Yejing Li

HEC Paris

“Adventurous meets geeky, logical meets fearless. Surprising you with clashes of opposite traits and versatility.”  

Hometown: Hangzhou, China

Fun Fact About Yourself: Kitesurfing and salsa lover!

Undergraduate School and Major:

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Informational Engineering & Media

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: MUFG, Onsite Recruitment Partner

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Two-and-a-half years ago, I quit my first job as a top performer with a well-established UK MNC recruitment company to join a Chinese recruitment firm which was starting up in Singapore. The vision of its founders, to leverage technology and revolutionize the traditional recruitment model, is what attracted me to the firm.

With countless sleepless nights and painful struggles, I have also gained valuable experience from new business development, P&L and cash flow management to building a team from scratch. I have also built strong professional connections with other entrepreneurs and impacted their businesses with my consultative approach. My team became the most profitable Singapore team in under 2 years. As a founding member, I also contributed to the business growing from 4 people to 15.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Open-mindedness. My biggest impression of the MBA classmates I have met so far is that everyone is different yet so similar to their open-mindedness. We all come from different working sectors and backgrounds but share the same mentality – looking to challenge the current status and broaden our horizon, professionally and personally.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? It’s the HEC alumni whom I know. As a headhunter, I interviewed hundreds of professionals with MBA qualifications and I always asked them about the impact of their MBA experience. Although HEC Paris does not have the biggest cohort of alumni, I was very impressed by the alumni with whom I have worked.

After shortlisting HEC Paris, I also had more in-depth discussions with some of the HEC alumni in my network about the program, their post-MBA experience, and their views on the various business schools on my target list.

I think alumni is like the mirror of a school. Their experience speaks for itself.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am very interested in professional clubs, such as the Entrepreneurship Club and Woman in Leadership Club, to help me extend my professional network and experiences and social clubs like the Impact Club. I am also very much looking forward to Sports Day at HEC.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process?“Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you.”

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After working five years as a headhunter in the financial sector, with both start-up and MNCs, I am eager for a transition into a more technical consulting role from pure recruitment consulting. I’m also weighing an in-house strategy consulting role with a large tech company, such as Alibaba, where I could leverage my China expertise and professional background. In addition, I would also like to strengthen my employability and further extend my network outside Asia. I believe a top MBA in Europe right now would perfectly facilitate this transition.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? A few other schools in Europe, but HEC Paris was always my first choice.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? School culture, branding and, most importantly, the ability to facilitate my career transition goals (in terms of function, sector, and region).

I first attended a number of information sessions from the schools on my shortlist and subsequently had more in-depth conversations with the alumni from my top choices of schools from my own network. In addition, I also researched the trends in the school alumni career track and took reference of the school’s public exposure from various sources.

HEC Paris ticked all the boxes that were unique and important to me.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I think it was when I went on a cultural exchange program in the United States in high school. It was the first time I went abroad and it was an absolutely eye-opening experience. I was able to experience a week with a typical American family, build friendships with my counterpart high school students in the U.S., and tour around the country, which was extremely different from where I came. The openness of the people made a big impact on me and I believe this experience has encouraged me to be more curious and open, which later led me to decide on embarking on a journey of adventures including relocating to Singapore by myself with a full scholarship.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? Using my own power and voice to influence people to live and work in a more environmentally and economically sustainable and conscious way.