When looking for a job, we ask ourselves a thousand questions: is it right for me? What should I say in my cover letter or CV? Should I post a photo or not? And my address? The CSA institute asked a few questions to young people aged 18 to 24, and upon reading the results, the observation is unanimous: recruitment is polluted by a set of discriminatory judgments.
Thus, 86% consider that having connections can maximize the chances of landing a position; 84% that physical appearance can positively or negatively influence the recruitment decision and 80% think that real or supposed belonging to certain ethnic groups can influence the recruitment decision. “The observations made by these young people are both a reality and at the same time a projection: on reality, companies must mobilize, and on projection, it is the subject of self-confidence which is important”, explains Florence Cauvet, HR Director of Sanofi France: “As recruiters, we have an important responsibility to show and demonstrate that we are listening and we must give them confidence. »
Because the consequence is important: 34% of young people aged 18 to 24 hide or have hidden one of their singularities (ethnic origin, beliefs, disability, etc.) for fear of seeing their application rejected.
“When sending CVs, we observe that there is a form of apprehension,” illustrates Benjamin Blavier, co-founder and co-president of Article 1, an association committed to equal opportunities: “Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and those from immigrant backgrounds know that they need to send more CVs than others. Some young people do not indicate their address but live with someone else whose address is more central or do not specify that they are capable of speaking several languages even though this is an asset and intellectual vitality. »
It may also involve not indicating your address, such as not indicating certain foreign languages spoken, but also not putting photos on your CV. “I no longer put my photo on my CV. When you post your photo you give less chance to your skills,” explains one of the young women interviewed by the CSA Institute.
In the top 3 priorities for young people in general, remuneration (65%) comes first, followed by location (52%) and hours (45%). When they come from the QPV, remuneration weighs in 71% of the responses, followed by location (56%) then tasks (55%).
“They underestimate their skills”
Nearly 73% of young people self-censor (67% when they come from QPV): on one or more occasions, they have not sent an application for a position because they thought they had no chance of getting a job. be hired. The reasons given are lack of experience (56% in general; 48% for young people from QPV) and lack of skills (37% in general; 43% for young people from QPV)
Some sectors cause more self-censorship than others. But there are also mechanisms that depend on gender for young people aged 18 to 24: men therefore self-censor more in the education and early childhood sectors; women in construction and the army. For young people from the QPV, self-censorship is not the same and it is banking, early childhood and the army for women, versus real estate, arts and entertainment and construction and construction for men .
“Also, they underestimate their skills,” explains Benjamin Blavier: “A young person who grew up in a privileged environment will put his hobbies, the sport he practices, and a small job because they are aware of their strengths while the young people from working-class neighborhoods tell themselves that sport and small jobs have no value. However, football for example, which is a popular sport, means interesting things, whether it is about perseverance or discipline. If a young person is captain of a football team, he must tell the story of what it brought him. »
Article 1, which imagined Job ready, a digital platform which allows young people to tell about their experiences and what soft skills are attached to them, relies heavily on mentoring to “reassure young people that they have skills and value”: “It’s a first step and the 2nd is to train them, so all the initiatives that go in the direction of preparing these young people for oral exams, of putting them in contact with recruiters are initiatives important. This is where we find the importance of mentoring. »
An observation shared by Florence Cauvet, who co-organizes with Mozaïc RH “Place d’avenir”, a series of meetings intended to recruit work-study students in priority neighborhoods of the city: “It is by going to meet them that we give them these keys to integrate companies like ours, but also like other large companies. We give them a complement and this confidence, conditions for success, to dare, push the door and question themselves. Very often, they think that they have nothing to say, when in reality, we show them that through small jobs that they have been able to carry out, at school but not only, they have riches. to put forth. We also make them understand that soft skills will allow them to make a difference and that they must become aware of them and cultivate them. »