• MMD students secure internships at Cartier, Shiseido, and LVMH.
• Relevant industry projects prepared them well for the working world.
• ESSEC’s reputation, alumni network, and career services team support the internship search.

One can be interested in something other than fashion or beauty for names like Cartier, Shiseido, and LVMH to ring a bell. Working with any of these brands would be a dream come true for those gunning for careers in the sectors, and so it has been for 2022 MSc in Marketing Management & Digital (MMD) students Lorenzo Valenti, Emma Arlandis, and Xinyue Chen.

I think it’s essential to show that you know how the luxury industry works,” Lorenzo, who is from Italy, says of the application process. As someone interested in the niche area of gemstones, his internship options were limited and the competition particularly intense.

Building a Real-World Luxury Portfolio

“Being able to share about the learnings I took away from my different courses and projects during my interviews really helped,” Lorenzo declares, crediting the real-world projects done as particularly helpful in his internship search.

For example, on a project for his module on luxury brands, he worked closely with the famous jewelry house Tiffany & Co. to develop a marketing strategy for the next generation in Asia. His team came out top, and as a testament to his skills, he was given the rare opportunity to participate in the LVMH Chair Field Project 2022, which added to his credibility when talking to interviewers.

Lorenzo’s classmate Emma, from France, was also identified for her exceptional abilities and allowed to participate in the Leadership and Diversity Chair supported by L’Oreal. For six months, she worked with students from ESSEC Cergy on a strategy to combat age discrimination for Yves Saint Laurent Beauté.

“Although I worked on various industry-related projects, this one was the biggest highlight of my time in ESSEC APAC—it was a great first step into the professional world, and it has given me valuable insights about the luxury industry,” Emma says.

Harnessing a New Spectrum of Soft Skills

She adds that what she most appreciates about ESSEC is how MMD students are assessed through regular group projects.

These strengthened my ability to work with a multicultural team and taught me to multitask and handle multiple processes simultaneously,” she says, noting that what she learned has been helpful in her role as an E-Retail Project Assistant for Shiseido brands like Drunk Elephant and NARS.

Xinyue, who is from China, echoes these sentiments, citing that her experience as a team leader at the annual Digital Marketing Challenge (DMC)—offered exclusively to all MMD students—was essential to developing her soft skills.

“I learned to create timelines, monitor deliverables, and manage various interpersonal relationships,” she recalls. “Not only did I do ‘projects for business,’ but I also learned more about leadership, teamwork, and communication!”

The Advantages of the ESSEC Network

These examples are perhaps why, although Xinyue was initially worried about finding an internship, she was pleasantly surprised that the process was smoother than expected. In fact, she could easily find and secure her position at LVMH Perfume and Cosmetics through the ESSEC Jobteaser website.

“I think ESSEC’s good reputation with luxury companies and close relationship with these brands definitely helps ensure students know what internship opportunities are out there,” she says.

Credit also goes to the ESSEC alumni for their willingness to share and mentor their juniors and, of course, to the ESSEC Career Services team, which Emma says prepared her so well for her interviews that she was “not worried.” In fact, she received her job offer within days of meeting the hiring team.

“I advise taking advantage of the amazing and intense experience of being in the MMD program. I’m convinced the ESSEC Business School experience will empower you to reach your career goals,” Emma concludes.