Profiles of our people

Kenza

Name : 

Kenza

Job Title : 

Principle Consultant

Location : 

Paris

Joined company : 

Sep - 2007

Studied : 

Management in Law

Introduction

I Joined Progressive after I finished my studies at a Management School in the South of France. Back then, I only had six months of experience in sales and marketing under my belt. I wasn’t actually aware that recruitment was such a huge sector. I sure am now. I applied here because I like a challenge, I always have. I also found the meritocratic culture very appealing. I like the fact that performance is truly valued and rewarded here.

My role

When I first started, I had six very difficult months. Then, finally the deals started arriving – in quality and quantity. As a biller I achieved everything I set out to do. It’s amazing where you can go when you give everything. I was top biller and was rewarded with a big trip to Vegas, Achiever’s Lunchs and several Lunch Clubs.

Then I was promoted to a Management role. In my first year in the position, I learnt a lot. It’s very difficult to manage people with different personalities, strengths, weaknesses and goals. Everyone needs something different. I learnt by my early errors: never make the same mistake twice.

Now I have my perfect role. My role has changed slightly: I still have to make deals, but less frequently. Two a month instead of five. Now, I need to concentrate on getting business for my team. The best part of my job is negotiating with huge clients and trying to get them to work with us exclusively.

My biggest achievement so far is becoming top biller. It was amazing for me, especially considering how hard it was at the start! I’ve also had some very satisfactory negotiations, with really big rates, with some of my Kam clients. The negotiations are always tough but when you achieve your target it’s a great feeling.

The start of my career here was something of a low. I was in charge of the banking market and had no clients and no candidates for six months. Six months! It was really difficult for me to see my colleagues making deals while I made none. Eventually, I changed my market and it began to turn around. It was all about sticking at the job and trusting the training and my ability.

Training

The Certificate in Management Essentials Program (CMEP) training was amazing. It really develops your management skills and the way you communicate with your team. And the training here is excellent overall. It helps you discover a lot of things about yourself. It’s changed my way of thinking. I started the training as a top biller who probably cared most about my own targets. It pushed me to listen to all my colleagues, share information and become more of a team player. Every company needs training like CMEP.

Working at SThree

For me, when you’re working here you should always have one sentence in mind: Work hard, play hard.

To thrive here you definitely need to work hard. But the office is really fun as well, which is cool. I love working in an environment that’s really focused but where you can also shout and celebrate on the sales floor when you make a deal for yourself or your team!

Sure, I’ve been on Lunch Clubs. I also won an Achiever’s Lunch. These are always a great opportunities to talk to your Manager about future opportunities and your strengths and weaknesses. It’s also a great chance to have fun with the rest of the staff. For the new consultants who have just joined us, it’s a really unique moment for them.

SThree really is an industry leader, especially in the training it provides and the autonomy you’re given - you effectively manage you own business. Just look at the values here: the people who work in this firm, such as the back office staff, are always available. You can ask your trainer for advice every day. There are unlimited opportunities for both your pay cheque and your career. And there are fantastic incentives – how many other companies would take their staff to Las Vegas?

In order to benefit from all these advantages, you must possess all the right qualities. You need to be able to mix in a corporate world. You need to be resilient, excited by challenges, ambitious, funny and a hard worker.