According to many publications, LVMH has topped the list of "Dream" Jobs for years, ahead of companies such as Google, Disney, and Apple. Each year, we get countless applications for positions ranging from PR powerhouse to Accounting maven. Having scanned through resumes and sat through interviews with potential candidates, I've compiled a list of tips that will help you impress us should you see us in your future.
1. Do Your Research and know who we are.
Candidates who apply here should know that LVMH is a luxury goods conglomerate. We're the largest fashion and luxury giant, meaning our holding company is the parent of around 60 sub-companies. It is important to know the relationship and business nature between the parent company and the individual brands that are owned. You should have a good idea of our company size, geographic headquarters, corporate structure, and operational business plans. Know a couple of our subsidiaries besides just Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and Givenchy. If you want a job at LVMH, know what you want to specialize in but also be aware that it's not a 'fashion' company, it is a luxury goods company meaning there are wines, jewelery, and cosmetics brands as well.
What not to do- Nothing will eliminate a candidate faster than someone who thinks LVMH is the owner of fashion labels and that our lives revolve around fashion parties, runway shows, and other perks that are seen in The Devil Wears Prada or the countless other junk reality-tv shows. LVMH is a corporate entity and your life will be spent around spreadsheet models instead of top models, your nights will be filled with finishing a pitchbook instead of attending a Donna Karen party, and no one cares how 'fabulous' you are, only how 'fabulous' you are at your desk job.
2. Know the qualifications and expectations.
I can't begin to express my frustration at how many graduating seniors cite a "love of fashion, subscription to Vogue, and frequent trips to the stores" as relevant experience for a corporate position. This makes you a good consumer, but a necessarily good potential employee. Most of our people have had experience working for professional firms. That is: people in finance, have had Investment Banking or Consulting experience from Goldman Sachs/Bain, etc.; people in PR, come from firms such as Ogilvy & Mather; people in accounting, come from top 4 firms such as Pricewaterhouse Coopers, etc.
3. Know what we're looking for.
We're looking for professional people with a analytical background. Generally the people here are more interested in the financial models, market analysis, and operational viability of the company rather than "which model got the Louis Vuitton campaign" or "Is Marc doing an '80s inspired line for fall?", etc. There is a difference between a 'fan' of fashion, and someone who can make the actual business work. Behind every glossy cover, glitzy show, and star-studded party, is a business operation that calculates the cost, profit, and future opportunities-- this is what LVMH does.
4. Prepare 'fittingly' for an interview
Many people are overwhelmed by our screening and interview process but the truth is, we're just like any other professional company. It's strange that people who would not want to work somewhere "hard" like Goldman Sachs, think that they can cut it here. Again, if that is you- realign expectations/hopes with reality. We're a multi-billion dollar business, we're really not fucking around when it comes to making sure we have the right people- and our noses are trained at this point to sniff out the 'fans' from real talent.
You should prepare for our interview by reading Case in Point- a book for consultants. A lot of the challenges LVMH faces are emerging difficulties that no other company has faced due to our scale and trendsetting operations. You'll be given scenarios such as "This is the financial statement of XYZ, leveraged against an industry average. XYZ is concerned with decreasing profits. How would you solve this?"Even if you want a position in the in-house PR team, your question will still be technical, "A campaign has stirred religious tension in a key demographic, investors are pulling back and stock value is dropping. Create a immediate, short-term, and long-term plan for alleviating these issues, with a projection of costs and market responses."
If you're going about this by memorizing the order of models walking a runway, or the photographers who shot an ad campaign- you're going to sink quick.
Depending on your position, there will be a phone screening, and 3 rounds of interviews with panels of managers, directors, and execs- before any decision can be made.
5. Know the names that matter
Think that dropping Anna Wintour's name, or Carine Roitfield is going make us take note? Wrong. So many unsuccessful candidates think that recalling a shortlist of photographers who we've hired, or fashion 'elite' will impress us- and yet when we ask them who "Mark Lee" is, they're clueless. Anne Wintour is important to the fashion industry, but LVMH is all about the money. You need to know the movers and shakers making deals happen, and not really the designers, models, photographers, and editors at magazines.
Conclusion
LVMH does not compete for candidates with the likes of Vogue or fashion houses-- most of our successful candidates have competing job offers from McKinsey, Bain, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, etc. If you want a job where you can share fashion gossip, play around with bags, and fawn at designers-- you're better off working in retail for one of the brands we own rather than at corporate. Really ask yourself: Am I just a big fan of fashion or do I really want a professional business career at a corporation that has a large stake in this market? This is why when people find out what I do and say "You work in fashion?"- I correct them and say "Wrong. I work in finance at a luxury conglomerate".
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