"A steep learning curve as part of a motivated team with varied tasks"

Sophia Gläser

What brought you to zeb?

As a (Bachelor degree) student of Economics, I’m very interested in all topics dealing with finance, banking and statistics. In a previous internship, I found out that numerous interesting tasks within companies are carried out by external consulting firms. For my next internship, I therefore I looked for a medium-sized consultancy that offered exciting tasks, focused on the finance industry and ideally had an office in a French-speaking country. This is why decided for zeb Luxembourg.

What were your responsibilities at zeb?

After a two-week onboarding stage, I became part of a client project team together with two colleagues. Generally, from Monday to Thursday, consultants work on project tasks at the client site, while on Friday, they work at their office. As to the client tasks on site, I supported the zeb project manager in preparing and conducting client meetings and in creating presentations. On another topic I worked independently with a project manager from the client. On Fridays, I supported my colleagues working on other zeb projects, in particular by taking on research and translation tasks.

How would you describe your first weeks at zeb? What was your first impression?

My first impression, which was actually confirmed in the course of the internship, was that interns are quickly assigned huge responsibility—nevertheless, there is always a contact for any questions you may have. The time dedicated for my onboarding was absolutely reasonable and I received the information necessary to become a visible team member of the project. 

What advice would you give students who are interested in consulting? 

Based on my experience this summer, I can tell that there are many ways to perfectly prepare for consulting. Knowledge of the financial sector and PowerPoint and Excel skills are really necessary, but it is quick-wittedness and openness that matter the most. Dealing with various topics different from the selected major field of study and thus with constantly new challenges during my studies was very helpful to me. And of course, language skills are always a plus.

Why would you recommend students to work in Luxembourg?

Luxembourg is a really beautiful city with many young people from all over the world working there. The working environment is very dynamic and open. And since there are numerous young professionals coming to Luxembourg, you will always meet people who are also new in town and try to make contact. Furthermore, public transportation is very cheap for students, and in summer, there are plenty of events and it never gets boring.