Choosing a career for its social impact. An interview with Aymeric Chevreux (EDHEC 2016), Business Development manager at Isahit

“Young graduates prefer to choose a first job that has meaning for them rather than the promise of a successful career in return for compromises on their values.” This was the conclusion to a recent study by the EDHEC NewGen Talent Centre.

Today we meet one of those graduates with values: Aymeric Chevreux (EDHEC Master 2016). Having just pocketed his diploma, Aymeric took on an entrepreneurial adventure with a strong social dimension. Two years later, he ended it to become Business Development manager at Isahit, a young company where he found an entrepreneurial mindset and a desire to have a positive social impact every day. This “socially responsible jobbing platform” has since enjoyed robust development.

Tell us about Isahit.

Isahit was set up 4 years ago with a desire to show that entrepreneurship and social initiatives are not incompatible. The aim is to disprove what we are used to hearing about digital micro-tasks, sometimes called “click jobs”: all those simple and repetitive tasks that must be done manually on a computer, from online searches and content moderation to annotating data for artificial intelligence algorithms, writing up product files or transcribing invoices, etc.

Instead of exploiting people by underpaying them, we use these projects to offer work to young women from developing countries who otherwise would not have had access to them, with the aim of combating poverty, training them in digital skills and accompanying them as they set about achieving their life ambitions. This additional revenue is 10 times higher than the poverty threshold, and the work is limited to half a full working week so they can set aside time for their studies, set up a business or any other project they might wish to develop thanks to the work they do with Isahit.

There were just 8 people two years ago when I arrived, and now there are around 20 of us. Growth is taking place at our own pace to make sure we don’t distort the social impact of the project. 

Commercially speaking, because our scope for action is very broad and varied, we work with businesses of all sizes and from all sectors: several firms listed on the CAC40, like Sodexo, L’Oréal, ENGIE and Airbus, but also intermediate-sized enterprises like ManoMano and Manutan, as well as start-ups, some of which were co-founded by EDHEC graduates, like Sicara and Murfy.

What was your motivation in taking on this adventure?

While looking for a job when I returned to France, I had quite a broad range of possibilities. The education I received at EDHEC was general, so that opened a lot of doors for me. I didn’t really have a clear idea of the profession I wanted to pursue at the time, but I was clear about other points: I wanted to work in tech for a business with a strong social impact, preferably a start-up or SME so I could have responsibilities and be able to measure the impact of my work each day.

I found Isahit’s job offer on Welcome to the Jungle, and I really liked the project. I really gelled with the staff during my interviews, and I was lucky enough to arrive at the right time: the company was only starting out, but its business model had proved viable so now the imminent challenge was to accompany its growth, which I found extremely stimulating.

Another decisive factor was all the measures that had been put in place to guarantee a social impact. I was convinced this was more than spin or a sales pitch, but a truly social-minded approach: a transparent business model, a percentage of revenue dedicated to helping the community, salaries well above the legal minimum, partnerships with local stakeholders, training opportunities, etc. The company is also supported by an independent auditing firm that specialises in social impact, delivering an annual report that allows us to constantly ask questions of ourselves and pushes us to always increase our impact, which is central to who we are.

Do you have advice for graduates thinking of applying to companies with a strong social impact?

The social & solidarity economy is quite a rich ecosystem that is developing strongly, and above all it’s a constant hive of activity: businesses are often linked to one another and there are many events that give them a chance to meet up and reflect together on the problems facing society and the potential solutions to develop, including the ChangeNOW trade fair, Produrable and summer conferences (Universités d’été) on the economy of the future. Networks like Makesense and La Ruche also help establish more links.

As I see it, it’s quite easy, and above all highly appreciated, for someone to find a place in this ecosystem, whether through an investment in an association, by participating at events or getting in touch with the right people. And on that point, people shouldn’t hesitate to use the EDHEC Alumni network to get information and keep up to date! You’re not guaranteed anything, but it will make it much easier to make contact – the rest is up to you.

Is prior experience necessary? 

Like in any profession, prior experience is definitely a plus, and will inevitably give your application an advantage, especially if it’s flagged up in the right way.

But there are 1000 different ways to gain that initial experience! It could be, as in my case, an entrepreneurial project – whether or not it succeeds – that proves your appetite to work in an area that has an impact, your sense of initiative and willingness to take risks. Or it could be internships you might have done in the relevant areas, or some other kind of commitment, whether personal or through an association, etc.

The social & solidarity economy is generally quite a benevolent place, and somewhere that a person with the right approach, as well as a high level of motivation, should be able to find their first job.

You’re also involved in several initiatives within the EDHEC Alumni network, can you tell us about them? 

That’s right, I try to maintain a link with this rich and diverse community, which can give back all that we bring to it.

I signed up as an EDHEC Resource in response to the call during the first lockdown so I could offer my skills to any network members that could benefit from them during these troubled times.
Every year I attend the EDHEC Rendez-Vous, a fantastic event for maintaining that link with our school, even when it’s held remotely as is the case this year.

And of course I try as much as possible to share our job and internship offers across the EDHEC networks, whether on the Jobteaser platform or the various dedicated Facebook groups. I haven’t yet recruited anyone from EDHEC but I’m still hopeful: we’ve got some really interesting job offers! 

This summer EDHEC Alumni decided to call on the services of Isahit to carry out online searches. This partnership was very useful both for EDHEC Alumni and for the women at Isahit. Can you tell us about it in more detail? 

That’s right, so it can continue to run a dynamic network, it’s very important for EDHEC Alumni to keep its alumni databases up to date. With all of EDHEC’s programmes, we’re talking about tens of thousands of people, whose details can change every year.

And so Isahit was asked to scour the Internet and various professional social media sites looking for public information that could be used to get back in touch with alumni who had slipped under the radar, and make sure the information available on the EDHEC Alumni network was reliable.

Thanks to this partnership, we were able to train and offer additional revenue to 7 young women, and give 4 new members of our community the chance to set up bank accounts. The money earned will be used to finance their studies or entrepreneurship plans, like Murielle, who wants to set up a business specialized in renovating premises and apartments.

And this is only the beginning!

Find out more about Isahit and Aymeric Chevreux:

You will find all the information you need about Isahit on our website www.isahit.com. And of course you can reach us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (@isahitcom).

And if you want to contact me directly, either use LinkedIn or write to me at aymeric.chevreux@edhec.com!