Creating Connections: The Inaugural INSEAD MIM Career Fair
On 29 September 2026, the Career Development Centre hosted INSEAD's first MIM Career Fair in the new Desmarais Tower. The event welcomed 160 students and 13 employers from a range of sectors, including Bain, BCG, McKinsey, L.E.K., Artefact, Conversational, EF, INCK, Louis Vuitton and Microsoft.
The fair marks the launch of a more curated career journey for our Master in Management students. Alongside dedicated MIM career workshops, Warm Connections networking opportunities, and three career fairs aligned to hiring cycles, the initiative is designed to provide students with earlier and more targeted engagement with employers.
Recruiters praised the professionalism, curiosity and quality of our students. While technical skills remain important, employers consistently highlighted communication skills, relationship building, critical thinking and the ability to use AI effectively alongside human judgement as increasingly important differentiators in the hiring process.
Students valued the opportunity to engage directly with recruiters and alumni in a setting designed for meaningful conversations rather than brief introductions. A particular highlight was the "Golden Ticket" initiative, where each participating company nominated one student based on their engagement, communication skills, motivation and overall fit with the organisation. These students were invited to an exclusive networking lunch with company representatives and CDC staff.
Employers attending the fair were recruiting for opportunities across Europe and globally.
While some organisations require local language capabilities, others were open to English-speaking international candidates. Early feedback was extremely positive, with several employers commenting favourably on both the quality of the student interactions and the fair format itself. One participating company even indicated that it was considering creating a new role after meeting an INSEAD student at the event.
The event also reinforced several important lessons. Students benefit from updating their CVs earlier so recruiters can review strong candidate profiles ahead of events, while employer participation requires sustained outreach and relationship building. Behind the scenes, the CDC team engaged hundreds of organisations to secure participation for this inaugural fair.
As we continue to expand career opportunities for MIM students, we will build on feedback from both students and recruiters, attract additional employers, and track the longer-term impact of these initiatives through job opportunities, interviews and hiring outcomes.
The strong turnout, quality of engagement and enthusiastic response from employers suggest that this first MIM Career Fair is an encouraging start to what we hope will become a signature element of the INSEAD MIM experience.
