Meet an Alumna: "EDHEC's diploma is increasingly recognised by HR and colleagues"

What was your undergraduate major before joining EDHEC?

I majored in Applied English at Heilongjiang University, and I minored in Finance.
When choosing a second foreign language, I chose French, so I developed a strong interest in French culture and came up with the idea of going to France for postgraduate study.

Can you briefly talk about why you choose to join EDHEC and your master's programme?

Considering the actual situation, compared with the UK and the US, French business schools have many advantages:

• High-quality teaching,
• The application pressure is relatively small,
• Reasonable tuition fees,
• And can provide a bilingual environment (English and French)…

At that time, I thought that after graduation, relying on the well-developed financial industry in Europe and the UK would make it easier to get a job.
EDHEC is located in Nice, the charming capital of the Côte d'Azur. It is famous for its finance education. In my opinion, it is the perfect choice.

What was your academic experience like in your programme?

It was great!  My classmates were very friendly, and everyone helped each other in life and study. 

The courses basically cover the main products and pricing strategies in the financial market, the establishment and management of optimal investment portfolios, etc. There is also a lot of group work.

What is your experience of studying abroad?

Nice has a pleasant climate and beautiful scenery. When I was in school, I was busy studying and looking for internships, and I didn't enjoy it. But now that I've graduated, I'll go back and visit it every year.

What position are you working in?

I work in the financing and loan department of Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management Bank in London, providing professional and accurate financing solutions for high-net-worth clients, their investment companies and family offices.

How did you find your current job?

After graduating from EDHEC with a master's degree, I applied for Goldman Sachs' management trainee programme and got this opportunity after two interviews. In 2015, I officially joined the company as an analyst.

When I was studying in France, I did an internal audit internship at AXA in Paris and a private banking internship at BNP Paribas in Monaco. These few internships have helped me successfully apply for Goldman Sachs' management trainee programme.

Of course, I think it's easiest to turn a summer internship into a full-time job opportunity. Not to mention the high conversion rate, the summer internship experience will also help you get started faster.

Did the EDHEC programme help you qualify for the job?

Definitely. EDHEC's diploma is increasingly recognised by HR and colleagues. There are also many alumni of the school or colleagues from French engineering schools in the company, and we have a lot of interests in common.

For students who are looking for an internship/job, do you have any advice to share?

For students who are looking for internships, my suggestion is not to worry about speaking foreign languages. If you can find a front desk job, you must fight for it. You will learn more and pave the way for the next step.

For students who are looking for jobs, my suggestion is to figure out what you like to do and what you are good at as soon as possible, accumulate relevant internship experience in a targeted manner, try to enter the industry you like as soon as you graduate, and reduce the time cost of trial and error. You don't need to put too much energy into building connections, the most important thing is a strong resumé. After receiving the interview invitation, you must take it seriously and prepare well.