She blogs, distributes her program on the markets, solicits passersby, shakes hands, smiles and then smiles some more—all while sporting an official campaign scarf draped over her shoulder. Emma, the 22-year-old French communications graduate, could be mistaken for a campaigning politician. She doesn't aspire to political office, however—she just wants a job!
Fresh out of communications school, the young Frenchwoman has decided to take advantage of the current municipal elections to promote herself and attract recruiter attention. The idea may seem a little farfetched, but Emma hopes that her efforts will convince communication professionals to consider her for a job. "After an internship that didn't work out and a disappointing interview, I had to get back in the game. I drew on the current election campaigns to put together a communications operation for my job search," she explains. With the support of a graphic designer and the advice of a communications firm, the young woman trod the streets of her city for a whole week, handing out flyers and gluing her posters to election signs, considering all means good to increase her visibility—a communicator's first task.
On the media side, the operation was a success. The story has enjoyed massive coverage on local and national television and in regional newspapers. "I didn't expect this at all," she says. On the job side, her success is not as clear, as the job offers she received were not quite what she hoped for. "While the operation allowed me to get some interviews and make some communications contacts, nothing concrete came out of it. Recruiters remain very cautious. I'm doing a lot of thinking, and continuing my job search." A few days before the second electoral round, Emma hopes to receive other offers. "I'm optimistic, and continuing to remain available. . ."
In a media initiative similar to that of young Canadian Sean Aiken (www.OneWeekJob.com), generation Y has shown that it definitely has the imagination required to find its dream jobs!