MARCOM + HR Students Travel to London for Global Immersion Week

A group of 40 IE Business School attended the Global Immersion Week (GIW) in London to visit companies like Google, Tik Tok, Netflix, LinkedIn, Korn Ferry, Robert Walters, Convex, Ipsos and more.

The three-day trip also offered Marketing and Communication + Human Resources students masterclasses and networking opportunities with London-based executives.

“The purpose of the MARCOM Global Immersion Week is to provide our students with an international experience in which they have the opportunity to broaden their perspective on the latest trends in Marketing, Communications and Human Resources topics and career outcomes at international business markets. Our goal is to keep on incorporating multi-campus international experiences into our Business School programs,”
Carla Szemzo, Vice Dean of Marketing, Communications and HR Programs at IE Business School

More than just learning about big players in the industry, this trip was designed to open possibilities for students looking for job opportunities in London.

“I think the experience opened my eyes to the London job market, which I previously was not considering. The speakers shared information about various opportunities at their companies and pathways we could consider as well as circumstances for visa sponsorship,” said Anna Kang, a Dual-Degree International MBA + Master in Visual &Digital Media student who attended the trip.

In an introductory session at Robert Walters Group, a British recruitment company, students learned about several topics related to employment in the UK. The topics covered included:

• Cultural, social, and economic ecosystem of the UK.
• Situation post-Brexit and companies sponsorships.
• Career and recruitment trends in the UK.
• MARCOM and HR leading companies in the country.

As one of the attendees of the trip, Daniela Baquerizo, said, “GIW was a three-day bootcamp on job hunting, selling yourself, and skilling and re-skilling.”

Some of the key takeaways students highlighted from the talks were:

• “First, demonstrate your passion. Second, leverage your experience. Remember: what are your primary assets? And always, do your research.” - Vivian Lo from Ipsos.
• “Growth is not linear. The challenges, advance opportunities, and consumer trends Tik Tok has faced over the past couple of years show us the necessity of innovation and creative execution for exponential growth.” - Grace Brookes from TikTok.
• “Have an impact. When presenting yourself to companies you must: stay true to yourself, sell your brand properly, and wonder what success really looks like.Think about what makes you memorable.” - Daren Kemp from Korn Ferry.
• “Good storytelling without proper delivery has no impact. As storytellers, we have about 7 seconds to cause an impact.” - Nicolas Randall from IE Business School.

“The practical knowledge I gathered from all the companies has helped me put into perspective most of the discussions from our classes – it is refreshing and exciting to see how professionals and companies are continuously improving their HR service delivery to create the workforce of tomorrow,” said Iulian-Augustin Paval, a Talent Development & Human Resources student who attended the trip.

Students applauded the chance to engage in conversations with the speakers, ask questions, and network.

“When we signed up to GIW, we really didn’t know how immersive it would be! We got the chance to have a real voice. By being in such a small group, most of us got one on one conversations with speakers, recruiters, alumni, and IE staff. I got to ask questions and learn from people I would probably not have had the opportunity to do so on my own. People working at the most impactful companies around the world,” said Daniela Baquerizo, Dual-Degree IMBA + MVDM.

“The GIW was a great opportunity for students to take the Master experience to the next level, bond with their classmates and prepare for their next career step by understanding what the real-world market is looking for in professionals from this field,” said Lucia Malmierca, marketing manager at IE Business School.