Meet the Member: French Connection Staffing

In this week's Meet the Member feature, we spoke with Wilfried Jorand, CEO of French Connection Staffing. French Connection serves both candidates and employers in the fields of Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Office Support & Clerical, Customer Service, Retail and Light Industrial. Read on to discover Wilfriends tips for international candidates 

FACC: What advice would you give to bilingual candidates to set apart their résumés when applying for a job in NYC?

WJ: Candidates applying for opportunities in NYC and the rest of the US should keep in mind that the format of the resumes are very important and differ from the “European” style very much.

French Resumes are often creative, including graphics and photos. Those graphics and photos are most of the time not recognized by programs used by hiring companies called ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). An ATS analyses key words and are most of the time matched and rated automatically to current job openings. If the ATS can’t read it then the resume goes “unseen” or “unmatched”. Therefore, due to those various technologies, the format and content of resumes plays a very important role.

A resume in the NY and the rest of the US should not include, a headshot (unless requested for specific roles), age, marital status, origin, driver’s license (unless requested for specific roles) and hobbies.

What to bring forward in a resume: Success stories, experiences, achievements backed up, when possible with numerical values of results, personality traits

FACC: Besides linguistic skills, what are the most in-demand expertise that employers are seeking today?

WJ: Social intelligence, commitment, someone who knows their strength, problem solver, proactive and happy to learn new things, goal-oriented individual, a responsible person who would work well on a team.

FACC: When recruiting for employers, how do you asses their needs and determine the ideal candidate?

WJ: This is very complex and varies from a client to another. We learn about our client’s business by understanding their needs, mission and vision. We consult with our client’s teams to understand the responsibilities, scope of work, and long-term objectives. We visit each work site to understand the ways and culture of the organization or department to match a like-minded and technically savvy candidate. All of the above contribute to our multi-faceted job intake process which lets us align candidates with the exact corporate objectives and needs our clients are looking for.

FACC: How is French Connection’s recruitment approach different from other agencies?  

WJ: We are the only firm focusing primarily on bilingual French talents in the US, allowing us to have some of the largest databases of bilingual talents able to work in the US.

We are a full-service recruiting firm. From Executive Search to contract to hire (try it before you buy) to temps.

When hiring our temps, we cover the recruitment process and submittal to our clients, all employer related taxes, worker’s compensation liabilities, we process payroll, file unemployment claims, run I9 verifications, background checks and drug screens when requested. We also process annual W2’s.

As a boutique firm, we are transparent and invested in our process delivery. Our clients get personalized attention like they have never experienced before. Our clients receive a dedicated recruiter/point of contact. Our recruiters have a limited number of searches they are allowed to handle at once, which allows them to be dedicated, focused and responsive to both clients and candidates which contributed to a 99% completion rate.

We believe in meeting all candidates face to face prior to submitting profiles to our clients and utilize some of the best technologies from assessments to applicant tracking systems.

Interested in meeting Wilfriend Jorand or the French Connection Staffing team? Connect via the FACC Member Directory.