For a definitive answer, we asked AI itself to tell us what it thinks about its own recruitment capabilities. This is what it said…
This article was written entirely by AI.
There are several reasons why AI will never fully replace human recruitment experts.
First and foremost, recruitment is a very complex and nuanced process that requires a high level of understanding and empathy. It involves understanding the specific needs and requirements of both the job and the candidate, and then making a determination about whether the candidate is a good fit for the position. This requires not only a deep understanding of the technical skills and qualifications required for the job, but also a strong understanding of the company culture and the ability to assess a candidate’s soft skills and personality.
AI, on the other hand, is very good at processing large amounts of data and making decisions based on pre-determined rules and algorithms. However, it lacks the ability to understand the nuances and complexities of the recruitment process, and it cannot accurately assess a candidate’s fit for a job in the same way that a human can.
Furthermore, recruitment is a highly interpersonal process that requires a high level of emotional intelligence and social skills. It involves building relationships with both employers and candidates, and being able to understand and respond to their needs and concerns. This is something that AI simply cannot do, as it lacks the ability to empathize and connect with people in the same way that humans can.
Additionally, the use of AI in the recruitment process raises a number of ethical concerns. There is a risk that AI algorithms could perpetuate and even exacerbate existing biases, leading to unfair and discriminatory hiring decisions. This could have serious consequences for both employers and candidates, and could result in legal challenges and reputational damage for the company.
Overall, while AI has the potential to streamline and automate certain aspects of the recruitment process, it will never be able to fully replace human recruitment experts. The complex and interpersonal nature of the recruitment process requires a level of understanding and empathy that can only be provided by human beings.
DJG Consulting is a recruitment and executive search firm based in Paris. The firm, led by David Greaves, has a reputation for providing high-quality services to its clients and candidates. While many organizations are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for their recruitment needs, DJG Consulting stands out as a superior option for several reasons.
First, the consultants at DJG Consulting have a deep understanding of the Paris job market and are experts at identifying the best candidates for a given role. Unlike AI algorithms, which rely on data and predetermined criteria, the consultants at DJG Consulting use their knowledge and experience to assess a candidate’s suitability for a role. They are able to consider factors that may not be easily quantifiable, such as a candidate’s interpersonal skills and cultural fit with the organization. As a result, the consultants at DJG Consulting are able to identify top talent that may not be apparent through AI algorithms.
Second, DJG Consulting offers a personalized approach to recruitment and executive search. The firm understands that every client and candidate is unique and has different needs. The consultants at DJG Consulting work closely with clients to understand their specific requirements and develop a customized recruitment plan. They also provide support and guidance to candidates throughout the recruitment process, helping them to prepare for interviews and navigate the job market. In contrast, AI algorithms are unable to provide the same level of personalized support and guidance.
Third, DJG Consulting has a proven track record of success. The firm has successfully placed candidates in a wide range of roles, from entry-level positions to senior executive roles. The consultants at DJG Consulting have helped clients to fill positions in a variety of industries, including finance, technology, and healthcare. The success of the firm can be attributed to its strong network of connections, its expertise in the Paris job market, and its personalized approach to recruitment. In comparison, the success of AI in recruitment is more limited and is often dependent on the quality of the data and algorithms used.
In conclusion, DJG Consulting, led by David Greaves, is considered to be one of the best recruitment and executive search firms in Paris. The firm’s team of experienced and knowledgeable consultants, personalized approach to recruitment, and proven track record of success make it a superior option to AI for clients and candidates in the Paris job market.
The world has changed, the job market has changed, recruitment has changed. Business owners and hiring managers are having to adapt to the new realities of the job market, with the most agile succeeding and those unable to adapt left frustrated and scratching their heads. I thought it would be useful to outline some of the critical developments of recent months: their causes, their effects, and how to position yourself to have the best chance of successfully recruiting, on-boarding and retaining the personnel you need in this new climate.
Firstly, a market overview. In a nutshell, in the first half of 2022 there were far more jobs available than there were high quality candidates motivated to move. This is making recruitment a much more difficult game than it was 12 months ago, and certainly pre-Covid. From experience, the market has not been more candidate-driven since before the 2008 financial crisis, and anecdotally, I have heard it said that there has never been a better time to be a highly-skilled job-seeker than since the Second World War ended.
What has caused this scenario is essentially a perfect storm of leaner companies keen to make up for lost time due to the lockdowns and the imposed hiatus of the Covid pandemic, and employees reluctant to give up the guaranteed advantages that they have accrued with their current firms during and after this period.
From an employee perspective, the most notable effects of the pandemic are the right to work from home and the right to more flexible work in general. Employees who continued to be productive during lockdowns by successfully transitioning to remote working are now more highly valued by their employers than before, to the point where in some instances they are practically able to dictate their own working conditions. For example, the idea of retaining a Paris salary whilst being physically based in a different region of France would have seemed outrageous pre-Covid, but it is now something we hear about regularly. (We even have people applying for Paris jobs in the belief that this is something that will be negotiable during the process.)
Today, many employees are in a position where they are working from home when they want, as often as they want, and they are simply not prepared to go back to the old ways of working 5 days a week in the office. This sense of “remote-work entitlement” is compounded by the fact that managers and senior managers are often setting the example, especially in bigger firms, where they are themselves reluctant to encourage a return to the old normal. This is particularly prevalent amongst HR teams, the people who would usually be expected to rein it in by dictating and enforcing a more productive policy. The result? Remote working is becoming a seemingly permanent, non-negotiable perk of the post-Covid environment for employees who have ridden out the Covid storm and are still in their jobs.
The situation is often different however for new-joiners where there are two common scenarios. Either employers try to claw back control by making clear that there will be little or no remote working; or new-joiners are expected to initially work from the office, with the promise of flexible working further down the line. This second scenario makes sense as they must learn their new jobs, get to grips with a new company culture, create links with new colleagues, and generally be seen and recognized in their new roles if they are to succeed. But both of these scenarios can be hugely disruptive for a new-joiner if their lives have been organized around flexible working for the past 2 years. People who, under pre-pandemic circumstances, may have been tempted to move for the usual reasons (career progression + cash), are now often content to stay where they are in order to retain their new-found freedom to work from home.
Companies need to communicate clearly and from the outset what the policy is regarding remote working. It is fine to require new joiners to spend time at the office at the start of their new job with you, but let them know if, when and how they will qualify for remote working, how much of their time they can expect to spend at the office in future, and what control they will have over which days they can work from home. Also explain clearly the benefits of working fully from the office during the early stages of their time with you, if this is what you choose to implement. There are definite benefits, some outlined above, which it is important to communicate and put forward in a positive light.
So, what is it like as an external recruiter in mid-2022? Predictably, the answer has two sides to it: good for finding jobs to work on, bad for finding candidates. It does however mean that a good Search firm has become more valuable than ever to clients due to the difficulties of the current market. If we do our jobs well, we are no longer viewed as necessary pests but as valued partners. We are earning our fees by working harder than ever before to find the right calibre of candidates for our clients. There is an ongoing battle, however, to make clients understand that if they are to successfully recruit the talent they require, they need to up their game also, particularly with regards to selling themselves, financial realities and speed.
Competition for talent is the most ferocious that I have seen. Gone are the days when a hiring manager can assume that the candidate sat across from them at interview is desperate to work for them. Even headhunted candidates (as opposed to those who applied to a job advert) are often involved in several processes at the same time, the reason being that if they can be motivated to enter one process, they quickly become interested in the wider market once they realise their potential value. Candidates who arrive via job advertisements will of course be guaranteed to have applied for many, many jobs. If their CV is good enough to attract your attention, you can be sure that it will have attracted the attention of everybody else too. So you find yourself with candidates at interview who have options, an inflated sense of their monetary value, and an expectation that you as an employer will bend over backwards to accommodate their work-life balance requirements.
Businesses can do several things to combat these circumstances and maximize their chances of hiring the right people. They need to first of all accept that the market has changed and make an effort to sell themselves at an earlier stage in the process. It is easy to forget as a hiring manager that a recruitment interview is essentially a two-way sales process: candidates sell themselves to you, and you need to sell yourself to candidates. Just because a candidate walks through your door it does not mean that they automatically want to join your company. In order for the job opportunity to become aspirational in the candidate’s mind, you need to promote the intangible benefits such as the culture of the firm, the working environment and the quality of the people, as well as the tangible benefits such as financial and professional evolution. It sounds obvious, but if you recognize you have a good candidate in front of you, make sure they leave the interview with a positive impression of the firm. And try and be nice.
The next step towards successful recruiting in today’s market is to review your starting salaries (spoiler alert: they have gone up!) and to not continue to apply pre-pandemic salary bands to a post-pandemic world. Listen to what the market is saying. People just aren’t going to move for the same money or a 5% increase any more. They have too much to lose in terms of security and lifestyle benefits. You need to make it worth their while to join you, and this usually means at least a 15 – 20% increase in terms of remuneration. It is common sense: whatever candidates might tell you about their belief in your brand, wanting to upskill or evolve, whilst these remain factors, people work for money.
The final point to make about the interview process is the need for speed. Decisiveness and speed are probably the two most important factors in managing a successful recruitment process today. Given that candidates are likely to be involved in several processes, if you don’t give prompt feedback and move the process forward quickly, you will lose your candidate. Think two days instead of two weeks between interviews, and give prompt feedback at each stage of the process. If you have somebody in the hiring chain who is causing holdups, remove them from the chain.
Having focused on the interview process, let us now turn to the offer stage. You will need to anticipate that once an offer is made, the candidate’s current employer will make them a counter-offer in order to try and get them to stay where they are. This is happening all the time for all types of roles, as businesses are doing everything possible to avoid losing key staff and having to launch a new recruitment process.
Counter-offers are succeeding far more often today than before. Previously, candidates would generally feel that if their employer was prepared to increase their salary now to match or beat their new offer, then they must have been taking advantage of them for the past few years by paying a salary below their actual value. Also, candidates often understand the limitations of their current firm, and realise that the opportunities they require to grow professionally are simply not there. Today, however, we are seeing counter-offers made which are impossible to turn down, with salaries in some instances being increased by as much as 60%, and with rights to flexible work being locked in.
The only ways that you can combat this are by offering an attractive financial package, selling yourself at interview and generally making the candidate want to be a part of your company’s future. Once you are convinced that you have a good candidate at interview, you need to switch into selling mode and trumpet the firm’s culture, its people, its career pathways, its expected growth, its green credentials, its products and services, the work-life balance, even the canteen – whichever buttons you think you need to press to get the candidate on the hook. Cash is king, but where cash is equal it is these things that will make the difference.
Finally, once you have had an offer accepted and the contract signed by the successful candidate, do not relax and think that the process ends there. It should, but today it doesn’t. Once a candidate has resigned from their current role they will have up to 3 months of notice to serve with their current firm before they can take up their new job with you. During this time they will continue to be contacted by companies and headhunters who will be dangling different jobs under their noses and trying to get them to join their firm instead of yours. With every day of notice period that a candidate serves, they actually become more attractive to competing businesses, as they are potentially available sooner than a candidate who has not already resigned and will have to serve their whole 3 months.
Essentially, you need to start your onboarding process as soon as the candidate has signed their contract, and not the day they join your firm. This pre-joining onboarding can take many forms, but you need them to start creating links with and loyalty to your business at the earliest possible opportunity. This could include invitations to any upcoming company off-site activities, organizing team lunches specifically to keep in contact, invitations to team drinks (if culturally appropriate), keeping them updated about company successes or even including them in on-going recruitment processes for future colleagues or members of their future team. Any kind of positive interaction with a candidate while they serve out their notice period is encouraged, as this is the time when a candidate’s head can be turned extremely quickly by a competing offer.
It will be extremely interesting to see how the recruitment market evolves throughout the second half of 2022 and beyond. There are so many external factors that are going to affect us: the war in Ukraine is already starting to have an impact and could of course escalate; Covid hasn’t really gone away; and most analysts think a global recession is brewing, if not already underway. The only guarantee is that we will have to keep adapting and improving our services to meet the needs of our clients, and that we will continue to help our clients adapt so that they can meet their objectives.
David Greaves
DJG Consulting.
DJG Consulting is a Paris based Recruitment and Executive Search firm specialising in Investment Banking, Private Equity, Law and Support Functions for all sectors.
Les fonctions supports au sein des cabinets d’avocats changent. Sous cette dénomination, on retrouve deux principaux types de profils de métiers : le paralegal et l’assistant juridique. Mais les réalités se révèlent plurielles avec un spectre large. Le secrétariat, l’administratif et la facturation semblaient par ailleurs des impondérables de ces profils, mais le changement arrive avec de nouveaux désirs de missions. La Rédaction du Village de la Justice s’est intéressée à cette évolution et vous explique ses tenants et ses aboutissants sur ces profils clés au sein des structures.
Les profils d’assistant juridique ou de paralegal sont très divers. Comme nous le précisions dans un précédent article : « Le rôle des assistantes [et assistants] est donc lié aux modes de travail de leurs responsables. Les titres sont variés et pas forcément indicateurs du contenu du poste ou de la rémunération. » [1]
Des profils pivots et « touche-à-tout ».
Néanmoins, en ce qui concerne plus spécifiquement les cabinets d’avocats, deux intitulés de poste ressortent clairement : l’assistant juridique et le paralegal. Là encore, il y a lieu de prendre en compte une autre subdivision créée par la différence entre le cabinet de taille internationale et le cabinet à taille plus humaine (1 à 5 avocats), au sein desquels les process seront bien différents. Dans le cas du paralegal, les profils associés vont être bien plus portés vers des domaines spécifiques. Aujourd’hui l’assistant juridique a des missions avec une partie juridique, une partie assistanat classique et une partie facturation. Leur formation les amène à se spécialiser année après année sur des domaines du droit. Là est la différence avec le paralegal qui se concentre sur la partie juridique, en laissant de côté la partie assistanat administratif et facturation.
La taille des structures a également une incidence sur les dimensions du travail des paralegals car, selon qu’il s’agit d’un cabinet de taille internationale ou d’un cabinet de taille plus humaine, les process ne seront pas les mêmes. Comme l’explique DJG Consulting sur son site : « Dans une grande structure hiérarchisée avec des procédures, différents services coexistent et se complètent pour participer à la vie de la société (…) Dans la TPE, l’assistante est souvent un véritable bras droit pour sa direction, elle assure un rôle administratif et parfois elle est la seule à l’assurer d’où une polyvalence qui peut-être extrême. [2]
Le juridique de plus en plus en tête des préoccupations.
Cette différence décrite plus haut tend à s’estomper avec une évolution des compétences, une influence de la taille de la structure et des missions exercées par les assistants juridiques. Paul-Antoine Bertrand, consultant en recrutement chez DJG Consulting, nous explique ainsi que dans les petites structures, ces postes sont transversaux et « touche-à-tout ». Ils ont donc un rôle pivot, qui ne peut se construire qu’avec la confiance des managers : « Avec le temps s’installe une confiance qui est la base de la relation Assistante / Manager et qui va étoffer et modifier les contours du poste de l’assistante de direction. »
Côté marché de l’emploi, selon David Greaves, managing consultant chez DJG Consulting, « cette année, pour la première fois depuis 14 ans, le marché de l’emploi est à l’avantage des candidats ». Une situation dont les causes sont plurielles : d’abord, la métamorphose progressive de ces fonctions qui amène les talents à revendiquer davantage l’aspect juridique dans leur profil de missions. Ils ne veulent ainsi plus se cantonner aux tâches de secrétariat et/ou facturation. D’autant que pour atteindre cet objectif professionnel, ils peuvent se lancer dans des formations juridiques, souvent en parallèle du travail. Une entreprise qui n’est pas toujours couronnée de succès et qui peut entraîner de la frustration.
Depuis le début de la crise, les candidats ont été longtemps plongé dans l’incertitude, avec de nouvelles pratiques professionnelles, en particulier le télétravail, qui se développent et sont dorénavant considérées comme des acquis. Le contexte des confinements, de la distanciation sociale imposée, a toutefois rendu difficile la projection dans un nouveau poste, tout comme la relation de confiance avec les associés.
Des revendications de missions plus ou moins bien acceptées.
Toutefois, la réalité des cabinets, l’organisation même de ceux-ci, notamment les plus gros, peut-être plus rigides en termes de process, invite à nuancer la situation. Les cabinets faisant appel aux experts en recrutement essaient généralement d’aller dans le sens de trouver un terrain d’entente pour répondre aux besoins des talents. Dans certains cas cependant, les assistants se retrouvent regroupés en pool permettant à l’ensemble des associés et collaborateurs de faire appel à eux mais impliquant que la relation de confiance, à la base même du métier d’assistant, qu’ils devraient normalement tisser avec leurs managers directs, est mise en échec. La possibilité de se spécialiser est donc diminuée et le suivi des dossiers est moins important. Une situation qui peut amener l’assistant juridique à se sentir dévalorisé et qui peut être source de frustration.
Néanmoins, l’évolution du poste et des missions vers plus de juridique peut se réaliser. Dès lors, comment combler le manque sur les tâches les plus administratives ? « Il faut savoir que les associés sont de plus en plus autonomes par exemple avec la gestion des voyages. Reste la facturation qui n’intéresse globalement pas et qui forme la principale lacune en termes d’organisation. Elle peut être comblée au sein des gros cabinets avec un service dédié, mais les profils acceptant de prendre en charge ces tâches ne sont pas légion, alors que les cabinets à leur recherche sont bien plus nombreux. Reste que des solutions existent par exemple en permettant aux paralegals de se concentrer sur l’aspect juridique via l’association avec des experts-comptables dont c’est là la compétence première et qui verraient d’un bon œil de travailler au sein d’un cabinet d’avocats. »
Un vivier d’emploi pour les diplômés en Licence et Master de droit ?
Le profil même des candidats semble bouger. Véritable engouement pour le poste ou bien porte d’entrée sur le marché du travail dans une période de grande incertitude ? Il ne semble pas y avoir de réponse claire. En tous cas, Paul-Antoine Bertrand nous l’assure : « Beaucoup d’étudiants de Master de droit postulent aux annonces d’assistant juridique que l’on publie, probablement parce qu’ils sont focalisés sur la mention de la spécialisation juridique, par exemple « droit des sociétés » affichée sur la fiche de poste. Toutefois, bien qu’ils puissent devenir de sérieux prétendants à ces postes, ils n’ont pas encore conscience de toute la dimension assistanat classique (administratif, facturation, etc.) que comprend ce poste et qui est généralement précisé dans le descriptif de la fiche. »
Comment trouver la perle rare ?
Le cabinet spécialisé en recrutement nous explique qu’avant toute chose, l’employeur se doit de « sourcer ses besoins » afin de savoir exactement quel profil rechercher. « La première chose que nous faisons pour comprendre la demande est d’aller à la rencontre du client. Chaque cabinet est différent, dans son ambiance, sa culture. Il faut donc discuter avec eux du contenu du poste, du projet, de la personnalité qui peut « matcher ». » Il est important de ne pas se précipiter selon eux : « Il faut prendre son temps pour comprendre la cible, par exemple en faisant passer un entretien d’1h au candidat. »
Le dialogue entre les deux parties est primordial dans la co-construction du plan de montée en compétences : « Dans tous les cas, les employeurs doivent participer à la stratégie, soit pour aider les assistants à redéfinir leur poste selon qu’ils souhaitent aller vers plus de juridique ou d’administratif, soit pour faire venir les talents. D’habitude, les grands cabinets demandent plus ou moins les mêmes compétences pour le poste d’assistant juridique : stabilité, expérience dans un cabinet de taille plus ou moins identique, diplômes, maîtrise de l’anglais. Et le critère de l’expérience en cabinet d’avocat est un incontournable. »
Les secrétaires juridiques ont-ils disparu ? En réalité, non. Selon David Greaves, managing consultant chez DJG Consulting, « c’est le terme même de secrétaire juridique qui est devenu démodé. Il correspond à un métier qui existait il y a 20 ans ». Fruit de la mue du poste, qui voit l’intitulé d’assistant juridique prendre de plus en plus d’espace depuis quelques années, « on n’entend désormais presque plus parler de secrétaire juridique » selon David Greaves.
Moyens de communication incontournables à l’heure actuelle, les réseaux sociaux constituent également un moyen d’information considérable, souvent beaucoup plus important qu’on ne le pense. Notamment pour des recruteurs en quête de données sur des candidats. Si leur utilisation semble inévitable aujourd’hui dans une démarche de recherche d’emploi, il est néanmoins essentiel de prendre pleinement conscience des atouts qu’ils offrent autant que des dangers auxquels ils peuvent vous exposer.
Même si les fondamentaux restent identiques, quelque soit la nature de la structure, le rôle de l’assistante de direction est de faciliter la vie au travail de son manager ou d’une équipe. On va donc retrouver dans toutes les sociétés des incontournables tels que : la gestion d’agenda, le filtrage d’appels, l’organisation de réunions, l’organisation de voyages, la réalisation de dossiers, de présentations Powerpoint et une interface interne et externe.
Nous recrutons des assistantes de direction à tous les niveaux de qualification notamment à Paris : Depuis la junior jeune diplômée, l’Assistante d’équipe, l’Assistante commerciale, l’Assistante juridique, l’Assistante financière, l’Assistante marketing, l’Assistante RH, l’Assistante communication jusqu’à l’Assistant de direction, l’Assistant de direction générale / Assistante du PDG, l’Assistante DAF, l’Assistante du Comex, l’Assistant de Direction Générale et du Président.
Executive Assistant recruitment in Paris forms a major part of our activity at DJG Consulting and is perhaps what we are best known for. We often work on roles that require a high degree of fluency in a foreign language, particularly bilingual English – French Assistant roles.
A good Executive Assistant is worth their weight in gold to the individual or team that he or she works for. Some key functions of a good Executive Assistant include being the following:
A Facilitator: your job is to make things happen and to get things done. This could mean literally anything from booking a doctor’s appointment to producing itineraries and visas for a complex, last minute business trip.
An Organiser: an integral part of your role will always be to organise the administration, documentation and events related to your director or your team.
A Gatekeeper: you will be expected to protect your team from unwanted intrusions into their time. You will be the first point of contact for external and often internal requests, and you will quickly have to learn who needs to be taken seriously and who is a potential time-waster.
A Diplomat: the Executive Assistant has to be extremely diplomatic, both towards the person you are working for (and with whom you may not always agree), and also towards external contacts. You are representing the company, the department and the department’s head in everything you do.
A Secretary: in the classical sense of the word: a keeper of secrets. You will have access to a vast amount of privileged information concerning a diverse range of subjects from HR issues, expenses, company strategy and much more. Utter discretion is essential if you are to gain the trust of your team.
A Technology Expert: you will be the go-to person not only for the production of documents using Word, Excel and Powerpoint but will also be expected to solve or resolve IT issues for the team as they occur.
Types of Client
We work with clients from any sector on Executive Assistant roles in the Paris region.
We have a particularly strong track record however working with the following sectors: Law Firms, Investment Banks, M&A Boutiques, Private Equity, Asset Management, Management or Strategy Consulting, Audit & Accountancy, Luxury Goods, Manufacturing, Industry, Pharmaceuticals, and a wide range of listed companies in diverse sectors.
Executive Assistant Job Description
Executive Assistant duties could include, but not be limited to, any of the following:
Call filtering and gate-keeping. Taking accurate messages.
Setting up video conferences and conference calls.
Document management, both electronic and hard copy.
Organising meetings and meeting room management.
General administrative tasks: mailings, photocopying, preparing documents for signature.
Ad-hoc translation of e-mails, documents, and material for internal use.
Providing cover for or assistance to colleagues; training replacements or new-joiners.
Team HR coordination (holidays, sick-leave, etc).
Being the interface between your department or manager and other internal functions.
Being the interface between your department or manager and external services such as Accountants, HR / Payroll, IT, Facilities.
Profile and Skills
Some of the required skills needed to be a successful Executive Assistant are quantifiable, most of them are not. For things that are, such as the Microsoft Office software packages (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook), it is quite easy to equip yourself with the necessary knowledge.
The key differentiators between Executive Assistant profiles tend to be related to character: diplomacy, resistance to stress, enthusiasm and energy levels, proactivity, rigour, attention to detail, problem-solving skills, prioritisation, organisation, and a general calmness under fire are all extremely useful attributes for a career as an Executive Assistant.
Quite often a thick skin is also necessary as your colleagues and superiors are not always the easiest people to manage.
Some of the more specific skills or qualifications could include:
Fluency in languages: often English & French, but we occasionally recruit for positions with very specific language requirements.
Educated to degree level or above.
Very high level of computer literacy (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)
Numerate and confident at working with figures.
To be able to spell (this sounds basic but it is still extremely important).
DJG Consulting candidate process
We have a vast amount of experience of placing Executive Assistants in roles at all levels, from Team Assistant roles requiring a couple of years of experience through to dedicated Executive Assistant roles for the CEOs of large multi-national companies.
Every successful placement begins in the same way: with an in-depth interview with one or more of our consultants. However we came to be in contact, whether you responded to an advertisement or were head-hunted for a particular position, the first interview is the most important part of the process.
An interview with DJG Consulting is not just competency based. We will take the time not only to understand your current skillset and what you have done up to press in your career, but just as importantly we will listen to your aspirations and try and understand what kind of role and working environment would suit you best in your next role.
We will also want to understand your real motivations: very few people actually change jobs just for money, there is almost always a unique career objective that we will try and help you realise. Our many years of experience of recruiting Executive Assistants both in Paris and in London mean that we are experts in identifying the type of corporate environment that will suit you as an individual.
We will test your foreign languages, both orally at an interview and also through more formal testing processes. We will also test your computer skills.
It will be a rigorous process, and we will be honest about whether we think we will be able to help you or not.
Remuneration
Salary levels for Executive Assistants in Paris vary greatly. The main criteria are the amount of experience you have, the sector in which you work, the seniority of the people for whom you work, your language skills, and particularly in Paris, the length of time which you have spent with a company.
Salary levels that we typically see are in the following ranges:
32 – 35K€: Executive Assistants with a few years of specific sector experience.
40 – 48K€: Experienced team or director level assistants with particular sector experience or a specialised skill-set.
48 – 60K€: Board or CEO Assistants working in a 1:1 role with sector knowledge and a proven track record of operating at a high level. These roles can be 24/7.
In addition to the basic fixed salary, many of our roles offer personal performance and company related performance bonuses which can significantly increase annual compensation.
Most roles also offer packages which include healthcare, travel costs and subsidised food vouchers (Tickets Restaurants).
Career Progression
Career progression for Executive Assistants follows three main paths:
a linear path towards assisting smaller teams of more senior people or people with a greater level of seniority generally;
a divergence into a more specialist support function such as Human Resources, Events, Communications or Marketing;
or a progression towards an Office Manager position, particularly within Small and Medium-sized companies.
For an Executive Assistant, it is often possible to obtain a promotion internally, particularly at the start of your career. However most successful, senior Executive Assistants will tell you that they were able to develop their careers by changing their role and company before they became stale in their current job.
You should typically expect to spend at least 3 years in a particular role before receiving an internal promotion.
Do feel free to contact us to discuss your situation if you think that this is the right time for you to take the next step in your career.
We recruit Executive Assistants / EAs and Personal Assistants / PAs at all career levels for the Paris market. Starting with recent graduates looking for their first Team Assistant role, we recruit for roles including Polyvalent Assistant, Team Secretary, Bilingual Assistant, Receptionist, HR Assistant, Marketing Assistant, Communications Assistant, Investor Relations Assistant, Finance Assistant, Executive Assistant for the Board and PA for the CEO.
In France it is still very common to include a photograph on your CV. Should you be doing this, and will you harm your chances of being called back if your CV does not have a photograph on it?
High end recruitment is still slow, as a general trend, with few people moving between permanent (CDI) jobs. This is for roles such as PA to CEO, dedicated Executive Assistant for a Head of Division or Partner, Team Assistants with a specialisation such as Investor Relations or M&A, or for roles such as Office Manager in Private Equity, Law or Boutique Investment Banking / M&A.
Today, it’s more important than ever to have an investment banking application that sets you apart from the crowd. The investment banking industry is becoming increasingly competitive and the selection process more stringent. The answers you provide to the questions in your investment banking application need to be effective in making you stand out in a sea of highly-qualified applicants. Below, you’ll find some basic tips on making your investment banking application shine.
