Breaking Barriers: Kickstarting the Careers of Upcoming Media Professionals
Havas Media Group NA partnered with COOP Careers to host a panel event for upcoming media professionals at HMG’s NYC office.
In an exciting initiative led by Havas Media’s People Experience (Px) team, Havas Media New York hosted over 30 COOP apprentices on March 30th, 2023, at their Tribeca office.
COOP Careers is an apprenticeship program sponsored by Google, designed to help recent college graduates overcome “unemployment and underemployment.” COOP invests in diverse, low-income, and first-generation graduates, providing them with the necessary skills and tools they’ll need to transition into a full-time position in Marketing. The apprenticeship program runs every Fall and Winter, and offers four main tracks — Business Development, Digital Marketing, Data Analytics, & Financial Services. Havas Media Group has been in partnership with COOP for almost a decade, and the agency has an increasing number of employees who have completed either the Digital Marketing or Analytics course.
During the event on March 30th, COOP’ers were able learn more about Havas Media Group’s values and opportunities from members of the People Experience team. Also in attendance was Lisa Rodriguez, Chief DEIB Officer for Havas Group North America, who shared her own career journey and highlighted several of NA’s DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging) initiatives.
Attendees also heard from former apprentices who are now full-time employees at the agency.
During the panel discussion, COOP’ers had the opportunity to ask questions and engage with the panelists, who were more than happy to share their insights and experiences.
Panelists shared their experience completing the program and talked about the process of landing their current roles. The discussion touched on a wide range of topics, including the value of networking, the importance of building meaningful relationships and interview tips/tricks.
“Post COVID, it was really inspiring seeing so many people come out, ask great questions and learn about what Havas Media has to offer. One of the best parts of the event for me was learning from the other COOP panelists, who had great insights to share about what it’s like getting into a new career”, said Mica Severe, an Analytics Analyst who participated in the panel.
Panelists also included Kaiden Vega (Analyst, Analytics), Sladjan Milenkovic (Senior Trader, Social), Angela Lam (Specialist, Analytics), Jhony Lema (Analyst, Paid Search), & Jelani Henry (Analyst, Paid Search).
Havas Media is looking forward to creating more initiatives with COOP to help support the next generation of media professionals.
