The Apprenticeship: fusing work and study (p.1)

Lois d'Iribarne

In the Apprenticeship-series on this blog, we follow our students who have successfully pursued an apprenticeship*. In this episode, Canal Plus' Recruitment and Talent Management apprentice Lois explains how she sealed the deal.

I found my apprenticeship thanks to the ESSEC annual forum in February. I gave my CVs to five companies, two of them called me back, and I was successfully hired by Canal Plus. It was a bit of a challenge because there were 5 rounds of interviews, some of them extremely close to one another, and I was doing the same with other companies at the same time. 

I think that the reason I was hired was because I really captured the vibe of the company. Canal Plus has a very dynamic environment, and the company`s culture is based on boldness and entrepreneurial spirit, so I tried to bring out the more natural and energetic aspects of my personality. It’s important to find a place that is compatible with your spirit. I, for example, refused a mission in another company, not only because I was not that interested in the task, but also because I felt uncomfortable during my interviews, didn’t bond with the people I met and talked to, and the spirit around seemed extremely uptight.

If I had one suggestion for other students going through interview rounds, it would be to be honest with your hypothetical employers. Most of the time, they can tell when people are being too fake. Secondly, if you change your personality completely, say whatever you believe the employer wants to hear, and pretend to love everything they talk about, even if they do make you an offer, it will not be an offer you like because it won’t match what you truly want, and you will end-up half-heartedly accepting, or refusing it all in all. It’s risky to be yourself because you take the risk of being rejected, but when you do get a job, you get a cooler job.

*An apprenticeship constitues a fusing of work and studying: the apprentice (the student) studies part time and works the rest of the time for a company. The company in return pays the tuition fees of the student and a salary. In the past, quite a few students have financed their studies this way. Read more on apprenticeships here.