Try out talent and get projects taken care of at the same time

CBS’ ambition to significantly increase the focus on master thesis and project collaboration between students and businesses opens the door for more companies – especially SME’s – becoming more open towards putting so far untried competences into play. 

The concept has major advantages. It is valuable in itself, as a company through a master thesis or project collaboration with a CBS student can have an analysis carried out or an idea tested that would otherwise not have had resources appropriated to this.

It can also be a great precursor to hiring a new competence, as the company free of charge and without commitment can test the competences, talent and potential put into play by a student or recent graduate. This is a less risky proposition than making a wrong recruitment choice. 

Video: President Per Holten-Andersen elaborates on CBS’ focus on this initiative

The following cases illustrate the value creation:

Master thesis student became Marketing & Communication Lead

Recent MA in International Business Communication Christian Toftegaard’s position as Marketing & Communication Lead in the head-hunter company Compass Human Resources Group started with a master thesis collaboration between him and the company. He analysed Compass’ customer segments and their different perceptions of the company. 

- We do not take in master thesis students for the fun of it. We worked out a research question that might provide us with some valuable insight and value in the market that we operate in, states Oliver Hauberg, Senior Consultant in Compass Human Resources Group and continues:

- Christian’s objective assessment was a major advantage for us. He could contribute with a more theoretical view than any of us would have the time and energy to do in a fast-paced organisation like ours, where everything goes fast and the customers are demanding. We chose to offer Christian employment afterwards, because of his drive, energy and above all, talent that we wish to develop even further.

See video with Christian Toftegaard and Oliver Hauberg

Master thesis student became Customer & Market Insight Analyst

Caroline Dyrby Ranek, MSc in Business Administration and E-business, wrote her master thesis and two other projects in the open platform IP video management company Milestone Systems, the company in which she works as a Customer & Market Insight Analyst today, building further on top of many of the things she examined doing her master thesis.

- Caroline allowed us to explore something that is already a part of our business. We cooperate with many different partners who integrate with our platform worldwide. Caroline and her fellow students chose to look more closely into the platform area within the applied theory – and they provided us with awesome input and contributed with new nuances in relation to our planning, Troels Kristian Kruckow, Technology Group Manager in Milestone Systems, says and suggests:

- My recommendation is: just do it. There are so many talented students out there, so do not think of it as a one-off opportunity. And do not wait for the students to come to you, but bring it in as an effective way to plan how to attract talent.

- Invite some young, eager students who see the things that people in the company are already working with from another perspective – that gives for really good dynamics.

See video with Caroline Dyrby Ranek and Troels Kristian Kruckow

Value creation for all parties

It is the job and project portal CBS CareerGate that makes up the link between CBS’ students and the business community. Here companies can find new graduates for full-time positions and students for student positions, internships and projects among CBS’ many students and their broad range of competences.

CBS CareerGate was recently relaunched with new and more user-friendly functionalities, which ensures matchmaking in master thesis and project collaboration, so it is now easier for companies to assign CBS students as junior consultants or to write their master theses in the companies. 

In addition to posting projects, you can even search for students that you are particularly interested in and speak to them live through a video chat function. In this way, both parties can meet without having to set aside a time and travel to a place for the meeting. 

CBS’ collaborative partner Graduateland, the company behind CBS CareerGate and 25 other portals in European universities, is convinced that the new functionalities will prove successful and value creating for all parties.

- Companies and students are obviously showing an increasing interest in these features. The companies who have posted a project once return to do so again – so it is clearly value creating for the ones who take advantage of this opportunity, says Patrick Lund, CEO of Graduateland.

Video: CBS students talk about the functialities of CBS CareerGate