To start off, how did the opportunity with IKEA arise?
The opportunity arose thanks to the Career service, after our meeting, they proposed me an intern opportunity related to a Start-Up in the Hospitality sector. It was not exactly what I was looking for, so I decided not to apply. Soon Carmen and Alessandra sent me the opened position at IKEA FOOD and the Brand attracted me a lot. The next day I sent my CV and within a couple of days they booked me for an interview. The first one was online while the second one directly in the Store with the Food Leaders and the Operational Manager. I’ve always thought that even if the outcome might not have been successful, the opportunity to be interviewed by such a big Multinational company was a challenging and interesting opportunity. Luckily they liked me so I started this amazing experience with IKEA.
Tell us about your position
I am currently a normal co-worker operative, working most of the time in Bistrot and Bottega Svedese, I am often next to my supervisors learning about strategies and challenges. As an intern, I spend a lot of the time in the Store, more than my colleagues, so I am able to close the gap of inexperience.
Which aspects of your day-to-day tasks would you highlight?
The importance of HACCP, the team-working, the importance to listen to the customer and understand and anticipate his needs, the methodology of FIFO.
Which are your professional objectives in the short and long term?
In the short term I think I hope I’d have the opportunity to continue working here and growing; in the long term I’d like to see more aspects of the Food and Beverage Sector in order to improve my knowledge.
What were your expectations at the start of the Master in Food and Beverage Management at Rome Business School? Are they being fulfilled?
I think that I had a wrong idea about what exactly was to attend a Master. I had just graduated and I expected a different methodology. Anyway, my expectation changed and now I can say that we got in touch with high-level experts on the field and I really found the master updated for our sector.
Did our career services play an important role in helping you find and land this opportunity?
Yes, I have been helped a lot to structure my CV and highlight the strengths in my previous working-experience. I arrived to the interview well prepared and sure in how to answer the questions.
To finish off, would you recommend Rome Business School? Why?
I would definitely recommend it especially for the richness of different background and experiences of the professors and students, each of them with something to tell and to share.
