By Zoe DeFazio, Asst. Arts and Entertainment Editor
Handshake, a career tool that Manhattan College utilizes for its students, held a virtual master class and Q&A event with Nathalie Gerschtein, the president of the consumer products division of L’Oréal on Jan. 20.
Handshake is an online business platform that gives students the opportunity to engage in live events and look for internship and job opportunities. Handshake offers a wide range of possibilities for both MC students and alumni.
Sharon D’Amelia, Associate Director of the Center for Career Development, weighed in on how students should familiarize themselves with Handshake to better understand the different job industries.
“All students of all majors should attend employer events whether they are in person or virtual. Employers that visit the campus want to meet with motivated students. By attending an employer event, you have the opportunity to meet with a recruiter who may potentially hire you. These events are a great way for students to learn about the company and the opportunities offered,” D’Amelia wrote in an email to The Quadrangle.
Dayna McGinley, President of the Women in Business club and Director of Member Relations of MC’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, explained why events such as the L’Oréal are important for students to take part in.
“Every MC student should take advantage of Handshake and what it has to offer both virtually and when things are in person. I personally have attended career development events, career fairs and job interviews,” said McGinley.
McGinley went on to talk about her personal experience with Handshake and the many opportunities that have come her way, increasing her experience in the real world.
“Since Handshake is mainly alumni or employers who want to hire MC students, the chance of gaining that internship or job is a lot higher than a search engine site. Not only have I gained my Big Four internship through Handshake, but I was able to network with people who worked at my dream companies much easier than on LinkedIn,” McGinley noted.
Gerschtein’s masterclass focused on her journey through the business world. Gerschtein is the first woman president of the consumer products division for L’Oréal, and is running a vast team of diverse and talented employees who are very passionate about embodying L’Oréal’s global purpose to create the beauty that moves the world.
This event contained information about becoming immersed in the business world and tactics to elevate your status and become more indulged in your work to hopefully expand your brand and business.
Gerschtein discussed what it takes to be a part of an empire and taught the class how to create an entrepreneur mindset and elaborated her six core values on being in the world of business. Her core values were innovation, spirit, a quest for excellence, responsibility, open-mindedness and passion.
Passion was Gerschtein’s main core value. She explained that without passion, the business isn’t worth fighting for. Being passionate and driven towards your work and ensuring precision with trial and error helps create the entrepreneur mindset.
“You have to try something one hundred times before it works. But then we don’t call it failure. We call it learning. And you know, this culture has really inspired me every day,” Gerschtein said.
Gerschtein ended her masterclass with some key advice to people wanting to expand on the business world.
“An important thing is the entrepreneur mindset,” Gerschtein said. “As a French person, L’Oreal has always been extremely inspiring. You know, when I entered L’Oreal 20 years ago, they didn’t have such a big international business, it was just one of the top companies in France. It’s the belief that you’re going to have the ability to impact. It’s really by working together that we can learn the most, and we move forward. So I think this entrepreneurship mindset, the fact that we encourage learning. It’s really something that has been the most critical for me throughout my journey.”