Interview with Judicaël Tracoulat, Campus Manager International

The season of student forums has begun. To what extent is Calyon participating?

Calyon is actively involved in pre-recruitment. The forums are one of the most direct means to meet students and offer Calyon a chance to identify up-and-coming talent. In the current financial crisis, the finance profession may not appear as attractive to young people. At the forums, Calyon makes a point of presenting all its business lines, both the well-known and less well-known, as well as its internship, work-study and VIE (international internship program) offerings.

The forums are a privileged place for dialogue where students can meet Calyon professionals, Calyon interns and work-study participants. They can also gather very specific information on the company.
In addition to the practical HR information, students can mention their preferences on an orientation form which accompanies CVs. The CVs will then be forwarded to the most appropriate business line(s).

Through what other means does Calyon make itself available to students?

First, Calyon is a partner of several Grandes Ecoles. These partnerships are essential from a teaching standpoint. The ongoing dialogue with professors makes it possible to organise case studies on real transactions managed by Calyon, such as a bond offering. Comparing the findings of the students with the vision of Calyon’s professional adviser helps to accelerate the learning process.
Calyon is also a partner of Finance associations in Grandes Ecoles, such as Club Finance Paris (gathering finance student associations from 12 Paris Grandes Ecoles) or Essec Transactions. The Bank gets involved in trading games, makes speakers available to the schools for lessons and conferences. Calyon also organises tours of its trading floors, which are the nerve centers of the capital markets.
Finally, the school captains are very important links with their own schools. They accompany us in our school actions and relationships and propose diversified events with students. Seventeen schools are represented by a captain and team within Crédit Agricole Group.


What are the advantages for a student to join Calyon?

Calyon favors the immediate and operational integration of interns and work-study participants in their teams. Sponsored by a professional who tracks their progress, they have to develop autonomy and involvement in each task. At Calyon, internships and work-study programs need to be highly oriented toward professional development. In that manner, they enable students to narrow down their career choices. Students who have spent time with our teams recognise the quality of reception at the company, its assignments and regular monitoring.

Interview with Armelle Sciberras, Head of Recruiting

How has Calyon’s recruitment policy changed since the onset of the crisis?

In early September 2008, Crédit Agricole S.A. took a proactive, forward-thinking approach to the crisis, announcing a Refocus and development planIn September 2008, Crédit Agricole CIB launched a three-year refocus and development plan. Its goal: to create a new Corporate and Investment Banking model, refocused on its core client base and historical business lines. This plan emphasizes Crédit Agricole CIB's strengths: a presence in more than 50 countries, a solid base of around 3,800 corporate and institutional clients and outstanding skills in structured finance, brokerage and capital markets. for its Corporate and Investment Bank, Calyon. Today, we have redefined our employment outlook and the kinds of people we are looking for. To accompany its development, Calyon is now focusing its recruitment on support and steering functions and on its strategic business lines, such as structured finance, capital markets and the investment bank, both in France and internationally. Support and steering functions may be less well-defined, but they are just as exciting and challenging, and they offer genuine growth opportunities.
 

How does Calyon welcome young people on board?

Calyon’s pre-recruitment policy sets up a mentorship for each young person with an operational staff member, an internship or apprenticeship supervisor, who integrates them into the life of the team and provides guidance in learning about the new business. Recent graduates thus learn our fields of expertise and our corporate culture, and they gradually create their own networks.
Every year, Calyon recruits several hundred interns, part-time student employees and VIE work-study interns, and we draw preferentially from this favored pool in future recruiting. We greatly value the involvement of these young people and the managers who train them, and we take our commitments to them seriously.

The process established by Calyon to identify top talent optimally orients recent graduates and offers them privileged access to the range of positions and careers within the Group, in all of its business lines, including international opportunities in more than 70 countries.
Crédit Agricole Group is the top employer and banking recruiter in the private sector in France. In 2008, it recruited 6,500 permanent employees, including 3,000 recent graduates.
 

What advice can you give students seeking an internship or work-study contract?

A strong academic background is still a requirement, but the real world is changing, and the corporate world is particularly complex and changeable. Students need to develop genuine ability to adapt and be flexible.
Beyond technical proficiency, we look for them to be very curious and to show a deep interest in the world around them. In today’s world, every employee needs to take a cross-disciplinary approach to projects and develop the ability for teamwork and good interpersonal communication.
Don’t follow a fad – do what you really want to do! Calyon offers a wide variety of business lines, and some of the less visible ones are just as interesting. Be curious and self-starting. Take initiative and dare to ask questions!