the ESSEC Jobteaser portal caters to those without much experience, so it’s the best option for GBBA students.