Hardly a year ago, in a Parisian café, ten start-ups and scale-ups or so, all gems from the French Tech, launched the “ReviensLeon” movement! The name is funny, almost off, and acts as a generational tag. The message is crystal-clear: the hypergrowth of the French ecosystem. The HR project is disruptive. The objective: reach French workers with an international experience who wish to join French start-ups to help them grow worldwide.
Since the launch, #REVIENSLEON has been exploring untouched lands –for France. What is already obvious in some countries is only just starting to be understood, defended and structured. Indeed, there are no references in France on this topic –or more precisely, there WERE none. Just like the start-ups it represents, the programme watches, invents and analyses every day, to be able to adapt. It is now even more and more identified as an atypical “employer brand” project –a textbook case requested to share its learnings on skill circulation on a worldwide scale and the means to attract new talents.
Today, the first LEONS have just joined the French start-ups taking part in the programme. It is the occasion to look back on what many consider a UFO in the HR and communication fields.
A message with an international reach
As soon as it launched, #REVIENSLEON has relied on tech and web international events to let the voice of French start-ups in worldwide development be heard outside of France: New York, San Francisco, London, Dublin, Las Vegas. These events have given opportunities to meet the French tech diaspora, first representative of the image of France abroad. They are also the occasion to have a better understanding of the image of France and French companies, often outdated, to those who see it from far away. There is no doubt #REVIENSLEON is anti-French-bashing, and met French international workers, all relieved to see a positive and innovative movement from their country of origin.
The programme got some attention in France but also abroad, with 10 000 unique users on its website since its launch (2500 on cruising stage) and regular connections from abroad.
The candidates started to apply, shyly at first during the summer, then with more resolution in September 2015. The delay of reflection is rather short between the first perception of the message and the actual action. In December 2015, #REVIENSLEON experienced a new rocketing increase, along with a new learning: the international expansion of French start-ups attracts talents from France, but also from plenty more nationalities (Spanish, Americans, and Indians come first). This trend is confirmed now, as over 50% of the applicants on reviensleon.com are from abroad, even though the website has only very recently been translated.
High quality profiles, up to the highest standards
Altogether, 5048 applications have been received by #REVIENSLEON on the 230 offers published on the website. The analysis of the received CVs brought more good news: #REVIENSLEON is right on the spot and has precisely interested the profile with a high international experience that it was meant to reach. 81% of the candidates have a significant international experience and 65% have over 5 years of professional experience.
The very first LEONS
It is no secret: go through 5 to 10 interviews before being selected, change job and change life… it takes time! The average period between the application and the recruitment is 8 months. 8 LEONS have already been identified at Bablacar, Dataiku, iAdvize, Sigfox since the launch of the programme. But others have surely been recruited withinthe member start-ups, but have yet to be identified. The LEONS are resourceful, they know how to make their way with the information on the website.
You can find LEONS’ testimonies here where they all describe their (good) surprise when they discovered the dynamism of the French start-up ecosystem.
Watch, try, adapt
After 10 months, #REVIENSLEON looks back and analyses its observations. What did we learn?
1) The candidates need to be provided in priority with coherent information. This mission is carried out for a great part by the work of centralisation of information on the reviensleon.com website, and, more recently, by the “retour en France” platform, developed by the cross-ministry mission of administrative simplification. The rest of the support can only be tailored for each person, depending on the situation, and in strict coordination with the different public administrations concerned (Social security, etc.)
2) Working in a French start-up is an objective for many French international profiles, but also, and increasingly, for foreign candidates who can feel the hyperdynamism of the French start-up ecosystem.
#REVIENSLEON remains agile and will keep on adapting: we will soon offer a tailored support dedicated to talents from all over the world.