Creating Connections at Global Talent Day

On January 9th, EDHEC hosted this year’s annual Global Talent Day at the EDHEC campus in the heart of Paris, where nearly 80 motivated Global MBAs gathered to meet with eight of today’s leading companies, PayPal, Meero, Amazon, Schneider Electric, Nissan, Uber, VMWare, and Criteo.  

“The value of Global Talent Day was in the rich nature of the companies that partnered with us. There was a wide diversity in the sectors, sizes, value offerings, and even the individuals representing them,” said Aidan Johnson, a Global MBA candidate and event attendee.  

If you were not in Paris like Aidan, you may be curious - what is Global Talent Day, why is it important, and what did you miss at this year’s event?  

What is EDHEC’s Global Talent Day?   

There are several career events at EDHEC throughout the year but Global Talent Day is the main event fully dedicated to MBAs. It is a highly personalised event with four elements: company presentations, networking, speed-interview sessions, and a fireside chat with c-level alumni speakers from top global companies. This agenda gives MBA students the chance to meet with and learn from both recruiters and senior managers of the participating companies.  

“Applying online is no longer the best way to get a job. Over 80% of jobs are found through one’s network, especially for professionals such as MBA students,” said Cécile Benchetrit, EDHEC’s Career & Corporate Relations Manager. “Therefore, the aim of the event is to give them the opportunity to learn more about the company and job market trends, to extend their general knowledge, and build their professional network.”  

Global Talent Day is specifically designed to “help students connect with ‘high-touch’ people,” said Spencer Hamilton, Head of Global MBA Career & Corporate Services at EDHEC. Global Talent Day opens doors and lets students walk away with new professional contacts.  

Company Presentations: An Insider’s Look  

Global Talent Day is much more than just networking. It also hosted in-depth presentations from these eight companies, sharing insights into the brand’s history and future international strategy. More importantly, the Global MBA audience got an insider’s look into the work culture and what it takes to get a job there. Presenters shared the company culture, internal structure, hiring process, and interview tips. Crucially, at the annual Global Talent Day, each company shares current open positions and provides a deep-dive into what skills and profiles they are currently recruiting.  

“We had a valuable mix of senior executives, hiring managers, and even ex-EDHEC MBA students who were able to provide personal perspectives on what the next steps could look like for students in our position,” Aidan said. “The day gave us valuable insight into how these organisations work, what they might be like to join, and what it would take to make the transition a reality.”  

But what if you’re not interested in working at one of these presenting companies like Amazon or Uber? Global Talent Day is still applicable and valuable to any MBA candidate.   

“Regardless if you’re interested in working for any of these companies, these presentations were a peek behind the curtain of global brands. Listening to a manager speak and understanding what these giants are doing - you can relate this information to any job interview,” recommended Spencer. “You need to know the industry ‘gossip’ of what’s going on.”  

Following each company presentation was a thorough Q&A session which provided attendees with a deep dive into the corporate culture. Many of their questions were high-level and “impressed many of the companies,” Spencer said. “They’re feedback was very positive and optimistic about this group of MBAs.”  

One-on-one Speed-Dating with Global Brands  

A crucial aspect of the event is the coordinated short, one-on-one interviews with hiring managers that provide Global MBAs with a step up in the recruiting process. Prior to the event, Cécile Benchetrit connected companies with students, sending CVs in advance and matching profiles, resulting in approximately 35 interviews on the day, and further follow-up conversations off-campus.   

A Fireside Chat with EDHEC Alumni  

A concurring theme throughout the day was diversity. All eight brands spoke of the importance of inclusion and how corporate culture must embrace diversity during the hiring process. It is appropriate that the final session of the day was a Fireside Chat all about diversity and inclusion. This panel was a trifecta of three additional global brands including L’Oréal, Henkel, and Smurfit Kappa. The C-level executive presenters shared their experience of diversity and explained how they are fostering it within their companies. The exciting, hour-long chat discussed all forms of diversity and made interesting points on the subject, so keep an eye out for our follow up feature coming soon.  

Although the majority of our communications are now done electronically, our candidates agree that face-to-face networking remains a crucial element in their career development. Events such as our annual Global Talent Day give them the opportunity to not only connect with brands in person but to begin to build relationships and also fine-tune their networking skills in order to advance in their future career. 

Did you attend the Global Talent Day this year? We’d love to hear about your experience. Share it on social using #MyMBAStory. If you’re interested in future EDHEC events or learning more about the Global MBA programme contact our admissions team.