Focus on our partnership with the Nos Quartiers ont du Talent (NQT) association
It was in 2019, when the Solutions & Ingredients division of Ajinomoto Foods Europe asked its employees to get involved and support young people in their first professional integration, that Julie PIAT and Marc DEVIENNE, Process Engineer and Process Development Manager respectively, made their commitment. To date, they have already supported 22 young people!
Here’s a cross-section of these 2 committed and inspiring volunteers:
How is mentoring organised?
Julie & Marc “The association puts us in touch with a young person, and we make initial contact, preferably face-to-face, but that’s not always possible. This initial exchange allows us to get to know each other and identify the needs of the young person we are supporting. We then schedule regular meetings, by telephone or by team, roughly every fortnight.
We work on defining their career plans, advising them on how to go about finding a job or work-linked training scheme, how to present their CV or write their covering letter. We often do mock job interviews, which helps them to feel more at ease. Having feedback on their attitude, their way of doing things and the behaviour they should avoid helps to reassure them.
We work with one young person at a time, for an average of about 3 months, depending on their needs. Sometimes we support a second young person when the first has reached the end of his or her sponsorship, but the aim is to fulfil our role in the best possible way.”
Apart from your role as godparents, do you have any other responsibilities?
Julie “‘I took part in an HR/coaching workshop in 2021 with the Mission Locale in Amiens to discuss recruitment issues with a number of young people and provide individual coaching to prepare them for interviews.
I also recently led a conference on Stress Management in partnership with NQT and the internships and jobs department in Villeneuve d’Ascq on 14 November. This investment gave 40 young people a different view of their stress so that they could deal with it more effectively, and gave them access to tools to help them during their interviews. The feedback was very positive! It was a rich experience for them as well as for me. The NQT association asked me to organise webinars to reach a larger number of young people.”
Marc “I was able to take part in open HR workshops, where young people have the opportunity to ask all their questions and where professionals, from the human resources field or not, are there to answer them. I also took part in Job Booster Days. The first of these will be a face-to-face event in Amiens in 2022, followed by a second online event in 2023. I took part in the speed coaching sessions, where I was able to talk to around ten young people each time.”
What motivated you to get involved?
Julie “Human values are essential to me. I used to be young, and I think it’s great to be able to help young people on the path to integration and share my experience with them. These intergenerational exchanges also give me a better understanding of these young people, their vision and their expectations. It also gives me a better understanding of the questions they have.
Before talking about career paths, it’s important to talk about self-knowledge and personal development. People who feel good, who find their way, are above all people who know themselves well.”
Marc “It’s important to be able to help young people who have technical or professional skills but don’t necessarily know how to put them to good use. We give them a helping hand, to build their self-confidence and make them aware of what they’ve already done. Once they’ve found what they’re looking for, the assignment ends, but some of them keep in touch with us, and we also follow their progress on LinkedIn and their career development. It’s rewarding to be able to follow their success.
It also allows me to meet other professionals in the region and make new contacts.”
What was your most memorable experience?
Julie “I worked with a young person who was lost between 2 careers; simply by listening to her and asking her questions, I helped her to take a step back and find the answers and the life path that suited her. My role is not just to give advice, but above all to make them question themselves, to help them get to know themselves better and position themselves as players in their own future, whether in their professional or personal life.”
Marc “I helped a student who had started her university year but couldn’t find a work-linked placement. She couldn’t make the most of her experience because she didn’t think it was relevant. By making her realise that this wasn’t the case, and that her work experience, as well as her experience in associations, should be valued, she found her work-study placement at the first interview following our discussions.
Another student once came back from an interview saying that we had asked him a lot of questions that we had prepared. He felt at ease and it worked.”
Julie & Marc “Ajinomoto are committed to creating shared social and economic value. As godmothers and godfathers of the NQT association, we feel that we are playing a full part in this creation of value. Helping these young people to find their way, find a job and get an easier start in working life is very satisfying.”
