Schneider Electric Graduate Success

	“We wanted to take our sales recruitment in a new direction, selecting on the basis of drive and personality rather than pure technical knowledge.  Pareto Law offered us a solution that allowed us to hand pick the top graduates who have the potential to really help develop our future business."
	Anna Pierce, HR Advisor - Resourcing, Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric recruits Pareto Law graduates in an initiative that was awarded HR Action of the Year 2006 across the European Zone of the Schneider Electric group.

The Company

Schneider Electric is one of the world's leading suppliers of electrical distribution and automation control products and services. Operating in over 130 countries worldwide, the company employs more than 88,000 people and achieved sales in excess of £11 billion in 2005.  Its line-up of global, local and specialist products includes the market-leading brands Merlin Gerin, Telemecanique and Square D.

In the UK, Schneider Electric provides a full range of services for panel builders, OEMs, contractors, specifiers and the electrical supply industry for commercial and industrial applications.  Employing in excess of 2,000 people at 10 sites across the country, last year the UK operation achieved sales of more than £400 Million.

The Business Requirement

Operating with the largest sales force in the industry, until 2005 the company largely recruited its sales professionals through internal promotions, recommendations and third party introductions.

While successful, this approach resulted in the appointment of individuals with a similar profile of skills and competencies. The company wanted to develop a more proactive approach to its sales recruitment, sourcing talented individuals who could progress into a range of different sales and marketing roles. 

The company looked to the graduate market for individuals with a pre-disposition to commercial facing roles, with personality, enthusiasm and a proactive approach. 

To source graduates, Schneider Electric looked at a number of different recruitment agencies and selected Pareto Law for its expertise in this area.

A Tailored Recruitment Solution

Pareto Law worked closely with Schneider Electric to gain an understanding of its business and the recruitment requirement it had for its sales team.  The company also provided Pareto with details of the competencies essential for success within its commercial team.  Using this information, Pareto was able to select suitable graduates and set up bespoke assessment days to refine the search for those most suited to the values held by Schneider Electric. 

Key members of Schneider Electric’s management team then supported two Pareto Law assessment days, where candidates completed group exercises, individual interviews and presentations.  This provided Schneider Electric with a means of objectively reviewing candidates and identifying those suitable for final interviews and ability testing.

In 2005 Pareto Law recruited 12 graduates for Schneider Electric. Following positive feedback from the executive board, managers and customers, Schneider Electric chose to extend the programme, recruiting a further 17 graduates in 2006.

Training for Success

As very few graduates will have first hand commercial experience, those selected undergo a six-month development programme within Schneider Electric before moving into their first professional role.  The programme combines technical training with personal competency development to ensure that graduates gain the range of skills essential for future success. 

Graduates are then given the opportunity to practice their new skills by shadowing sales professionals, gathering market intelligence and meeting key customers within a defined region.  In addition, they work on a team project designed to build their understanding of a particular area of the business. 

Each graduate will have a mentor to provide on-going career support and a ‘buddy’ for help with day-to-day queries.  Regular support is also provided by their line manager, the HR department and through regular appraisals.

“The assessment days provided us with an excellent insight into the skills of each individual.  We were looking for a mix of leadership, creativity, presentation, communication and analytical skills, combined with a professional approach.  The format Pareto Law implemented allowed us to assess these areas while getting a true impression of the personality and potential of each candidate,”

Anna Pierce, HR Advisor - Resourcing

The Pareto Law Approach

Pareto Law was founded on a belief that to achieve excellence you need the best. From thousands of CVs each application is read in detail, before candidates are narrowed down and contacted by telephone for a first informal interview. 

Successful graduates are invited to attend assessment days where they are interviewed and monitored by a team of experts backed by state-of-the-art psychometric testing, with bespoke assessment days developed if required.  Following a further interview the candidate is briefed and put forward to a suitable prospective employer. 

If successful, the graduate is offered a position and commences their new career with five days of intensive training facilitated by Pareto Law. The graduate will then return to Pareto for additional training and development  throughout the early stages of their career.

Pareto Training also offers bespoke training to managers and seasoned sales professionals covering areas such as presentation, cold calling and effective communication.

A Winning Combination

The tailored selection process developed by Pareto Law, combined with the in-depth development programme has enabled Schneider Electric to employ graduates with the skills and personality to support the company culture and achieve their full potential.

The on-going investment made in people, also means the graduates are choosing to stay with Schneider Electric, capitalising on opportunities to develop their careers by moving to other specialisms across the business or progressing upwards within the corporate structure.

The result is a successful, committed sales team for the company, together with motivated individuals who are working as a team to generate results.