Vodafone: Advice to CEMSies from Anna Simonetti
As CEMSies I am sure you are willing to enter a challenging and passionate work environment, with international flavour and possibility to experience many different roles and positions. I had the same desires when I chose to enter the CEMS program during my Master in Management in Bocconi and I have to say that this experience helped me building the basis of my professional life. My first suggestion for you is: take advantage of all the opportunities that CEMS gives you. One of the most important ones, that has been key for my work life too, is the Career Forum. Thanks to this event, I could get in touch with Vodafone: I had my very first interview for Vodafone at the Vienna Career Forum in 2014. After just a couple of months I entered the company as part of the Discover Program, a two-year rotation program, which allowed me to develop both as a person and as a professional. If you want to join the challenge of a fast moving industry in a company with passion for excellence and customer care, then you should definitely apply for the Discover Program. I had the chance to experiment the environment of different departments, but what made my experience stronger (and what actually makes Vodafone strong every day) are people. And here comes my second suggestion: keep your mind open and let people around you inspire you every single day. Most of the times, in my experience the key success factor at work has been learning from people around me, so ask questions, be curious and never think you have learned everything about a specific role or job. Absorb as much knowledge as you can. Working at Vodafone will allow you to be in touch with people with a very different background compared to yours but that’s where change happens! In the Consumer Marketing, where I’m working now as a Product Manager, I am constantly in contact with people in online, finance, advertising and