This Kedger got 150 internship offers thanks to LinkedIn!

💬 INTERVIEW

1️⃣Tell us about your background (educational and professional up through today).

I'm Franco-Mauritian and grew up between Normandy and Mauritius, which made me very open-minded culturally. I’ve always been very dedicated through humanitarian missions, as well as my voluntary commitments. I’m also passionate about music. I have a bachelor’s in technology and a BTS Assistant Manager. I was a GO at Club Med for two years and then began attending the Grande Ecole Program at KEDGE Business School at the beginning of the 2016 academic year. After I finished my Master 1, I did my first internship at ENGIE in its BtoB France business division, which consisted of a lot of responsibilities. I was the Chief Digital Officer’s the right-hand “man”, developing partnerships of the digital department.

My boss was the only woman on the Business Unit's Executive Committee, so I became aware that there is a real problem between men and women in major companies. At the European seminar on gender equality, I met Isabelle Kocher, the CEO of ENGIE, and shared my youthful perspective on the subject. Then I met two women managers who - struck by my audacity - took me under their wings. They took me own as mission leader in their Communication Department to carry out tasks related to gender equality and the role of both women and young people. After that experience, I was introduced to the firm of Richard Attias & Associates and was hired as a special advisor to the Africa Director. Today we are dealing with a very important event: the 2020 Africa France Summit (le Sommet Afrique France 2020).

2️⃣ Tell us about your current situation (your position).

I’m currently a special advisor to the Africa Director at Richard Attias & Associates.

Our firm provides advice to governments and holds signature events (such as the Clinton Global Initiative in New-York, meeting Jack Ma and young entrepreneurs in Togo, etc.). We are currently organising the 2020 Africa France Summit taking place on the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th of June in Bordeaux on “The city and sustainable territories”.

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3️⃣How was LinkedIn helpful, and is it still useful in terms of your employability?

When I started at KEDGE at age 20, I didn't really have a network. So, I joined the "Article 1" association, which gave me the chance to be mentored by the HR Director at Air France. I also joined the "Different Leaders" collective, which defends inclusion and responsible leadership in companies. At the end of Master 1, I reached a decisive turning point in my life: the gap year. Like everyone else, I had to find an internship at the end of the year. I sent hundreds of applications that didn’t yield a single positive result. Then in April 2018, I met Christel de Foucault through the LinkedIn network. Thanks to her precious advice as a former HR director and expert of the network, I published a post on LinkedIn that included an internship search video and a site coded by me. This action immediately gave me hope. The post had more than 150,000 views and I received 150 offers for internships. Catherine Cousinard, Chief Digital Officer of ENGIE France, saw my post and invited me to meet at its head office. During a trip between Bordeaux to Paris La Défense, I decided to do my internship there, all while continuing to write inspirational articles and posts. My attractivity on LinkedIn opened many doors for me, including public speaking in France and Africa, and meeting a lot of great people, as well as other opportunities. At the same time, I was able to join Global Shapers, the World Economic Forum's community of young leaders, and work for Richard Attias. LinkedIn has been, and remains, a great empowerment tool in my career.

SIXTINE ROSE - LINKEDIN

4️⃣What other means do you use to develop your employability?

 I use my boldness to create connections in the professional, artistic and volunteer world. I use all the encounters I make to connect people intelligently and create value. I also help the youngest, or the not-so-young as soon as I kind by providing a kind word, advice, recommendations, or connections. You never know what this kind of magic can produce. The world is tiny; we keep coming across the same people over and over again. I think that being generous without expecting anything in return is productive. Sooner or later, we’ll meet each other again by chance, which can be the beginning of a new and beautiful adventure.

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Fabrice LOBEL (BEM Programme Grande Ecole / ESC, 1998) 14 January 2020 à 09h52 Déjà un bon parcours professionnel en seulement quelques année et un bel exemple de persévérance et d'ouverture d'esprit, bravo.