1/ Could you introduce yourself?
My name is Alexandre Kessler. I am 21-year-old, and I am currently studying at GEM (Grenoble Ecole de Management), a French business school located in the South-East of France. From January to May, I had the opportunity to join Pace University exchange program, where I studied Finance and Data Science as majors. In May 2021, in the continuation of my studies, and as part of the summer internship program, I joined Talan New York office to work on various challenging and exciting project initiatives.
2/ What are the different projects you are working on at Talan?
I had the chance to work within various departments such as Business Development, Sales, Human Resources and Recruitment, which allowed me to make the link between the different departments. This overview enabled me to have a real understanding of how a management & consultancy firm operates.
- Participated in the business development strategy of the “Change & Optimization” practice:
- Drafted marketing materials for client meetings
- Produced client use cases to evidence Talan’s track record on similar client projects
- Identified new prospects eligible to our consulting offer
- Drafted the social media communication strategy to increase Talan Americas’ visibility and presence on LinkedIn
- Built-up brand-new partnerships with US top universities to expand Talan Americas’ fame & notoriety towards local students, while diversifying our recruitment channels and sourcing talents fresh out from schools.
- Assisted the Sales department in business development and new leads generation:
- Identified key contacts within clients’ organization, introduced Talan Americas’ services and value proposition and qualified clients’ opportunities
- Increased Talan Americas' visibility through a dedicated advertising campaign and developed a powerful sales pitch to highlight Talan Americas' know-how, expertise, and value proposition.
- Provided support to the Talent Acquisition/Recruitment department:
- Participated to recruitment efforts for Business and IT open positions on an as-needed basis
- Performed first reviews of candidates’ resumes to make first cuts and consider only candidates with the best skills for the positions
- Attended or lead phone, face-to-face and technical interviews with short-listed candidates to validate their knowledge/expertise, transferable skills and assess their capacity to fit the position.
3/ What 3 words would you use to introduce Talan?
- Passion/Commitment: we bring passion & dedication to everything we do. We see our client’s business as our own and put all our energy into helping them achieving lasting success.
- Curiosity: we are always asking questions & challenging ourselves to do things better and differently.
- Self-starters: we are self-starters that do what it takes to make things happen.
4/ What has been your most memorable moment at Talan USA?
A very memorable moment was attending the first company cocktail party that Talan was able to host since the beginning of the pandemic. Indeed, my arrival to New York City in the middle of the pandemic cut my social experiences short and has relegated my newly formed professional relationships to the virtual sphere! Therefore, when I was able to see my colleagues and managers in person for the first time, that was truly magical.
Another unforgettable moment was my weekly business lunch with one of my managers. She works offsite in the client’s premises. So instead of having weekly phone calls to follow up on my various assignments, she made herself available to meet with me in person every week to review my deliverables, answer all my questions, share best practices, and provide me with customized training and coaching. It was a great opportunity to combine work and conviviality.
5/ Who inspires you most in life? Why?
Roger Federer has been a tremendous inspiration to me since I was a child. Although his almost endless professional achievements and accolades in the Tennis world speak for themselves, it is rather his non-tennis attributes (such as his personality, his attitude, and the values he embodies) that have left an indelible mark. He was able to show great poise in a high pressure environment, a calm and collected air in the most stressful moments, while displaying a humility off the tennis courts despite his status and his notoriety, that makes me admire him so much. These are all the values I try to adhere to every day.