How to complete an internship at the prestigious luxury house Christian Dior? How does the recruitment process work? Oumaima, intern at Christian Dior Couture in management control, gave us all the secrets to a successful interview. She also lifts the veil on her daily life within the company.
Founded in 1946 by Marcel Boussac, Christian Dior is one of the most important French companies in the world. It is strongly established in the luxury sector and includes several activities to its credit (cosmetics, perfumes, jewelry, leather goods, etc.). The luxury house has been part of the LVMH group since 2017.
Oumaima’s journey
Can you present your journey?
I obtained an STMG baccalaureate in Morocco. I then turned to ECT preparation in Rabat, at the Omar Al Khayam preparation center. After these two years, I managed to join Grenoble EM in the first year of the PGE, in the English Track course, where I had the chance to follow 100% teaching in English.
In the second year, I chose financial auditing and high gastronomy and luxury hotels as specializations. I then completed an academic exchange specializing in finance at Pace University in New York, where I had the chance to deepen my knowledge in corporate finance and market finance.
Being very sensitive to subjects relating to corporate financeI started my gap year with experience as a Junior Financial Manager within the startup Ocus, where I managed supplier accounting, management control as well as the implementation of internal control. And I am currently interning at Christian Dior Couture, as a management control assistant for my second part of my gap year.
Recruitment processes for an internship at Dior
How did the recruitment processes go at Dior?
The school network helped me enormously to find my internship at Christian Dior. On the GEM Internship Facebook group, a student was looking for an intern to replace her for the position of management control assistant. I contacted her and sent her my CV. She very kindly transferred to her manager.
A few days later, HR contacted me for an interview. She asked me questions about my academic and professional background, about my previous missions within Ocus and of course about the house of Dior. It is during this stage that HR judges the interest in the luxury sector and in their company in particular. It is therefore crucial to be well informed beforehand about the history, values and particularities of Dior.
Once this step was validated, I had two interviews of around forty minutes each with a senior management controller and the head of the financial department. Most of the questions were technical and mainly revolved around my previous experience, the tools and software I used and the key skills developed. I was also required to do a 15-minute Excel test. I therefore advise you to familiarize yourself with this tool so as not to be taken by surprise on the day of the interview.
The internship at Dior
How is your internship going? Did you notice a difference between the image you had of Dior and reality?
Before starting my internship, II had heard echoes about the workload and the atmosphere that reigned within the luxury sector. I still didn’t trust this feedback and wanted to form my own opinion.
I started my experience without preconceptions and I was pleasantly surprised by the kindness of the teams. I have indeed met people who do their best to ensure that I quickly improve my skills and enjoy my experience to the fullest.
The particularity of my internship is that I alternate between the Dior house and the embroidery workshops where I assist in the manufacturing of the company’s major creations. It’s a dream come true, as I get to see a preview of the design process for Dior dresses, which I previously only saw in major fashion shows.
What are your missions during this internship at Dior?
Each month, my mission is to prepare Excel dashboards and enter budgets and comparative histories. I also carry out the reconciliation and entry of reports on the SyRus software for the Dior LVMH consolidation.
A second part of my internship is to assist the DAF (administrative and financial director) in the creation of monitoring tables and to participate in monthly payment work (CA and P&L). I also support the implementation of the Sage 100 Cloud tool.
What is a typical day like at Dior?
I am lucky to have very varied days which differ depending on my missions either at the Dior house or at the embroidery workshop. I generally start at 9:30 a.m. by processing my emails. I then continue with a daily update with my manager on the various missions to be accomplished during the day, which generally consist of preparing the monthly closing files (the turnover monitoring files, the income statement and the revised budget ). I then check whether the information provided by the accounting department is compliant. Furthermore, I am required to write the management report for the Dior embroidery workshop which is then communicated to the auditor.
The job of management controller
Why did you choose the profession of management controller?
I have always had this attraction for analysis and for figures. Turning to management control seemed obvious to me. It is a profession that requires in-depth thinking based on figures, to then be able to make strategic decisions and define the main directions of the company. It’s this finance/strategy combination that appealed to me the most and which pushed me to turn to this profession.
Advice for successful Dior recruitment processes
Any final advice for those who want to join Dior?
If I have one piece of advice to give, it’s to research the history of the Dior house and know exactly why you want to work for this luxury house and not for another. Having a sincere interest in the brand and in the profession in question is the secret to a successful interview.
I also recommend being curious and constantly improving your skills to show in an interview that you will be able to bring real added value during your experience. The dThe last important point is to start without preconceptions about the luxury sector and create your own image.
