Go France! Don’t be afraid to practise your French even if you know you’re making mistakes

  • Career Center
  • Le 31 août 2022

Audencia's Career Center and Alumni teams are delighted to to bring you “Go France!”, the guide to working in France.

Following the success of the first guide in 2019, this new updated edition revisits advice from HR professionals, input from intercultural experts and shares yet more experiences of working in France for internationals. Alumni say they choose France for its corporate culture and impact-driven working environment but also for its croissants!

“Go France!” is a valuable resource for students staying in France after their studies at Audencia.
 


This week, discover what Briana Dilworth from the USA has to say.

About Briana:

  • GRADUATED FROM THE MSC IM PROGRAMME IN 2020
  • FROM THE USA
  • CURRENT POSITION CREATIVE MARKETING MANAGER AT LEMPIRE IN PARIS
  • NATIVE LANGUAGE ENGLISH
  • DAILY WORKING LANGUAGES ENGLISH AND FRENCH OTHER LANGUAGES SPOKEN BEGINNER’S SPANISH
  • FRENCH LEVEL ADVANCED (B2/C1)
  • LIVING IN FRANCE SINCE 2019

Briana's key message: “Don’t be afraid to practise your French even if you know you’re making mistakes."


My biggest challenge
Putting myself out there to get to know my colleagues better. I’m naturally an introvert, but it’s really important to let them get to know you so they can warm up to you.

Myths and realities

  • MYTH That you hardly work. This is a big stereotype! It’s the opposite, you work really hard and long hours. It’s up to you to set your boundaries!
  • REALITY Networking is a big deal! Don’t hesitate to reach out to people to connect you with someone.


My advice & top tips
Think out of the box about your application! Don’t just send a generic CV and cover letter to a ton of companies. Instead focus on the companies and jobs you would kill for and send a personalised application like a video or email directly to the hiring manager. Don’t doubt your capabilities. If you arrive in France with zero French and zero work experience, you can still learn and find a job. The worst thing you can do is give up without trying.

Quirky & cultural
I love the ‘apéro’ culture in families where they all sit together and just talk about their day, things going on, etc. It’s very family oriented and sweet.

And finally
I was surprised that in France people need to warm up to you before they start being extremely friendly, so I need to make extra effort to show them who I am.




 
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