Friday: 6 easy steps to become successful in creating a strong link between Young talents and companies!

Get ready to develop contacts and bringing newbies onboard

Want to know more about student’s relations with companies as a company? As a student, you need to approach companies for an internship or first job? This article is for both of you as well as for school professors and administrative managers with the objective to open a discussion. Things are changing so quickly in the area of first contacts and first professional experience with companies for students. We all need to share experiences to progress. Those few lines to highlight few challenges for companies willing to connect with newbies in professional life. Also, for you students trying to understand what companies are expecting from you.

We hear a lot today about Talent acquisition which is a big challenge. School Relations is far more than to acquire. For students, it means building a first link with professional world, but also the end of education, climb the first steps as an adult and showing up under the company spotlights. From that day, all experiences that will happen will be recorded and kept for future in resume and/or social media profile. For companies it is about creating a contact, then a bound, a relation and finally a mutual engagement.

At the end of the day, the company target is a question of matching between an internship position, a newly acquired competency and student big heart willing to work hard.

Let’s look at specifics which can make the difference in companies’ efficiency. All of this can be explained through the acronym, FRIDAY. All generations do like Friday. Think about “ Friday casual” and “Thanks God it’s Friday”…

First letter is Fun. It is compulsory to bring fun in the student life through the company. We all have in mind boring presentations and exhausting career forums! It is also stressful to think about the first day of work. It is not enough to pass the exams with flying colors and company first contact can be tough! When you see a company specially a big one, the image can be old school, hierarchical, no way to enter and powerful people giving instructions from big offices and no smile!

Beside this, it is still true that you need to start being at the same time a chief cook and a bottle washer to grow in our industry! However, it will not be boring, never a dull moment can be guaranteed!

So for AccorHotels, using Virtual reality, events, challenges, all innovative ways of communication are compulsory. TakeOff! Challenge is an example of interactive challenge linked to the company strategy. Career forums, company presentations are still popular but have to be seriously challenged in order to be more attractive. This work has to be developped in good cooperation between schools, students and industry.

Then it comes to R like Recognition. Students have been under authority until that moment you connect. Starting in a new environment means discovering new people and relations from scratch. To be considered as a rookie is their biggest fear. The right approach is to consider the student coming to meet us as a young and full personality with talents and willing to join us! Respect, listen and try to understand how expectation could fit with our companie’s offers! At first you need to recognize the effort the student makes to come meeting an unknown person foreigner and a potential judge. Make him feel welcome is not an option.

Interesting uses the third letter I. We have to give real facts, “wow” effect is needed when we present our company. In only few minutes we can be thrown out of interest or given a chance to confirm! Get the attention would be done in two rounds. First is the position of the company. Choose 2 or 3 key figures that are easy to remember and to explain i.e. “one hotel opens every 36 hours”, “Half of the company staff is working in Asia”. So many messages, images are given to students that we have to be so concise to be one of the few to qualify! Then when you reach the second round of interest, you need to have the right information to deliver. One short, clear and dedicated special info to the persons in front. Find the student’s expectation regarding internship and explore the opportunities with him. Live examples of alumni are really convincing. When arriving to personal interviews and once we have understood the expectations then we can extend to other jobs available. The precise request of the student is usually not fixed yet and can always evolve through the conversation. Maybe we will not find the perfect match but two cases are still possible. Either we open a window to student about a new area of jobs for him to apply in our company. Or, at least we will help him to have an extensive view of opportunities and he will appreciate our professional advice.

Give tips is indeed a top priority. Put yourself in the shoes of the candidate means helping them to be successful. It is about advice or coaching for resume, motivation letter, the way to apply, ask or not confirmation when no answer from employer, interviews… We know that looking for an internship needs to sweat blood! Many cold calls, no answers, disappointing processes before success…

Inspiring company is coming from their leaders and they have to be present. Videos, conferences, quotes, speeches are the key success factors. It represents the way how life is in the company. Even with 200 000 employees, each employee wants to be inspired by his boss! You feel that even at a junior level, he will influence your job. Not the least, you will get recognition from your social environment like family and friends thanks to the popularity of your company and its boss. Meet-Ups is an example where executives of AccorHotels meet directly students giving a conference and a chance for direct Q&A. This program will be rolled-out internationally and being a selling point of the company. Strategy must be transparent, values shared and showed in live by major actors.

International still using I. 4 million students are now studying abroad, it means that diversity is highly important, for them but also for their environment. Those students will benefit from exposure and will widen the perspective of their schoolmates and professors. Higher education now tends to be fully opened to the world. Many governments have well understood interest for further economic and cultural exchanges to send and welcome students off boarders! Education has proved to be the point of development for countries and population as well as the major factor of peace. Even if the costs of studies are increasing, parents from different origins are now considering this as a priority for the future. It means also that the employer is expected to be part of the process by educating students through internships and continuous training after joining the company. Showing that opening to the world is a must. Our best example is our Management Trainee program where we enrolled young Talents to go abroad discovering a new culture while working and learning at the same time. It gives an incredible opportunity to grow thanks to cultural differences, exposure to the Hotel operations but also thanks to the coaching of a dedicated Head of Department. After completing the program, the student will most likely become a successful Manager himself.

Differentiation for D letter is a sensitive issue. In fact, we must suggest what’s better in our company compared to the others without mentioning that competition is weak. Tough job that sales people know well. After a strong analysis, we have to put upfront all things which are so distinctive regarding our company: digital print, promotion policy (and proved), in-company training, salary practices, evolution paths, work atmosphere … In order to prove that, videos and testimonies are convincing. Obviously, it has to be true and easily checked. False information’s are so common that we cannot let a doubt. A program like AccorHotels Student Ambassadors can help in it. It consists of appointing some volunteers in partner schools and create a positive link with a team of students. Those ambassadors have already an experience as intern or casual workers in the company. We do organize events in schools and an annual get together AccorHotels Ambassador Beats. This global program is developed in partnership with the industry relations manager in the schools . As mentioned with different examples, working together with schools and students will be rewarding for all.

Active and agile using A letter are words which have to show sense on the day to day life in company; the relation between students and company is on the long-run. We have to develop, nourish and give opportunities to enrich month after month. Studies are long, different opportunities to get an internship are appearing and even if the first try is not the right one, there will be another chance to bring that applicant on board if the contact was positive. Career forums can become a Company social club! It’s an opportunity to give and take information as well as to see if future will give a possibility to work together. Also, Social Medias are “key” to share news from both sides. As company, we have to be so active on LinkedIn to be in contact and follow the evolution of students. Helping students on their use of LinkedIn is also our duty. As an example is Students@accorhotels group where we invite them to join discussion and ask us for advice.

Our description through F.r.i.d.a.y. letters is ending with the Y. Nothing is better like Yes. This is a word that students don’t hear so often and we need to give it if we really support Young talents. We say and we really want to welcome students as our guests and give them the first experience as an employee. As such, when they come to meet us, we have to represent that word: yes as “we listen to you”, “yes we are happy you come to visit us, to ask us question and apply!” “Yes we will help you to precise your professional project and study and have it can match with our company offers.

Out of this, our efforts have to focus on human. This is all about it as processes are helpful but are only tools. And in our service oriented activity, guest passion is a must. We behave with students and of course with our employees as with our guests. Thanks to their passion for Hospitality, our guests feel welcome, valued and become loyal!

Let’s open the discussion.

Next article if you want will be about working with schools! And also, we can give you few tips dear guest students in a next article!

Written with the strong help of fresh graduates Hélo?se Charriau and Lou Haguenauer.

Thank you as well to so many applicants certainly too shortly met.

Full disclosure: I work for AccorHotels. Any views expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.