In an exciting new series of our Alumni Network Podcast we chat to EHL graduates who embarked on a bachelor’s adventure at EHL and then pursued master’s degrees across the globe.
Here’s a taster of the first episode with Alexandra Marinova, who graduated from EHL in 2019 and went on to take a Master in Talent Development and Human Resources at IE University in Madrid. She currently works at Nestlé in Vevey, Switzerland, as part of the company’s HR graduate scheme.
HR career path: A natural fit
Alexandra Marinova has always been a people person. Sociable at heart, she likes making others feel good and enjoyed mixing with students from all over the world during her bachelor’s degree at EHL. So perhaps it was inevitable that she would come to the conclusion, as those studies progressed, that she wanted to work in human resources.
This fledgling interest was nurtured by the courses she took at EHL on topics such as talent management and organizational behaviour. An internship in human resources at Rolex in her second year confirmed her career choice, and after a valuable period of work experience following graduation, she began a ten-month master’s in Talent Development and Human Resources at IE University in Madrid.
What did your master’s involve?
“Everything that covers human resources in corporate companies, multinational environments, etc, and also everything regarding talent development. So the psychological part until total rewards, the diversity and inclusion, also the performance, succession planning.”
Why was the psychological part of HR particularly of interest to you?
“People always know that HR has an impact in a company. But I think post-Covid, people realized that having a good human resources department is crucial. It's important to invest in your resources, in your people, how you treat them. And so that's why I think the psychological part is very important to try to understand what you can give to your employees, how to make them happy, how to make them motivated, how to match their expectations, etc.”
How did EHL prepare you for the challenge of your master’s?
“At EHL I really got out of my comfort zone being in the English section, studying in another language than my native language, so this prepared me for the corporate world. I'm happy that I decided to choose to study in English because it's a real strength for me nowadays. Also, at EHL we are put into teams during the preparatory year and there are always group work. You don't realize it, but it really strengthens you because you have to deal with different personalities, different characters, different nationalities, different ways of working, different cultures. And in HR it’s a little bit the same. Also, all the classes that we have and the networking that we're exposed to at a really young age makes you way more confident to approach business leaders, stakeholders. Thanks to that, I just feel at ease wherever I'm going. I know that I can talk with a lot of different people because I've experienced that before.”
You worked for a while before doing your master’s. How was that beneficial?
“Being able to see and navigate through different environments, I think it's a big asset and it's very important nowadays. All these internships also made me see how HR functions, the good things, the bad things. I think I have seen a lot and it's really valuable at my age. Also, [during the master’s] a lot of our papers, a lot of our reflections and group work are related to examples that you've had in the workplace, any conflicts, any difficult situations, any successes, failures. So you have to be able to take examples from what you have lived. There were a few students in my class who hadn't worked, and it was a little bit more difficult for them.”
Would you recommend your master’s to other EHL students?
“I would really recommend that, yes, if you're a human-oriented person interested in psychology and human resources in general, and you would like to work in any learning and development or coaching departments or anything related to humans in general. You meet a lot of people, you learn a lot. The teachers are amazing. It's really intense. You work hard, but it's very valuable.”
What’s your biggest wish for your career?
If I'm able to change the life of someone in a good way … at work or even outside. I really believe in the power of human resources, and if people can rely on that and they believe in that, well, that's my biggest wish.
Listen to the full interview with Alexandra Marinova here
