Paris, My First In-Person Professional Experience

I participated in the Fisher Global Consulting (FGC): Corporate program to Paris, France in May 2022. My group and I worked for PeopleSpheres, a small Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) start-up. During our three weeks, they tasked us with improving marketing metrics in the United States market. Right before our arrival, PeopleSpheres expanded to the United States and were unsure how to proceed in this uncharted territory. We gathered information on 20+ relevant competitors to develop a positioning strategy for the company. This thorough research took most of our time, but our diligence paid dividends at the end of our project. For our final deliverable, we spoke with the United States representative about our positioning plan for PeopleSpheres. He was in Las Vegas for a trade show at the time, and he applied our research to his current pitch. They gained three additional leads that weekend from our strategy, and that statistic validated all the hard work we did throughout our stay.

Outside the office, we had to adjust to many cultural changes between American and French work cultures. The days started between 9:30 – 10:00 am so employees could enjoy their mornings and get their kids off to school. Also, there was a long lunch break so employees could sit and enjoy their food, instead of rushing to get back to work. Lastly, the days ended by 6:00 pm at the latest, but you were encouraged to leave whenever you finished your day’s work. On paper, these differences sound subtle, but in practice it was shocking. Frequently, our team would go to a café before work to enjoy an espresso and assorted pastries. At lunch, we would unpack our morning meetings and chat about events happening outside of work. I believe these differences allowed us to grow closer as co-workers and friends. I still talk to my teammates frequently, and I think this different work-life culture helped me grow professionally and personally.

After returning home, I immediately began to notice the benefits of traveling/working abroad. FGC was my first in-person professional experience, and I took the skills I learned into my summer internship. Asking questions, establishing a routine, and building relationships are all aspects I excelled at during my internship. Without the FGC program, I do not think I would have had the same level of experience and comfort before the summer. Outside the professional aspect, I grew a tremendous amount on the personal side. I became comfortable with being uncomfortable. Living across the world with limited communication skills was an extremely humbling experience, and it prepared me well for my remaining time at college and life after graduation. Overall, there are so many benefits to the FGC program that I did not even touch on, and I could go on for hours about every little detail. If given the opportunity to travel, or work, abroad, I highly recommend it!

About the Author - Cooper Lillquist

I am a third year from Minneapolis, Minnesota studying Management Information Systems with a French minor. These subjects do not fit together whatsoever, but I love the diversity in my schedule each semester! Outside class, I love to work out, travel, and spend time with my friends and family. I have a passion for communicating and connecting with others, and one day I hope to live abroad!