Michel Verhasselt and Marie Hotton may only be in the first year of the ESSEC Master in Finance (MiF) program, but that hasn’t stopped them from securing internships at global institutions.

Michel, who is from Belgium, found work as an asset management intern at Schroders Investments’ Luxembourg office.

Marie, of French-Hong Kong descent, joined Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking in Paris as a convertible bonds and equity derivatives sales assistant.

Their journey from the classroom to the boardroom serves as inspiration.

Preparing for the Professional World

Both agree that their internships have contributed significantly to their understanding of the finance industry.

“It has been an invaluable learning experience that has allowed me to develop professionally and personally,” Marie shares.

She elaborates: “A major highlight is gaining first-hand insights into the dynamics of a trading floor and witnessing the impact of macroeconomic trends on financial markets. I believe the knowledge gained will aid my transition to my next internship—at Rothschild London’s equity markets solutions team.”

Michel, whose office liaises with Schroder’s branches in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South America, feels similarly.

He describes his role as a dynamic one, with tasks that vary on a day-to-day basis.

“This has given me an understanding of the inner workings of the business. As an aspiring finance professional, I enjoy seeing how people manage trillions of dollars in assets!”

ESSEC Training Pays Off

Michel believes the lessons learned at ESSEC have prepared him well for the new environment.

“I’m able to pick up my tasks quickly, and my colleagues don’t need to explain technical aspects to me because I’ve already been exposed to the concepts at ESSEC,” he explains.

The training ESSEC organized at the Singapore Bloomberg office was particularly helpful for Marie. She credits this with allowing her to familiarize herself with key platforms used in the financial industry.

In addition, she says: “The career training ESSEC provided played an instrumental role in preparing me for the rigorous interview process. It gave me the necessary knowledge and confidence to navigate through successfully.”

Michel agrees. “They had external speakers come in to teach us practical things like approaching someone for a coffee chat. We had practical exercises where we’d have 30 seconds to shake someone’s hand, introduce ourselves, and find some way to make the conversation interesting,” he recalls.

This practice came in handy when, with the support of a manager, Michel began reaching out to different people within Schroders Investments to discuss their areas of expertise and learn more about the industry.

Entering with the Right Attitude

Acknowledging that some may worry about their prospects of finding internships, Marie and Michel believe sufficient support is provided.

“Make the most of networking opportunities and resources provided by ESSEC. This includes lunch break talks with professionals, company visits, the JobTeaser platform, and AlumnEye training. These will prove invaluable in expanding your professional network and knowledge base,” Marie advises.

“Also, remain open-minded and receptive to new experiences, as each opportunity serves as a stepping stone towards your career goals!”

Equally important is simply to believe in yourself, Michel adds. “I didn’t have a background in finance and wasn’t getting any responses from companies initially. But I believe ESSEC trains us to push for more, to be ready to ask for things and catch people’s attention in the right way—so you need to keep trying and not be shy to go for more!”

“Ultimately, what you make of your internship is up to you. You’ll have tasks and responsibilities, but what you learn and how much you grow depends on your initiative,” Michel concludes.