Julian Lefort studied an MSc in Human Resources at the ICN Graduate Business School in Nancy, France. Since graduating in 2006 he has secured a position with Mindbench Recruitment in London, where he works as an executive researcher.
"I believe human resources is the centre point of any organization," he says. "Choosing the right people and developing existing employees helps the organization to achieve its main goals. Without people, the company can't grow."
A master's degree in human resources gave Julien both theoretical and practical skills through different courses and compulsory internships. Besides hard skills in HR and recruitment, as well as general business administration skills, Julien says he has gained many soft skills such as team management, public speaking, organization, creativity and flexibility.
Julien is currently working at Mindbench Recruitment in London as an Executive Researcher. He is responsible for generating candidates for the agency's clients in the telecommunication and media sectors using advertising, database, online e-marketing, and social networking websites.
"My role also includes managing research briefs, screening, matching and qualifying candidates; developing talent relationships with MBA schools and universities; managing online marketing for the agency's website including SEO and link building; and representing Mindbench at networking and industry events or forums."
He adds, "Recruitment is a very fast-moving environment and always challenging. Understanding the clients and candidates needs is very important. Being in contact with a lot of different backgrounds and experiences is a very rewarding part of my job as well."
Julien, who has previously worked at Société Générale Corporate Investment Banking (SGCIB) in Paris as a Junior Operational Human Resource manager for the IT department, says studying for a master's degree is a real chance to gain more specialised skills and a deeper overview of the issues a sector can bring.
In the near future Julien would like to move into a more client facing and business development side of the job on a consultant role. "Working in recruitment has brought me a lot of flexibility, organization and a very broad understanding of both the UK and consulting markets. It is a very rewarding job in terms of compensation and in terms of interaction with people."