Oumaima’s Masters gave her the hands-on experience and confidence to take her next leap

In 2022, Oumaima El Hazzat was a qualified engineer, working at a tech company in her home country of Morocco. But she decided it was time to take a leap – and take her career in a more managerial and strategic direction.

She’d previously spent time studying in Japan and Malaysia, and was keen to gain even more international experience. When she discovered Vlerick’s Masters in International Management and Strategy, she knew she had found a perfect match.

She says: “After my Bachelors degree in engineering, I started working in Casablanca. But I missed the international aspect that I loved during my time studying abroad. So I started to think about next steps – either moving abroad, applying for international roles or getting my Masters. Then I came across Vlerick – and it made the entire puzzle fit together perfectly.”

Gaining hands-on experience

Oumaima says that coming to Vlerick allowed her to gain hands-on business experience, as well as cutting-edge learning.

She says: “I didn't have any real background in business and strategy. The Masters allowed me to gain practical experience – through the consultancy project and discovering different industries through company visits. For me, Vlerick merged the best of both worlds – learning and then practising what you’ve learned.

“In every class, there’s also an opportunity to work on a real-life business case. That's really valuable – because theory is nice, but once you’re in the real world, there are limits on how far you can apply it. Vlerick really bridges the gap between theory and practice. It gives you an up-to-date view of the market and its current issues – and how to solve them.”

Discovering her passion

Another powerful aspect of Oumaima’s learning at Vlerick was discovering exactly where her strengths and passions lay. At the start of her Masters, she didn’t have a clear picture of what she wanted – but that soon changed.

She says: “Before joining Vlerick, I had a fuzzy image in my head. But Vlerick helped me identify what I like to do, what I'm good at and where I could improve. It really helped me narrow my list of potential job titles and industries.

“You can get an education pretty much anywhere. But it's difficult to find a place, programme or school that really gives you the full experience. Yet that's what I found in Vlerick.”

Broadening her horizons

One of the highlights of Oumaima’s Masters was the month-long study trip to the East Coast of the USA.

“It was a super interesting month of very intense, but also fun, company visits and networking events,” she says.

“You really get to see a different business culture and work environment – and explore industries and companies on different parts of the East Coast. During the day, we would have company visits and workshops – for example, we visited Bloomberg, BCG and SAP. I was able to talk to people at the heart of big companies that I never thought I’d have the chance see from the inside.”

Developing critical soft skills

Oumaima also appreciated plenty of opportunities to develop her soft skills.

 “Before we started the programme, we took tests to gain insight into our strengths, personality types and emotional IQ,” she says.

“There was a lot of discovery at the start, then throughout the year, there were workshops on leadership, negotiation, presentation skills, effective communication, interview techniques and giving and receiving feedback. I would say the softer skills were as important within the curriculum as the harder business skills.”

Outstanding career support

Oumaima says that the career support Vlerick offered was second to none.

“Emilia Konttinen, the career advisor, was an amazing help,” she says. “I had so many talks with her, she was always available and gave useful, concise information. I spoke to her a couple of weeks ago – two years after I graduated. She’s still happy to help.

“I went to each and every career event that Vlerick offered. And I got my first introduction to Umicore, my current employer, during a career fair. So I can safely say that Vlerick helped me to land my first role after graduation.”

Taking the leap

Before she finished her Masters, Oumaima was offered a place on Umicore’s graduate programme. She graduated in July – and leapt straight into her new career just two months later.

“As part of the graduate programme, I work all over the business,” she says. “My first rotation was operations and now I’m in HR. They are different fields that require different soft skills and different technical knowledge. But thanks to Vlerick, I feel well equipped to handle it.

“The structure of the Masters is broad – and it gave me a holistic view. I gained knowledge and experience in many different areas that I come across at work. If I see a concept I want to refresh my memory on, I go back to the case study or presentation we had on it. The entire curriculum was very up to date with how current businesses operate.”

Empowering her to go further

Oumaima gained many new skills during her Masters at Vlerick. But she believes the biggest takeaway was confidence.

“Through the courses – but also through the networking events, study trips, corporate visits and so on – I really feel I gained a newfound confidence in my abilities and what I can achieve,” she says. “It has broadened my perspective. Now I talk to people and see the trajectory my career could take. That is really empowering for me.”

Oumaima’s next step will be moving into a permanent role at Umicore. And of course, she plans to stay connected to Vlerick.

 “I try to be as present as possible and give back to the Vlerick community by taking part in events,” she says. “When I was a student, we were helped a lot by the alumni. Now it’s our turn to take the lead, provide insights and help as much as we can.

“Vlerick ticked all the boxes of the ideal programme for me. I would highly recommend it. There isn't a single aspect of my experience at Vlerick that I regret.”