Special reduction on Diploma, Certificate and A La Carte courses at Infinite Beauty School
The Infinite Beauty School in Gland is offering knowitall.ch clients a special 10% discount on a selection of its training courses if they enroll before the end of August.
The offer is particularly attractive for those of you interested in taking up a new career as a beauty consultant, as it applies to the school’s popular 10 month Diploma course, as well as its Certificate and A La Carte courses.
With more than 25 years of experience and over 100 certificates and diplomas to her name, the school’s founder, Elisabeth Genovardo, has a clear understanding of the skills required to achieve the highest standards in this highly competitive industry. By employing versatile teachers with different teaching styles, Elisabeth ensures that her students are able, if needed, to adapt their skills to the wide variety of techniques used worldwide.
A local French group is helping women get back to work after spending a period of time out of the workplace.
Called Back to Work Léman, the group aims to provide both locals and expats with the skills they need to take up employment again. By putting on a wide variety of presentations and workshops in the Pays de Gex region, the organization hopes that many of its members will gain the confidence to apply for work in the area.
With 120 people on its mailing list, of which 50 are active members, Back to Work Léman has become increasingly popular in recent months. With activities ranging from presentations on how to prepare a business plan and social networking, to workshops on public speaking, IT and CV preparation, it is no surprise that membership has increased so rapidly since the organization was launched in 2009. With an enrolment fee of just 20 euros it represents excellent value for money, even with the additional registration costs required by some of the events.
Whilst most of the presentations and workshops are run in French, the organization acknowledges that many of its members are English-speaking and aims to provide more sessions in English in the future. However, according to Back to Work founders Marie-Christine Delafontaine and Véronique Deruaz, many of its Anglophone members are actually grateful for the opportunity to practice their French in a warm and welcoming environment with like-minded individuals.
She adds,” Many of our presenters, such as those working in the UN and the NGOs, prefer to speak in their mother tongue. We are happy to let them speak English since most of our francophone members understand the language and it is a wonderful opportunity for them to brush up on their language skills too!”
Scientific surveys still show a significant gap in the salaries of men and women, with women earning around three quarters ot the salary of men. Various studies as well as a recent article in Tages-Anzeiger indicate that the way salary negations are approached by women may be one possible explanation for this unfortunate situation. KPMG, one of the world's leading providers of audit, tax and advisory services, is convinced that women should not be disadvantaged in salary negotiations simply because they aren’t aware of frequent stumbling blocks and the possibilities to avoid them.
To examine the subject further, OWIT Lake Geneva has organized a special presentation entitled Negotiating your Salary. To be held on Thursday, 18 January, the event will be sponsored by KPMG and co-hosted at their offices in Lausanne.
During the evening, KPMG will focus on some of the obstacles women might need to overcome in order to be more successful in salary negotiations in the future. KPMG will provide some background information as well as hints and experiences from successful women in their company. In addition there will be time for attendees to exchange experiences with each other and to discuss the best strategy in negotiation situations.
The presentation will be led by Chantal Buechi Neher, Head of Human Resources for KPMG. Ms. Neher started her career with KPMG in 1999 and has held different HR positions during the past 11 years from HR Manager for Audit Financial Services to Deputy Head HR Switzerland and HR COO.
Chantal is currently the Head of HR for KPMG AG (Zurich). She holds an Executive Master of Human Resources Management from Olten, Switzerland.
For further information, visit the website: www.owit-lakegeneva.org.
Venue: KPMG Offices, Avenue du Théâtre 1, 1002 Lausanne (website: http://www.kpmg.ch)
Cost: CHF 20 for all participants (all proceeds go to OWIT Lake Geneva's Room to Read charity: www.roomtoread.org). Additional donations are kindly accepted.
OWIT Lake Geneva ((Organization of Women in International Trade - Lake Geneva) is a non-profit making organization whose goal is to promote the advancement of women in business and international affairs, providing opportunities for networking and professional development.
by Local Recruitment Specialist, Francine Constanty
Owner and manager of proDEPHIE for the last 13 years, Francine Constanty is particularly experienced at helping women find jobs in the region, whether they be long-standing Swiss nationals or newly-arrived expatriates. Here are some of her comments:
The labour market in Switzerland has got strained, particularly in the Geneva region. But companies are always interested in employing people who can bring some experience picked up abroad, even if the competition is significant.
First make sure that you can get a work permit. Positions are usually open to Swiss and EU nationals. The Service Etrangers et Confédérés (tel. 022/546 48 88) can provide a lot of useful information if you come from another country.
If you are a Mom with small kids, daycare institutions (crèches) provide a pre-education program, which will leave you some hours to work away from home! Finding a baby sitter or a nannie should be one of the first steps in job hunting.
If you don't speak French at all, some lessons would be useful. A lot of people do speak English in Geneva, but the region remains French
speaking and it is highly appreciated if you can understand and communicate in French.
Some tips:
Write your CV and set up a file with copies of your diplomas and reference letters. Please note that reference letters in Switzerland are very important. Your CV should be attractive, with no mistakes, and easy to read. HR Managers only have a first glance of a few seconds, so make sure you emphasize your skills. Write a presentation letter where you explain your interest in the job and in the company.
You are now ready to go ahead and send off your application. International companies will be interested in receiving your file as your international experience can be considered as an extra skill. Employment agencies may also help you. Job announcements in local newspapers are usually published weekly. Often companies will publish the same open positions in all three places simultaneously. Each company has its own website. Apply only if you see a suitable position.
www.portailemploi.ch is a great website that has links to all the major employment agencies. There are some useful tips and information, but the website is in French. This is not a problem if you just want to make use of the excellent links on the site.
www.jobup.ch groups agencies and companies together with a description of their open positions. You can apply directly on line.
www.genevainternational.org lists NGOs with a direct link to each one. Proficiency in English is a must and international experience may be valued.
www.optioncarriere.com is a useful resource for jobs in neighboring France.
If you get an appointment for a first interview, make sure you are well prepared and have researched as much as you can about the company and the job, in order to be able to ask questions and to have a positive discussion with the person to whom you are speaking. Be prepared to answer questions such as: listing your skills, your weak points, what you expect from your job, from your employer, from your team, etc. Stay natural.
If it doesn't work, don't get disappointed - it rarely works the first time. Try to understand why you didn't get the job, by calling the HR department or the person you met, so that you can do better next time!
If you would like to find out more about job opportunities in the Lake Geneva region, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
