The company Sentors, a senior insurance comparison service and a subsidiary of the GreenBull group, is calling for a rally on August 8 at Place Masséna from 11 am to 1 pm. They aim to raise awareness about the issue of recruitment in companies. Soumia Boudemagh, Director of Organization & Human Capital at GreenBull, explains the purpose and stakes of this event.
What is the concept of this “recruitment rally”?
There are three planned objectives, the most important of which is to gain more visibility and hopefully attract more candidates today and in the future. The goal is also to highlight the underlying issue, which we, like many companies, observe—there is a mismatch between candidates on the job market and the needs of companies, and difficulties in connecting candidates with the right companies and vice versa.
Why do you use the term “green vest” to describe this collective?
This is, above all, a kindhearted reference to the yellow vests movement. We wanted to use the methods of that movement in our own way to highlight their demands and daily struggles. We wanted to create a kind of “yellow vest movement for companies” to express the main difficulty of companies, which is recruitment. We chose the color green because it’s the color of our company logo, our decor is based on green. It is symbolic for us as it represents hope.
How will this rally take place?
Similar to the yellow vests movement, this time we will wear a green vest. Since we are a fun and humorous company, our banners and flyers will feature slogans inspired by those of the yellow vests, but adapted to our context, our company, and our theme, with small nods to current events.
What is the current state of recruitment in companies in France?
I have been working in human resources and recruitment across various sectors like engineering, healthcare, cosmetics, and telecommunications for about ten years. Regardless of the industry, recruitment challenges persist. We want to express our frustration because there are real difficulties. For example, companies like ours that are growing and hiring aren’t necessarily visible. In the current context, we hear a lot about companies in trouble or having to lay off economically. However, companies like us that have a positive dynamic and haven’t been affected by the health crisis want to gain visibility and are upset because recruitment challenges are a barrier to our development and objectives.
In your opinion, what are the reasons for these difficulties in recruiting employees?
This can be explained by a lack of criteria, and some are intrinsically related to the candidates or employees within companies. There is a disconnect between what a company can portray and stereotypes. There are employees and job seekers who are demotivated by the perception of the boss or the company, feeling exploited and lacking growth potential. Additionally, all the tools for connecting candidates are not adapted to market needs. Today, companies use intermediaries like employment agencies, job fairs, and recruitment sites. These tools do not meet our needs. In companies, we seek a personality rather than a resume and require high reactivity.
If you have the choice between a highly educated person and a less educated but more creative person, how do you decide?
Ideally, if the first candidate is, for example, a graduate of HEC with a good profile and potential, we would take them. If the second is more creative but less educated, we would also take them. However, for the same position, we would favor potential because soft skills (basic competencies that combine both professional and human skills) cannot be taught. If a person lacks technical skills, we know we can catch up, and they would be operational in six months. However, an unmotivated person can have the best resume in the world, but in six months, they would still have the same mentality.
