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MSM Online Corporate Weeks –learn, connect, engage

16-06-2020

From 2 June – 12 June 2020, MSM organized its annual Corporate Weeks. Due to Covid-19, the event was organized slightly differently than in previous years. But no less successful! A 2-week event full of career-related online trainings and workshops linking MSM’s MBA and MM students with experts and MSM Alumni to learn and connect in a virtual setting.

The aim of the MSM Corporate Weeks is to provide its Master in Business Administration (MBA), Master in Management (MM) students and alumni with information related to career development, working in the Netherlands and strengthening career management skills. Due to COVID-19 the MSM Corporate Week had to be re-arranged by splitting it up into two parts. The first part, held in the past two weeks, consisted of various online trainings and workshops, while during the second part, scheduled for September, students will be invited by several MSM Corporate partners. For MSM’s Corporate partners this is an excellent opportunity to connect with students and find potential talent.

Online trainings and workshops to boost MSM’s student’s careers
The MSM Online Corporate weeks kicked off on Tuesday 2 June. In two weeks’ time MSM students and MSM Alumni could attend several online trainings and workshops:

How to use Body Language to find your dream job
Gijs Huth, trainer, coach and consultant at Bluegg provided an online training in which the students received information about the different parts in a job interview and how to use Western non-verbal skills to make the interviewer remember you. Not only an interesting training for the students, but also for Gijs himself: “For me it was a great opportunity to work with such motivated, smart and nice people. The diversity of the students made it very interesting. This because we were able to compare the Body Language of other cultures to the western culture. We noticed the similarities and the differences. By getting these insights, the students are now able to adapt their Body Language and stay their authentic self. Also, it gave me an even better insight of Body Language around the world. I learned a lot! Also, I hope to get the chance of meeting the students in person one day.“

Marie-Laure Van de Berg, MSM Master in Management student commented:
“The session with Gijs was so great! I learned so much! I have never thought of how body language influences so much the perception you have on others and vice-versa. It was good to understand and put words on why sometimes you have that “gut feeling” that someone is hiding something or that you can't trust them. I believe a lot comes from your brain analyzing unconsciously a person’s body language.”
How to get on the same page about expectations and agreements in a working environment (especially for foreign students)
Sonja Vlaar of Attune delivered a workshop on management expectations and agreements in a work-setting. An approach which the students have practiced in various conversations that lead to trust, appreciation and action.
LinkedIn training
Romeo Oehlers invited the students for an online LinkedIn training. In this one-hour training Romeo showed the students how to use LinkedIn to their advantage and to stand out during the application phase. Romeo was very enthusiastic about the MSM Online Corporate days “Conducting an online workshop for MSM was easy to do due to a well-organized set up by MSM. Participating in this event was also very beneficial to me as it gave me the opportunity to let people know who I am, to open my mind to new ideas, latest trends and lastly, to motivate myself and to socialize.”
Job Searching and Interview Techniques
Hermina Kooyman, Manager Enrollment and Career Services at MSM, shared some practical tips and tricks to help students in being more efficient when job searching and how to prepare for an interview.
Introduction to Project Management
Rui Miguel Santos, Chief Executive Officer at CESO Development Consultants, delivered a 3-hour interactive course on Project Management. In this course, Rui explained the key concepts of Project Management and introduced the students to various tools for analyzing, planning and monitoring projects.
Negotiation Skills
Dave Cass, Director of Education and Executive Development at MSM, provided an interactive workshop on negotiation skills.
Staying in the Netherlands after your studies
Marcel Dautzenberg and Petra Muijrers of Expat Centre Maastricht together with Ramona Corsius of Podium 24 shared all the relevant information about staying in the Netherlands after your study, about Euregional employment mediation and social connection in the Maastricht region.
Advanced Interview Techniques
Stephanie Jones, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at MSM shared her experience of her days as international head-hunter when they used the STAR technique. A technique headhunters and corporate recruiters often use to test if candidates have the competences they are looking for.

The workshops and trainings were very much appreciated by the participants:

Willem Zwaagstra, MSM Online MBA student stated:
“With the corporate week on campus most likely being out of reach, I found that the online corporate days add a very well-balanced addition to the MSM Online MBA program. Because the attendance is online, participating is very approachable. The subjects addressed a broad range of topics, it was a good balance of refreshing old learning but also of learning new skills. The instructors were all very driven. The most useful learning was without a doubt the addressing of certain soft skills, that aren’t rather taught in a classroom but fit the workshop style better. I am already looking forward to attend another corporate week as it refreshed many ideas an gives a new approach on daily life.”

Chen Liu, MSM Executive MBA student:
“It is great that MSM offers these additional courses under the digital set up. The topics are very interesting and the content delivered in such a short time frame is quite good. I recommend to include the body language subject in the Leadership course for EMBA students as leadership communication is a very important and useful topic.”

Princess Austin, another MSM executive MBA student added:
“The training and workshops were very appealing. I think the facilitators did a great job for an online experience. They communicated the topics very well and the course contents were rich. I found all the classes very useful, however, the body language class stood out for me because I think the lessons, we learned during the session are often overlooked but very important. We come across people every day and as an EMBA student it will really help me to make a good first impression everywhere I go and I think that is important. I wish that the Body language course would be part of the EMBA curriculum actually, I feel like we could benefit more from it.”

For Elizabeth Muiruri, MSM full-time MBA student, the MSM Online Corporate days were a unique experience:
“The online corporate days was a unique experience in view of the unprecedented times we are dealing with at the moment. Being what I think a first online corporate week for MSM, it was great to watch and learn from MSM how to quickly adapt to an unexpected/uncertain situation and manage to stay on course even with a few bumps. Professor Heling's lecture taught us that the bumps are normal and expected when rolling out a change management program. The different trainings and workshops were very valuable to me. I learnt how to use body posture to portray and relay favorable messages in meetings and interviews. The tools and techniques to apply when managing projects. To anticipate the needs of both parties for a win-win result in negotiation. How to use the STAR technique to exemplify my strongest competencies in interviews as well. Should I be an employer/hiring committee I can use the technique to assess job candidates to identify the most appropriate individual who fits the vacancy profile.”

MSM alumni, our ambassadors for life
Next to MSM’s current students, MSM alumni were invited to attend the Corporate Week. MSM has a worldwide knowledge network of over 20,000 alumni organized in chapters or regional alumni communities. The MSM Online Corporate days provided a great opportunity to catch up and connect with fellow alumni and MSM staff.

MSM Master in Management Alumna Natania Leongson speaks full of praise about the MSM Corporate Week:
“The MSM Online Corporate days were a fantastic opportunity to continue to learn even with the limitations we are facing nowadays. It reminded me of the line I often would see at the Student Hotel in Maastricht that says, "may the student in you live forever." It definitely felt like I was living that line! I truly appreciate that even as alumni, we are still given the opportunities and support to continue learning and growing in our own professional lives. The trainings and workshops were highly interesting to me because they gave me a chance to brush up my management skills, which are not only useful in the virtual office, but also in managing my own life."

MSM Master in Management Alumni Kenny Bun added:
“I am very happy to still be eligible to attend MSM Corporate days. I received so much of valuable knowledge during the sharing sessions. I thought I knew many things about interviews, negotiation skills and project management. But there was still so much to learn from the guest speakers. The trainings and workshop provided me with essential knowledge, skills, and tools to enhance my career growth in my current company.”

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