Let’s talk to some of our former applicants and see what happened next…

During my final year of university, I was looking for opportunities to advance my professional development without knowing exactly where I wanted to take my career. After months of searching for roles on LinkedIn and stalking ‘corporate life’ social media influencers, my scrolling paid off as I was pushed an ad for the CEO for One Month Programme.

At first, I assumed the opportunity was too good to be true, but eventually figured that applying might be worth a go. I turned out to be 100% right as, aside from being selected for the role, the entire application process was fantastic. From the online tests to the assessment centre, each stage provided invaluable feedback that I still carry with me today.

CEO for One Month itself provided two huge insights: understanding the role of a senior business leader, and exposure to a wealth of different businesses and functions.

• Firstly, by shadowing highly experienced executives, I developed insights into the skills and approaches required to be an effective leader that I doubt would have been possible in any other entry-level position.
  

   

• Secondly, I was exposed to a range of potential careers through the sheer breadth of services and business areas within The Adecco Group. From recruitment to Diversity & Inclusion programmes, Learning and Development offerings and various other business functions, including Sales & Marketing, Legal, HR, etc., the programme allowed me to explore several different roles and discover where my interests truly aligned.
  

   

Since CEO for One Month, I have completed a grad scheme at EZRA- a digital coaching scale up within the Adecco Group- working in both the Strategy & Business Operations, and Marketing functions. The opportunity allowed me to continue exploring potential career paths and pursuing my professional development through a range of opportunities including a personal coach, learning budget and exposure to important projects across the business.

I’ve found CEO for One Month through social media after having participated in some other programmes for youth (thank you, algorithm!). Despite of this, since the very beginning, it was clear to me that CEO for One Month was different from everything I had experienced so far – because of the exposure, the sponsorship of a multinational company, and the real chance that this could potentially change my career: a 19-year-old law student back then.

I applied for the programme in 2020. For my surprise I was selected to be the CEO for One Month Brazil that year and made it to the Global Top 10. The entire selection process was a self-knowledge experience since neither my age, my field or the fact that I come from a non-privileged background was an obstacle. On the contrary I was daily reminded of my value and potential to write a beautiful story within the Group.

After my CEO for One Month experience, I was offered an opportunity to stay in the company and keep my mission towards Diversity&Inclusion and Social Responsibility. Since then, I had a local project awarded at a global level and I was able to connect with our global leaders, meet brilliant colleagues and reach a HUGE personal and professional realization by moving to Europe.

Looking back, I feel very grateful and proud to see that CEO for One Month programme was the beginning of all those achievements. It turned a young girl full of insecurities into the confident professional I am now. It provided me with my first job experience and even helped me to figure out my true career aspirations – which I wasn’t sure about in the past, but I am convinced now.

If you are wondering if you should apply to the programme, I suggest you to replace your “Why” questions with “Why not?” You can be the next talent to shape the future of work along with us!

In 2018 I was able to learn from many amazing leaders during my time as CEO for One Month in Germany and globally. After finishing my bachelor’s degree and taking a gap year, the programme was the perfect accelerator for my career. Thanks to unique insights and the mentoring of Peter Blersch (CEO Germany) and Alain Dehaze (Global CEO), I saw how the world of work works first hand.

After this intense experience my interest in the world of work lead me to joining the Group full time and pursuing a Masters degree next to it. I joined Akkodis (former Modis) in Germany as a Project Manager for retention management and partnerships. This role allowed me to explore my strengths, weaknesses, passions and interests. Within a few months I got promoted into a sales related role, growing and building a team from scratch to deliver digital solutions. It’s safe to say that the Group is believing in young talent and leaders and thanks to the Female Championship and International Future Leaders Programme I got the coaching and training I needed to succeed in this role.

Building a team, winning and delivering consulting projects in digital innovation was a steep learning curve and prepared me to tackle the next milestone: An international career. And just three years after joining the Group through the CEO for One Month programme, I was able to move to the UK and build a new services unit for Akkodis, the Academy. Looking back, when applying to the programme in March 2018 I did not dream of a career acceleration as I have experienced it ever since. Until this day I am thankful for the trust the Group has had and continues to extend to young talent.