Tiphaine : Sales Developer at ICNEA

Can you present your professional background?

After high school, I did a BTS in Hotel and Catering. I continued my studies with a Professional Licence in the same field as my BTS. At the same time I was doing an apprenticeship at IBIS in Lyon, working at the hotel reception.

After taking a year's break from my studies, I decided to do an apprenticeship MBA in Hotel Management with the Korner Hotels group in Paris, as a sales assistant. This experience enabled me to discover other areas such as marketing, communication and hotel management.

How would you judge these previous experiences? What did they bring you?

My first apprenticeship with IBIS enabled me to discover the world of tourism and the hotel business.

I learnt a lot during my second apprenticeship with Korner Hotels: autonomy, initiative taking, teamwork, as well as the areas of distribution, management, sales and the skills associated with these professions.

Have you encountered any difficulties in your job search? If so, which ones?

Finding my second apprenticeship was complicated because I stopped studying for 1 year, so my CV was less attractive. I also found it difficult to find a responsibility position with a work-linked contract. But the school helped us by sending us contacts, which made things easier. It took me 2 months to find a job that I really liked.

Regarding my current job at ICNEA, the main difficulty I encountered was the language barrier because I was looking for a job in Spain. This made the interviews more difficult and even more so the technical exercises I was asked to do. When MisterBilingue helped me, everything became easier. I found that the process was fluid and there was very good communication between them and me.

How are your recruitment processes in general? How many stages on average?

For my current position, recruitment was fairly quick. I did a telephone interview and then an on-site interview with the founder, before being taken on at ICNEA.

In general, my recruitment processes are quick, I often do two interviews.

What do you enjoy most about your work today?

I'm very happy to have been taken on in this job because I was able to find a similar dynamic to the one in the hotels where I've worked. I also find that the atmosphere is good, family friendly and warm. What's more, I like the fact that the hierarchy is horizontal and that there's a great deal of respect for everyone.

What I also like about my current job is that it gives me the opportunity to develop my company's software in France. At the moment it's only in Spain. This allows me to take part in exhibitions in France and to be in contact with French customers to present our software.

Can you describe ICNEA in 1 sentence?

ICNEA is a company based in Barcelona that offers reservation management software for tourist rentals, aimed at owners and concierges.

Do you have any advice for expats looking for accommodation in France?

My first piece of advice is to get in early. This is very important because, depending on the location, there can be a lot of demand and less supply, especially in Paris. I also think that it's better to go and visit the accommodation and meet the owners directly. I'd also advise expats to join groups on social networks such as Facebook, so that they can talk to other expats who may also be looking for accommodation.

Which part of France would you recommend to foreigners?

If you want to join a big company, I'd recommend Paris. Otherwise, I'd recommend Lyon because I'm originally from this beautiful French city where there are also a lot of opportunities. And if I had to recommend an area for its beauty, I'd say the South, like the towns of Avignon or Aix En Provence for example, which are located in a very beautiful region with a less stressful and quieter lifestyle than Paris.