Inside the INSEAD MIM: Professional Exposure

You will conclude your MIM journey by applying what you have learnt by joining a company, either as an intern or a full-time employee. The professional exposure period allows you to build work experience and conduct a final analysis on the industry you have joined.

"I have found that the INSEAD MIM is an excellent stepping stone to go into consulting."

There is also a motivation to have a positive impact on Colombia’s and Latin America’s growth. I find it exhilarating to be able to participate in the region’s development by partaking in projects that I might not have come across in Europe." 

I have found that the INSEAD MIM is an excellent stepping stone to go into consulting. The programme’s intensity and diversity closely resemble that of the industry. For example, meeting so many different people on a day-to-day basis increased my open-mindedness and tolerance and allowed me to improve my networking skills. 
 
If you are considering to start your career in consulting, my advice is to go for it! Although the recruitment process can be overwhelming, it is worth it. My most important tip is to start building your support network early on. Friends and family of course, but also, career coaches and mentors were all paramount to my journey. You will need to dedicate some time to prepare for the ‘fit’ interviews and doing some research about the location you are applying to (industries/types of projects, office culture…) is also essential. Last but not least, don’t be scared to get out of your comfort zone!

"The MIM definitely helped me with the right knowledge both for the interviews and on-the-job tasks."

I found this job through CareerGlobe, a platform run by INSEAD’s Career Development Centre (CDC). I was actually not targeting startups or VC funds, however the team and the discussions I had during my interviews convinced me to join this promising company.

The MIM definitely helped me by equipping me with the right knowledge both for the interviews and on-the-job tasks. Also, the school’s reputation is fundamental in my career’s success as it serves as a checkpoint with many investors.

My advice for future students: Try to immerse yourself in the MIM journey as much as possible and optimise for one target at a time, be it career, academics or social life.”
 

"I used all the tips gathered from INSEAD's network and the career fairs."

The overall objective of the programme is to accelerate the acquisition of key skills to take on progressively higher responsibilities. At the moment, I am in the Operations Excellence team which acts as a consultancy for the entire company by helping all teams streamline processes and gain efficiency. I am so happy to be working in a scale-up, it's very different to what I have gotten to know before! I can own my own projects and have to be proactive.

INSEAD helped me most during my interviews and job search as I used all the tips gathered from INSEAD's network and the career fairs. In my current role I also use many of the skills acquired during the MIM such as analysis and communcation, and being able to multitask."

"INSEAD prepared me for my role in many ways."

I found the role through INSEAD’s Career Development Centre (CDC) and applied very early on. After I had submitted my application, I discovered that there were a few INSEAD alumni working at ZS so I reached out to find out more about the company culture. It was great to be able to get an inside view, along with the support from CDC for interview preparation and practice. 

INSEAD prepared me for my role in many ways. A lot of the ‘big picture’ strategy reports we did in class are very similar to what I'm doing now, as well as the global approach to problem solving and working in distributed teams. And of course, I’m still constantly learning.” 

"Having worked in many teams for group projects at INSEAD allowed me to quickly adapt and integrate myself at work."

I am in charge of ensuring our products perform in our key markets, expansion to new markets, and ideation of new product launches for the following years. As a manager I interact with various stakeholders including labs, development, countries and agencies to ensure we can launch disruptive products in the skin care category and am the key point of contact for each product launch.

In a broader scope, I also work hand in hand with my team to ideate the vision for the face skin care range while ensuring that our brand identity stays strong. 

After INSEAD I first did an internship at L’Oreal and five months later secured the role I am currently in. Throughout my internship my managers and the entire team were very supportive and I believe that that experience played a big role in allowing me to continue working at L’Oreal.
 
The INSEAD environment is fast-paced and you learn a lot very quickly, and this was definitely the case at L’Oreal as well. Overall, the 10 months at INSEAD prepared me to be able to work and thrive in this setting. I also believe that having worked in many teams for group projects at INSEAD allowed me to learn how to adapt and integrate myself with my team at L’Oreal.

On the academic side, I believe there are elements from all courses and electives that are helpful in my job, specifically the Marketing, Data Analytics and Strategy core courses. Learnings from the practical blocks integrated in the INSEAD MIM have also been helpful, once again the Marketing practical has concepts I learned that I find myself going back to in my day-to-day at work.

I believe my peers during the MIM also played a big role in helping me prepare for the role.

Be it through interesting conversations about the industry, group work done for projects, mock interviews or just simply moral support; being surrounded by MIMs who were as curious and motivated as me, pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to shine.

For this who are interested in the cosmetics industry, my advice would be to take the time to dive deep and educate yourself on new brands and key innovations in the market, get excited because this will help when you are interviewing for internships and full-time positions. Have an open mind to opportunities because with each brand and each category (skin care, make up, hair care etc.) there is a lot to learn and in many ways all categories are linked. 

A useful resource I want to mention, especially for your interview process to get interesting news on the cosmetics industry is Glossy Beauty Podcast. This really helped me understand the industry and how to think about brand/product positioning.

Finally, remember that it does take hard work and commitment to succeed in this industry. It is competitive but if you remain passionate and work towards your goals, you can land a job you love just like I did.

Return to the MIM Curriculum series