Caroline Reaud

Before ISIT ?

I wanted to become a teacher: that’s how everything began. As I am fond of foreign languages, I completed an LEA degree at the University of  Cergy-Pontoise which enabled me to travel to the USA  for 6 months. This is where I met an intercultural management teacher who passed on to me his interest for cultural specificities and his passion for researching the best ways to adapt and constantly update products and services to the culture of the country. This was the fist key milestone in my professional project.

Why ISIT ?

When I came back from the USA, I chose to join ISIT in order to combine both languages and intercultural management studies. I wanted to stand out from business school students with my concrete linguistic expertise. The availability of a sandwich course in my final year was reassuring to me.

A year later, my sandwich course brought me to Alcatel-Lucent’s sustainable purchasing department.  I was helping suppliers in Europe and Latin America to set up a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program. It was a real challenge. I was stepping out of my comfort zone to discover worlds that were unknown to me at the time: purchasing, CSR, and in a way, consulting. 16 months later, I came to the end of my experience and had grown a lot. I had acquired several skills, strengthened others (especially in intercultural management) and, above all, been surrounded by a generous team who guided me along the path of tailor-made, attentive and caring consulting.

After ISIT ?

To clarify my career plans, I attended several specific conferences on the world of consulting, while carrying out job surveys to discover the profiles in demand, the skills required and the paths to follow to become a junior consultant. During one of these surveys, I met Erik Perey, co-founder of Luxury Attitude, a consulting and training company specialized in customer experience (http://www.luxury-attitude.com/). This survey turned into a wonderful encounter with my future employer . A few months later, I joined the team as a project manager. Today, my job can be divided into two main fields. The first one revolves around web, editorial and event communications.  The second involves supporting consultants and trainers during their assignments (organizing seminars, adapting teaching content, co-facilitating writing workshops, writing the booklets given to customers). I work with numerous luxury hotels and companies in France and abroad… and I love it!

Any advice for future students?

• Take your time to think through your career path, to build your professional career with a 2, 5 or even 10-year outlook. It may evolve over time, but such introspection will enable you to move forward with greater confidence, and your determination will be greatly appreciated by recruiters.
• Dare to step out of your comfort zone to discover new worlds or move into an area that was not initially part of your career plan.
• Create opportunities: breakfasts, job surveys, conferences, trade fairs, unsolicited applications… There are many ways to develop your network. It’s not always easy, but nowadays it is essential. Once you have succeeded, the effort really seems worthwhile!