More than 100 employees every year for 3 years: the Converteo case study

Hello Florent! Can you introduce Converteo to our readers?

Hello Nicolas! Converteo is a consulting firm that puts data and ia at the service of large companies' business. Our core concepts are the words "data" and "business". What sets us apart from other players in the market is that we are firmly convinced that to regain control over your development, efficiency and sobriety, you need to regain control over your data. And to do that, you need partners who can be there from strategy to operational deployment, and that's a rare thing.

What's crucial at Converteo is our expertise. Everything revolves around that. 

We currently employ 400 people, and our growth rates range from 20% to 30%, depending on our business lines. We're still expanding. If we follow this trajectory, it means we'll be approaching 3,000 employees by 2030.

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To achieve this, we are looking at several avenues of development. There is, of course, organic growth, with the idea of continuing to recruit, create new areas of expertise and generate value for our customers. But we're also considering geographic expansion. For the time being, Converteo is based in France, but it's quite likely that we'll grow in the future by developing our activities internationally, at least that's one avenue we're exploring.

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At the same time, we are also considering external growth through acquisitions. We began this process this year, with the acquisition of Synomia, a company specializing in semantic artificial intelligence, which has strengthened our offering with both a proprietary technology brick and a consulting culture that reflects our own.

What do you mean by "pure player" in consulting?

Some consulting firms have tried to inject data expertise into established business teams, with varying degrees of success. At Converteo, we were born with data at the heart of our consulting approach. It permeates our strategic recommendations and our operational support, and is at the heart of our organization and even our corporate culture: data is rationality, proof and, if we connect the dots, the spirit of scientific demonstration that opposes passions and ill-conceived decisions. 

If you had to choose three words to describe your corporate culture?

First of all, I'd say "learning". Since joining Converteo, I've been struck by everyone's thirst for learning. There are a multitude of events, whether to share knowledge or feedback. And what's fascinating is to see people from different fields taking an interest in what their colleagues are doing. At Converteo, the culture is such that we're always encouraged never to rest on our laurels, always to seek to learn, whether it's about new technologies, methodologies, sectors or even business models. Our businesses evolve fast, standards, technologies and even our customers progress rapidly: keeping one step ahead is achieved through experience, of course, but above all through continuous learning.

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Then I would say "transparency". From the moment we meet, we feel this clarity. We're given all the information we need to understand the world of Converteo. This transparency continues in our day-to-day work, thanks in particular to the proximity we have with employees at all levels of the company, right up to the co-founders, Thomas and Raphaël. They're really accessible, which is really appreciated. What's more, there's a clear career development policy, with guides to help newcomers understand how to progress. At Converteo, we're given the tools to get ahead, but then it's up to us.

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Finally, I'd say "intrapreneurship". Whatever your position, if you have an idea or a project, you are encouraged to develop it. Personally, in just three months, I've had the opportunity to launch several initiatives. And even if you sometimes make mistakes, there's tolerance and understanding, because if you don't try, you can't evolve.

What would you say to a candidate to make them want to join you?

Converteo is a consulting firm specializing in data. Our strength lies in our ability to understand our customers' business challenges, by harnessing the power of data and artificial intelligence. We have ambitious growth targets, but what's crucial is that despite this ambition, we want to keep our growth under control. We're recruiting a large number of managers and senior managers to support our consultants, help them reveal their full potential and prepare them to become tomorrow's leaders.

With already 400 employees and a 20-year history, you must have attracted a lot of applicants. What do you think is Converteo's secret to attracting so much talent?

Our strength at Converteo lies above all in the trust we build up with candidates from the outset. We are fortunate to have a dedicated recruitment team, but that's not all. Our managers and senior managers also play a key role in the process. From the outset, we are very transparent about the recruitment process and the role the candidate could play within the company. We give as much detail as possible about what they can expect when they join a particular team, without embellishing reality. For me, recruitment is very much about feeling, about that connection between recruiters - who are truly strategic partners for us - and candidates. Ultimately, trust is at the heart of everything. To a certain extent, the roles of salesperson and recruiter are quite similar with us.

What does a "Made in Converteo" recruitment process look like?

Since the beginning of the year, we've adopted an ATS called Teamtailor. Before that, we didn't have one. As for the recruitment process, it varies according to the grade of the position. We mainly recruit for four grades: consultant, senior consultant, manager and senior manager. The process generally comprises three major stages. The first is an HR interview focusing on the candidate's fit with Converteo's culture, followed by an interview with managers focusing on soft skills, followed by another interview this time focusing on technical skills, or hard skills. The latter may include a case study, the preparation of which varies from an hour to a week, depending on its complexity.

And once a candidate has been recruited, what is the integration process like?

Integration, or onboarding, is an important stage for us. It generally lasts between one and two months, depending on the team. It all starts with our office manager, who welcomes new arrivals on Mondays for a tour of the premises. We prefer to group arrivals together on Mondays, a bit like a "promo". After this visit, the recruiters take over with a welcome breakfast, during which we present our tools and processes. We have an intranet page dedicated to new arrivals, where they can find all our processes, particularly administrative ones. We also use Notion, a collaborative platform, to share information about the company. After this phase, new employees generally have lunch with their direct manager. This is followed by an onboarding phase specific to each team, where managers, senior managers and partners present rituals, offers, typical assignments, etc. This phase can also include training, whether technical or soft skills, as well as meetings with our staffing managers.

Any specific rituals or best practices to share?

Personally, I'm a big fan of group onboarding sessions. It helps build strong bonds between people who start at the same time. For example, in my "promo", several of us started at the same time, and we're still in touch. Another interesting aspect is our use of Slack. We've created specific communities for newcomers. For example, for those who joined us in September, we have a dedicated "September newcomers" channel. It's a great way for them to communicate with each other and build relationships quickly. Slack is very well integrated at Converteo, and is a valuable tool for strengthening cohesion. Onboarding is really that crucial phase when bonds are forged.

What profiles are you currently recruiting?

Although our focus is on data, it does encompass a variety of professions. We are currently looking for data engineers, media consultants, CRM consultants, data strategy consultants and web analytics consultants. We mainly target senior consultant, manager and senior manager profiles. By the way, here's a little news: we're in the middle of drawing up our recruitment plan for 2024, and according to our initial estimates, we'll have over 200 positions to fill. So now's the perfect time to apply!

👉 To discover all Converteo offers, click here

Last question: why should we NOT join you?

Well, if you're happy with your current level and don't want to grow technically, Converteo probably isn't the right place. If you don't want to be constantly challenged, learn and grow, then you'd better look elsewhere. What's more, if you don't have an interest in your customers' business, this isn't the place for you either. It' s essential to understand that our projects have a significant impact on our customers' business models.

Thank you very much for all this information, Florent 😉