By Sandra Thelusmond
So you want to Work in Paris? Then pay attention to these tips that will help you land your dream job at the Vogue Paris offices or in the P.R department at Galliano.
Language Barrier
In NY I interview in English which is already a plus for me since it’s in my native language.
In Paris not only do I interview in French which is one of the 4 languages I speak (I also speak Spanish and Italian), but I have to remember to use “vous” instead of “tu”. Without getting into a French grammar lesson, I’ll just let you know that in the French language like most romantic languages there are two forms of the word “you”. There’s the informal form “tu” which I use mostly when talking to my friends, and the formal and more respectful form “vous” which you use to address your elders, teachers, strangers, and friends’ parents. So since I don’t use “vous” very often its very hard for me during interviews to remember to use “vous” so I’m always very stressed about making a mistake and using “tu” when speaking to my interviewer. As the French are all about courtesy,respect and all that good stuff, an interviewer will get very offended if you use “tu”.
Interview Process
In NY, I remember my first interview for a P.R. internship where I had no experience but I basically sold myself to my interviewer. I talked about all my competences, my skills, and motivation.
In France, you have to be very modest and reserved. If you “sell yourself” to them you are being too pushy and very disrespectful by being boastful and saying “I’m amazing, I have so many skills”.
Dressing for the Interview
In NY for my P.R. internship I dressed formal yet showed off my style.
In Paris I wore a skirt-suit with pearls. You have to be very formal in interviews, even if it is for the fashion industry.
Post Interview Follow Up
After all my interviews in NY, I also send my prospective employers a follow up email thanking them for the interview and in the last paragraph I highlight a few of my key strengths and reiterate that I really want this job.
In Paris if you ever do that, you will be seen as pushy, factious and they will probably not call you back.
What they focus on during the interview
In NY when I interview they focus on my past experiences, and my skills. In America it’s easy to move up in the ranks even if you went to a community college as opposed to going to Harvard. If you have the motivation you can get hired.
In France they really value an education. If you have a “liscence” which is the French equivalent of a bachelors degree, it is literally impossible for you to get a job in the field in which you studied. You need at least “M2’ to get hired. Which is a second Master degree. Most French people have two masters’ degrees. Another thing that the French pay attention to is what school you went to. Since France is a small country it doesn’t have as many universities as we have here in the states. So each university which is a “faculte or an ecole” has a specialty that it is known for. My French school universite de Paris dauphine is the number one faculte (type of university) in France so that looked very good on my resume. Dauphine has an amazing business program and is known for that. So when I go to interviews for marketing/P.R. and they see Dauphine on my resume the employers know that I had a good education and that I went to the best school available for that subject.
During the interview they will focus a lot on your education and what school you go to and your learning experiences. So be ready to talk about what you learn in classes and how your homework is preparing you for real life challenges.
I personally believe that you learn from real work experiences and not necessarily in the classroom, but that’s just me.
In America (for the most part) they don’t care really who you are, what your ethnicity is, and your family background. They care if you can do the job and make the company money.
In France hiring is more personal. One of reasons is cultural and one of the reasons is practical. France is a small country a little smaller than the state of New York for example. The saying “it’s a small world” was invented for France, in my opinion. Whenever a French person meets another French person they automatically try to find who they know in common. When my friend Jacques met my friend Paul, it turns out that Jacques cousin went to school in Lyon and dated Paul’s best friend’s cousin. So when going for an interview you should try to find out if you know anyone knows anyone who works at the company. When prepping for an interview one night with my boyfriend he told me to tell the interviewer at Chanel that a family friend (my boyfriend’s uncle who owns a huge P.R. firm and showroom in Paris) is a personal friend of the designer, Karl Lagerfeld and to mention that family friend’s name in case they want to confirm it. So that’s the cultural aspect. French people like to feel like they have some sort of relation to you.
The practical reason (which is true of jobs, not internships) is that French law prevents employers from firing people. Most of the time if your hired by a French company your contract is a CDI which is “contrat duree indetermine”. Which means a contract with infinite duration. French law doesn’t allow employers to fire employees so easily, that way they avoid unemployment. So when they hire you, they want to make sure that you’re the perfect person for the job. My friend’s mom got laid off recently as the company had to downsize during the economic times and she is being paid her salary for the next two years and has a severance package of 100,000 euros which is about $150,000. She was an associate account manager; she wasn’t a C.E.O or a C.F.O. She has two years to find a new job plus the extra cash which is a nice package if you ask me.
Another thing to keep in mind, the French like the French. The French like to hire French people because they believe that they will have the same manners, the same etiquette and the same upbringing and education as them so it will be easier when working. So if as a foreigner you want to get hired at a French company you should go to some of the best French schools or American schools (the world renown ones such as Harvard, Columbia, etc) to ease the hiring process and make sure you resume is amazing. Read more…