Note: This article was written by IFA Paris MBA Luxury Brand Management student Carolina Marquez from Colombia – edited by IFA Paris.
After a quick introduction, Xavier le Clerc asked some of the students in the audience, mainly IFA Paris MBA students, what they wanted to do in the future. From PR to technology and design through luxury consulting, the answers were quite miscellaneous and encompassed various fields.
Xavier’s aim was to explain how real working life was like in the field, advising not to be afraid to dream big. “Life is a draft” he said, a constant reinvention. “Best dreams are the ones that are achievable. Dream big, but be realistic” he added.
Xavier insisted as well on the importance of customer service, not only as a luxury brand but in one’s own life as well, since all the people surrounding you are clients, who should be treated as such and thus creating a respectful environment that will become a positive and full of energy lifestyle.
Another tip Xavier gave was to create a business plan for each individual as if they were a company. How do I start? What is my strategy? Who is my target? Who are my stakeholders? How will I achieve my goals? The idea behind this self business plan is to expose how important it is to create a plan starting from the beginning and steps by steps building one’s goals.
After these pieces of advice and empowering words, the talk went more in depth and more specifically on how to apply to these dream jobs. He went on by giving tips for requirements and interviews.
How to choose the ideal picture? How to create an interesting CV? What to do and what not to do in an interview? Xavier also insisted on the importance of body language, the personal presentation and stressing on how being yourself and not trying to fake someone else’s role was primordial.
To conclude, Xavier explained the whole process to apply for any job at Burberry and gave the students the information needed to start the process.
All the students were delighted to have attended this talk and appreciated the positive energy displayed by Xavier le Clerc and the positive environment that he participated in installing.