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At the Jeunes d’Avenir Fair held at the exhibition center in Porte de la Villette in Paris, young people aged 16 to 30 had the opportunity to meet recruiting companies.
Manon Béquet is the Volunteer Coordinator at La Cravate Solidaire in Paris and shares some advice for those looking to apply to this organization.
The "Jeunes d'Avenirs " fair took place on April 24 and 25 at Porte de la Villette in Paris.
Juliette Boulegon
impact.info journalist
Published on 17 May 2024
Transcript Audio in Français — text automatically translated· AI-generated transcript
0:00 A fair aimed at young people aged 16 to 30 who are looking for training, 0:04 an apprenticeship, a job, or simply advice. 0:08 Manon Béquet works at La Cravate Solidaire as the head of the volunteer department in Île-de-France. 0:13 Can you remind us what La Cravate Solidaire is and what they do? 0:16 Yes, actually La Cravate Solidaire is an association that fights against discrimination 0:21 related to appearance in job interviews and more broadly supports people 0:25 who are entering or re-entering the workforce to maximize their chances during job interviews. 0:31 So today at this fair, why are you here? What do you expect from this fair? 0:37 We support ten candidates a day in Infra Paris and then we have actions in the 93 and 95 0:44 where we also support five to ten candidates a day, and these candidates 0:49 are mostly sent to us by structures, partner associations 0:53 like France Travail, the local mission, or other more specific associations. 0:57 So when we come to this kind of forum, it's to reach out to people 1:01 who may not be regularly supported by these kinds of structures, 1:05 who might be at a stage in their lives where they feel a bit lost, 1:08 they don't really know which direction to take or they face a lot of rejections 1:13 and without support, it can be mentally challenging. 1:16 So we come to talk about La Cravate, about our workshop which is 100% free, 1:21 and encourage them to participate because it's really a boost, 1:25 it re-energizes them, it works on self-confidence, on self-esteem. 1:30 Can you give me maybe some examples of what you offer 1:35 to these people who need this little push to better understand your actions? 1:40 So basically, our main action is the 'coup de pouce' workshops. 1:43 So this is a workshop we hold every day from Monday to Saturday 1:46 and for the candidate, it lasts about two and a half to three hours. 1:49 In this workshop, the person will receive image coaching 1:52 where they will be given a complete and free professional outfit, I mean a donation. 1:57 So it will include a suit, tie or chinos, jacket, whatever, with shoes, accessories. 2:04 The idea is to find an outfit that suits the person according to their professional project 2:08 but also according to their tastes. The goal is not to disguise people, 2:11 it's really for them to take ownership of their image, 2:14 once again to maximize that aspect of self-esteem and self-confidence. 2:19 And we know that during interviews, the first contact with the recruiter, 2:25 appearance is crucial. Recruiters will base their first impression on that, 2:29 so it's important to know how to present oneself well. 2:33 So we guide them on that, and the person leaves with the outfit. 2:36 And then there's the HR coaching part, where there's a mock interview 2:40 with two people who are HR professionals, 2:42 so they really know this field. 2:44 And the mock interview will be tailored to the profile and the job search of the person. 2:49 And at the end, there is always a debrief that allows the candidate to know 2:54 how the interview went, what their strengths are, the areas for improvement, 2:57 things we don't have in real life. 3:00 When we go through interviews and face rejections, we don't necessarily know why. 3:04 And so we can't then work on ourselves to try to optimize our chances. 3:08 So it's important. 3:09 And then we finish with a CV photo. 3:11 It's not mandatory, people are not always comfortable with the photo. 3:15 But in any case, we really believe in self-esteem through image. 3:18 And often people, when they see themselves in a photo in a suit for example, 3:22 they immediately take ownership of it and you can see the smile on their face. 3:27 And what about the age groups? 3:29 So beyond this fair, because here there are a lot of young people, 3:32 are young people still the ones who come to meet you a lot 3:36 and have that need? 3:38 Let's say our workshops are aimed at the general public. 3:42 We start from about 17 years old up to 60 years old. 3:45 There really are no age groups. 3:47 The only prerequisite is to be looking for work or in professional integration or reintegration. 3:52 To have at least a minimum of a professional project. 3:54 Even if the demand has changed a bit. 3:57 So we sometimes have people who are really lost and who don't have a professional project. 4:01 But indeed, we still have a large part that will be young people under 26 4:06 who are finishing their studies or not and who sometimes need help, even young high school students 4:12 who have never set foot in the professional world. 4:14 And so the simulation is a bit different there. 4:16 It's really about showing them the codes, that kind of thing. 4:20 But there are indeed a lot of young people. 4:22 And today, well this morning, there are people who came to see you, 4:25 young people who came to see you interested in what you offer? 4:28 Absolutely. So in fact, at this fair, we have three spaces in addition today. 4:32 So there’s us, Isabelle and I, we will be more focused on the orientation and coaching part today. 4:38 Talking about the CV, saying what has improved, the cover letter, maybe guiding a bit, giving advice. 4:44 We have another stand over there where we will take the CV photo directly. 4:47 Which we send directly to the people. 4:49 And we have a mobile unit outside, what we call the mobile. 4:52 And it's this mobile that moves around the 93 and 95 areas. 4:56 And so that will be to show the solidarity dressing. 4:59 But yes, we have people we registered this morning. 5:02 And who just, when we talk to them, they say 'okay, that reboosts me.' 5:06 Finally, here it is, it's really cool. 5:07 I'm going to finish with, well almost finish with one last question, but it just came up. 5:12 Most of the issues for people struggling to find a job, 5:18 during recruitment, what are they? 5:20 Do you have any idea of what really holds back recruitment? 5:24 It's complicated to answer this question because it's really case by case. 5:29 We are really focused on discrimination. 5:33 And that's what we see in workshops, that's what comes up. 5:36 It's that many people receive rejections. 5:38 Whether it's because of their origin, or their age. 5:41 But I can't really answer. There's no specific criterion that comes to mind. 5:46 However, there is a lot of discrimination when it comes to hiring. 5:48 For me, that's where we really need to act. 5:50 It's on the side of recruiters and companies. 5:53 What we also do on a daily basis, we don't just act with candidates. 5:56 But it's mindsets that need to change. 5:59 But for me, all the criteria of discrimination, because God knows they are varied. 6:02 That's what we need to work on, which I think will resonate with many people. 6:08 To conclude this question, I ask this to everyone I interview. 6:11 16 years old is the legal age in France to start your first business 6:15 or even start working if you wish. 6:17 And even do an apprenticeship as well if you wish. 6:20 What did you dream of when you were 16? 6:23 When I was 16, I wanted to go on a humanitarian mission on the ground. 6:30 And just help people. 6:33 I imagined an emergency mission. 6:36 And just provide my help in whatever way I can at my level. 6:41 In the end, you're a bit on that path. 6:43 Yes, yes, yes. 6:45 And it was Manon Béquet who works at La Cravate Solidaire 6:48 as the head of the volunteer department in Île-de-France. 6:51 And if you want to find more information about La Cravate Solidaire, 6:55 I invite you to go directly to our website impact.info. 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