Want to get on our Talent radar?

Or maybe you want to change track, or take off to the next level? Ok enough jokes, you probably already know Thales as a defence company, and you might know us as a Transportation or Aerospace company too. And you probably have an idea of the part we play in delivering our customer’s big ambitions…

But if your ambition is to find the perfect job at Thales, then perhaps we can help you navigate through the process. At Thales, our global resouring team of recruiters and sourcing specialists are often willing to engage with talented people who are ready to make their next decisive step. To help you understand how we go about this, we are going to bring you some insights into what we are looking for, with some practical suggestions to help get you noticed at Thales. First of all let's hear from Georgia Mullins, who has experience in the UK and also in Hong Kong.

According to Georgia, LinkedIn plays an important part in the process and and can actually facilitate a lot of the steps.  "All of our open positions are advertised on our our Thales LinkedIn Company Page, in addition to our own careers site". As Georgia points out, reaching out to the recruiter on LinkedIn is a great way to start to research a position, particularly candidates who offer a more experienced profile. “When you are browsing jobs on LinkedIn, by all means click on the Job Ad and read more about the position, but also take a moment to see who is recruiting for the position. Sending a brief note, outlining why you’re interested, and perhaps asking to arrange a brief follow-up call can be a great way to 'make your case'. This is especially useful if you’re seeking a change in direction in your career and will help understand the context and background to that decision”.
 
Whilst all applications are made through our careers site, LinkedIn can be a way of simplifying the application process. But, as Georgia points out, this comes with a word of warning: “Auto-completing application fields with LinkedIn can making the application process more straightforward, and an auto-complete function is available on our application website. But do make sure your profile is up to date first!”

Another suggestion made by Georgia was to update your profile to ensure you stand out. In particular, the keyword is “Keywords”! Make sure the keywords that best describe you are included in your profile and stand-out to the recruiter. If you work in Project Management, then in what capacity? As controller, work-package manager, design authority? If you include skills and competencies, then also include any associated acronyms. If you have completed the career history section with current and past positions, does the skills section complement that too? In short – make yourself searchable, and more importantly findable against the profiles we are looking for!

“Above all I’m looking for context and motivation to help me consider how to best take your application to the next stage. This is where the connection request comes in useful in starting that conversation. Then, perhaps if a candidate takes the time to follow-up and explain, in a cover letter or a telephone call, their specific reasons for seeking a next move, that will help get their application top of the list if their profile matches that of the position. I’m looking to understand what is driving each specific candidate, and I will take the time to explore so being prepared to openly is important to me. Even if the application is unsuccessful, for the right profile, there are always other opportunities downstream”.

“If we do arrange a time to talk by telephone” says Georgia “then I would suggest taking a few moments to be sure that you will be prepared and relaxed in a quiet space. During an introductory discussion with any recruiter, you need to be able to talk openly! If you are ready to have a confidential conversation about your next steps, then I will value and respect that. But, we can’t have a meaningful discussion if you are sitting in an open plan work space, or even in somewhere noisy like Starbucks! So, plan ahead and find somewhere where you can talk freely”.

"Of course it helps if you have some knowledge of who we are and what we do. This might come from our website, but could come from other sources. Following or connecting with us on social media is a great way of staying up to date and discovering Thales in the broadest possible context. But you can also use your network to get the inside story, perhaps through former colleagues or business partners and by reaching out to others in your current network to learn more".

So in summary:

• Connect with our recruiters
• Update your LinkedIn profile, be specific, and use keywords
• Follow-up an application with cover letter or suggest a telephone call
• Be ready to ellaborate around "context and motivation"
• Use your network to learn more about Thales