More than 100 national and international companies have visited the Madrid and Barcelona Campuses over the four days of Talent Week, an employability event organized by the Professional Careers Department that focuses on fostering company-student relations. Leading companies in their sectors have taken advantage of the opportunity to present their values and company culture to our students who are keen to join the professional market and put all the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom into practice.
One of the first sessions to take place at the Madrid Campus on the morning of Monday 5th March was run by Pepe Jeans. With a great level of participation from the School's students, we welcomed Blanca García, the HR international Recruiter Assistant at Pepe Jeans, Sandra Sánchez, an HR Generalist at Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein, and Pedro Silva, the Director of HR for Pepe Jeans in Madrid. The guests present the clothing company, its history, its values and, in particular, the vacant positions that are currently available and the profiles that they are looking for in relation to future incorporations.
Pepe Jeans' history and milestones
It was in 1973 that the adventure of three brothers began in Portobello. They started working in the world of denim fashion and called their first store Pepe, because of one of the brother's passion for Spain, and also because they wanted "a short name that was easy to remember and pronounce in all languages", as Pedro Silva explained at the start of the presentation.
The company's expansion really took off from the 1980s onwards, when the brand became popular across Europe. They started to incorporate new brands, such as Tommy Hilfiger in 1985. From that point onwards, "we have always been on the lookout for new brands to continue growing". Other notable acquisitions include Hackett in 2005 and the French fashion brand Façonnable, more recently in 2016.
However, the HR Generalist at Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein, Sandra Sánchez, emphasized that each brand has a different strategy. Showing two videos which showed one commercial for Tommy Hilfiger and another for Calvin Klein, she asked the students of EAE Business School about the difference between them. "While Tommy Hilfiger is aimed at a younger market with a more rock'n'roll, in the case of Calvin Klein, the feel is calmer and more family oriented".
Another one of the topics covered by the guests was ecommerce. The Spanish company has invested a great deal of effort into its digital platforms, defining a digital strategy focused on wholesale customers. "The online market is on the rise. It is no longer necessary to have a physical presence in every country around the world because we already sell in these countries through these digital channels".
What does Pepe Jeans look for in its candidates?
The company currently has vacancies in relation to product, product focused on ecommerce and commercial department campaign support. However, as the three guests emphasized, Pepe Jeans is an active company that is constantly on the lookout for young talent, with a strong presence on the main employment search websites, such as Infojobs, LinkedIn and specialist portals. "Moreover, we love coming to business schools like EAE to meet and interact with you, the brightest young talents who will be the future leaders of the company".
This is precisely what the guests did. After the 45-minute company presentation, the students of EAE Business School met them face-to-face in individual and personal interviews in which, as well as submitting the CV, they had the opportunity to introduce themselves, chat about their professional expectations and concerns, and, most importantly make a first impression with a view to taking part in future selection processes.
Blanca, Sandra and Pedro, the visiting professionals, emphasized the company's mission to form a "real goldmine". "The philosophy of Pepe Jeans is to trust and commit to people who join the company at the bottom, offering them the chance of real professional development", with the company advocating internal promotion.
As well as the technical competences required and a compulsory level of English, Pepe Jeans is looking for "entrepreneurial, courageous, proactive people". They also underlined the importance of teamwork and commitment to the brand. "We have a strong feeling of belonging that we want to convey. We want our employees to be proud to form part of Pepe Jeans and to be happy here".
