Eline Chivot

Young people equipped with knowledge and awareness of today’s digital economy and society, as well as its opportunities and challenges, are and will be a key asset to many organisations and recruiters.

People with a multidisciplinary background are also much sought after professionals, as they tend to be flexible, understand processes, organisations and issues from a range of perspectives, and are great bridge builders between different fields of expertise. And digital is an area that is one of the most transversal, as it impacts and interacts with more and more sectors and disciplines.

In addition, this program will enable you to build an analytical and multidisciplinary profile that will suggest to recruiters that you can quickly develop new expertise.

Extracurricular activities send a positive signal that a student has gone the extra mile in connecting with others, enjoys engaging with others, has a good level of curiosity, and probably isn’t afraid of hard work.

Concrete deliverables and milestones that a student has achieved can help measure the impact that he or she has produced throughout his or her various experiences and projects. Online courses and various certificates also suggest curiosity, the will to go beyond the limits of what one studies, and shows ambition to learn.

Finally, experience abroad and being fluent in more than one language has become the norm, and a basic assessment criteria for researchers. It shows openness and a capacity to adapt, including to multicultural environments but also challenging situations that can occur in professional settings.

In my organisation, I monitor EU tech policies that aim to create frameworks and rules for the digital economy. This is a role that has been defined as strategic for us, but more broadly, it has become part of all conversations among stakeholders involved, from industry representatives of all sectors to policymakers and the civil society.

In addition, of course, my team now has to work from home; the organisation had to identify ways to ensure continuity in our activities, and maintain a healthy level of interaction.

I graduated after the outbreak of the financial crisis, and my priority was to adapt my profile to what both private and public organisations were likely to look for. I therefore studied economics and finance, business administration and strategic management, to add to a background that was mainly based on political science and sociology. I never aimed to work precisely in the sectors or in the kinds of positions that I have successively held, but ended up choosing roles that fit me well and organisations that I “clicked” with.

I suppose these roles are in line with my multidisciplinary background.

The young generation of workers and those already active on the labor market will need to adjust and upgrade their skills, including more technical skills, however soft skills like critical thinking, creativity, team work, common sense, and problem-solving will be essential. They actually top the list of skills that employers believe will grow in prominence in the next five years. Self-management skills such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility are also key. As a graduate, you may want to explore how to be more tech-savvy, but also build on academic, cognitive, social, and emotional strengths : These are skills that will never lose value in many workplaces. Your choice to join the Digital Society program is the best starting point!

Finally, follow your intuition. Never think that the next professional experience will determine the rest of your professional life. Nothing is set in stone. If you enjoy learning, and can take a risk every now and then, you will be successful and happy in your work.