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From FESTIVAL to Account Executive - Mo's journey with Publicis Groupe (so far...)

Book open Reading time: 3 mins

Congratulations! You’ve accepted a role at Publicis Groupe, when did you first have the opportunity to meet the early careers team at Publicis Groupe, and what was that experience like?

I first came across the early careers team at Publicis Groupe at the Bright Network Festival in London on the 15th September 2023, here I was able to gain an understanding into the type of organisation Publicis Groupe is as well as the opportunities it offers to recent graduates. The experience was great as I had the opportunity to ask questions and had my Bright Network ID badge scanned which was linked with my email so following the Festival I was able to receive updates from the early careers team on when online discovery sessions would take place, so I could gain a further understanding on the company and the roles available.

How did you upskill yourself in terms of knowledge about Publicis Groupe, and the role that you were applying for?

Following the Bright Network Festival, I attended an online discovery session for Publicis Groupe and here I was able to learn more in detail about how Publicis Groupe is structured with the different practices, the agencies within those practices and the different entry level roles within each one. I realised here that this was the type of company I wanted to be a part of.  I was eager to gain further knowledge on the organisation and learn more in depth about the roles available to recent graduates in each of the practices, so I attended the in-person insight day at the White City Office on the 22nd November 2023. During the insight day, I gained a further understanding about the company and roles due to the expert talks, Q&A session with the early careers panel and group tasks. It was here I realised I wanted to apply for a role in the Media Practice so following this I did further research on the Publicis website and then emailed the early careers team to enter the Talent Pool, so I would be made aware on when roles in that area were made available to apply for.

What was the recruitment process that you went through once you applied for a role at Publicis Groupe?

I took part in a virtual assessment centre for roles in Media Planning and Account Management at the Publicis Media agencies: Spark Foundry, Starcom, and Zenith. The assessment centre involved two group exercises and two 20-minute speed interviews. The group exercises involved us working in groups of 4 where we were asked to respond to two separate briefs and share our thoughts and ideas before presenting them to the assessors. The interviews focused on my understanding of roles in Media Planning as well as my past work/academic experiences and how the skills I gained there aligned with the skills and competencies the assessors were looking for within these roles. A few days following the Assessment Centre I received the good news that I had been offered a role at Spark Foundry as an Account Executive.

Lastly, how are you feeling about starting a permanent role with us?

I am incredibly excited to be starting my role at Spark Foundry within Publicis Groupe as an Account Executive. After first coming across the early careers team at the Bright Network Festival back in September I knew this was the type of organisation I wanted to work at and this feeling was further confirmed after attending the discovery session and insight day. I can’t wait to get started!