Inspiring Students to Become Researchers
How often do we hear people say they ‘stumbled’ into their market research career? That it wasn’t something they planned to do but fell into it somehow. They also say they haven’t looked back since and that they love what they do. Our profession is continually evolving and encompasses various disciplines right now. Still, we continue to suffer from a brand problem – low awareness on the one hand and poor perception on the other. One way to change that is to work closely with a key source of future talent – colleges and universities. We want students to see what amazing careers they can have and better understand the value our profession brings to industry and society. This is exactly what we’ve been doing at ESOMAR.
Our Academic Partnerships and Young ESOMAR Society are two initiatives to strengthen our dialogue with educational institutions and elevate the value proposition of our profession. A recent example includes a collaboration with CUBE (Consumer and Customer Understanding Belgium), Vlerick Business School, and ESOMAR to run a career event for business school students. During an interactive afternoon session on 3 October at the school, students heard from industry leaders and practitioners, including our own Director General Dr Parves Khan, what it’s like to be a modern-day market researcher, what skills are needed, and to hear first-hand practical examples of how insights are used in industry – often with game-changing effects!
At the end of the session, nearly all 50 students said they were now interested in joining the profession! Result!
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this event:
Dr Parves Khan (ESOMAR)
Tom De Ruyck (Cube & InSites Consulting)
Stijn Poffé (InSites Consulting)
Wim Hamaekers (One Inch Whale)
Nicole Huyghe (Boobook)
Klaas Verbeken (iO)
Marcel Nijland (iO)
Cynthia Maes (Ipsos Belgium)
Philippe Baecke (Professor at Vlerick Business School)
Steliana Ifrim
ESOMAR Staff, Customer Success Team Manager at ESOMARSteliana joined ESOMAR in 2018. As part of the Member Relations team, she is first point of contact of current and potential members. She likes to support you to sign up for membership subscriptions and/or Directory services, onboard you and help you take full advantage of your membership benefits.
Steliana is also responsible for helping ESOMAR National Representatives, ESOMAR members who volunteer to lead our local communities. Steliana helps representatives better engage with their community, to organise local or virtual events and coordinate new programmes or activities to support you in reaching your personal and professional goals.
As a member of the Young ESOMAR Society working group, she also supports YES community members, always looking out for new ways of boost your benefits offered to young professionals.