Lyne, a3rd year student, is currently doing her end of year internship at HAVAS. HAVAS is a major French global communications consulting group. Currently, the HAVAS group is the first advertising group in France and the sixth worldwide. She tells us about her experience.
How did you find this internship?
L.: I found this internship through the Business Week, organized by the INSEEC Group last November, where large companies such as L’Oréal, TF1, Apple, Mars or BNP Paribas for example, were present.
Initially, I was looking for an internship in the Marketing sector, without ruling out any opportunity that might be held in another sector.
HAVAS being a large company in the communication sector, I obviously sent them my CV. The company contacted me one month later for an interview!
Why did you choose this internship?
Of all the interviews I had, the one for HAVAS interested me for the opportunity to work for one of the best communication groups in the world. I chose it because of the responsibilities that would be entrusted to me and the challenge of working in a sector that was new to me, the media.
What are your missions ?
I work for HAVAS MEDIA AFRICA, an entity of HAVAS which deals with the coordination of media buying on the African continent between our clients (Canal +, Emirates, Orange or Nestlé for example) and our local and international advertising agencies.
As an assistant to the New Business Director, my missions are very varied, which makes the internship very interesting! I elaborate and follow advertising campaigns on different media (TV, press, radio, billboards) but also participate in the creation of media plans. I also manage the ” Purchase and Management ” part of the campaigns, while making strategic recommendations to clients in order to optimize their campaigns.
What advice would you give to your classmates?
I advise them to be persistent! You should not hesitate to call a company after sending a CV and a cover letter, as this is the first time you will be in contact with the company. When you make this call, you should find out the expectations of the internship for which you are applying in order to anticipate and prepare for a possible interview.
Finally, you must contact the company again if necessary to put your application back on top of the pile!