Getting job advice over a coffee

Helping graduates to enter the job market. Over a coffee. This is the concept behind Café de l’Avenir, a French  association  that gathers  more than 180 volunteers from the the world of business, mobilized to help young graduates get a glimpse of working life . The association was born to react  against youth unemployment, which reaches 25% in France.

Once a month, on Mondays, professionals from the most varied fields (communication, journalism, marketing, HR, health, management, humanitarian field , sustainable development…)  give their advice to young graduates wishing to enter the job market, in a Parisian café. Young graduates and professionals meet through the website www.cafedelavenir.org. 

These talks, taking place in an informal and relaxed atmosphere,  are aimed at giving  confidence to young people, giving them tips about professional life, adapting their cv to the reality of the market, supporting  them and making them part of the professional network of the practitioners. 

The support given to the young candidates is long-term: it lasts until the candidate has obtained a job. 

The format also gives professionals confidence in the young generations. As a matter of fact the project contributes to getting rid of prejudice related to the origin, the level of study etc. of the young candidates. Also, these moments of exchange enable professionals to identify profiles and talents that they would not otherwise find  through traditional selection processes. 

In 7 years, about 3500 young people have been helped by Café de l’Avenir and 1800 have found a job. A quarter of  young graduates finds a job in 6 weeks.