Sylvie enrolled in the Master’s in Human Resources and Training program at the start of the 2007 school year. She was 39 years old. Having returned to Paris after 10 years in London, she wanted to advance her career in Human Resources. Without a degree, she wouldn’t have been able to get this far in France. Eager for new experiences, she turned the variety of her international assignments into a real driving force for her professional growth. She tells us about her journey.
Before turning to human resources, Sylvie worked for twelve years as an executive assistant in the Île-de-France region and in London. Having initially earned a BTS in Executive Assistance and a bachelor’s degree in English, this early part of her career allowed her to develop organizational, interpersonal, and intercultural skills that would later serve as a valuable foundation for her professional growth. It was in the late 1990s that she truly discovered the world of human resources in London. While working alongside a British HR Director, who gave her as much autonomy as possible, she established systems for managing French expatriate employees (reducing car accidents, conducting performance reviews, handling recruitment and disciplinary matters, arranging housing, etc.). The British professional culture enabled her to advance rapidly by achieving the objectives set for her. She then realized that HR is a field where one can simultaneously support individuals, contribute to the organization’s strategy, and tackle concrete human challenges.
Upon returning to Paris in 2004, she once again took a position as an assistant to a vice president of human resources. That’s when she made an important decision: to go back to school and leave her assistant role behind. At age 39, when many consider their academic careers behind them, she enrolled in the Master’s in Human Resources and Training program at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University in 2007 after completing a skills assessment.
“The university’s reputation was a deciding factor for me,” she explains. In a professional environment marked by increasingly international career paths, she saw a degree from the Sorbonne as a major asset. She earned her master’s degree in 2008, at the age of 40, with a thesis on intercultural training.
Beyond the coursework, she has fond memories of her class and the collective spirit. Deeply involved in student life, she helped maintain connections among students and played a role in building an alumni network—an approach that already foreshadowed the importance she would later place on sharing experiences and professional support.
Gaining Hands-On Experience
Upon completing her master’s degree, Sylvie knew she needed to quickly build on her expertise to successfully transition into a new career. To make up for the experience gained by HR professionals with RN certification during their initial training, she took on a variety of assignments and short-term contracts in specific areas: employee representative elections, recruitment, internal mobility, training, labor-management relations, and administrative management under several collective bargaining agreements for major corporations.
This diverse range of experiences allowed her to build a versatile foundation of human resources skills. With a passion for new challenges, Sylvie set out to find small foreign subsidiaries where she could apply all her skills and develop new ones, such as: overseeing social compliance, relocating a subsidiary from Neuilly to London, and managing variable pay. These experiences strengthened her mastery of legal, people-related, and operational aspects.
Labor Law: The Foundation of the HR Profession
When asked what key lesson she has learned from her career, her answer is immediate: the law.
In her view, every aspect of human resources involves a legal component. Whether it’s recruitment, employment contracts, labor relations management, organizing employee representative elections, or supporting organizational changes—every decision must fit within a specific regulatory framework.
This conviction has taken shape through the various assignments—sometimes complex—she has tackled. While interpersonal and organizational skills are essential, she believes that a solid grasp of labor law is one of the greatest assets for thriving in HR roles. Her expertise led her, in fact, to publish a book in 2014 dedicated to the fundamentals of French labor law in English, with the aim of making these concepts accessible to an international audience [1].
A “Swiss Army knife” approach to human resources
For over a decade, Sylvie has worked primarily with international organizations with fewer than fifty employees. This focus allows her to pursue a particularly diverse career at the intersection of human resources, regulatory compliance, training, and general services.
She readily describes herself as a “Swiss Army knife” professional, capable of handling a wide variety of tasks depending on the organization’s needs. HR audits, compliance, project management, training, and the coordination of cross-functional activities are all part of her daily routine. Currently, she is overseeing the closure of the French subsidiary of an American company specializing in weather software. This assignment is teaching her new skills: handling layoffs due to economic reasons, supporting employees and the English-speaking headquarters, managing the legal aspects of a business closure, and handling organizational matters (terminating the lease, clearing out 600m² of space—without throwing anything away!).
The Power of Networking and Mutual Support
Beyond her professional work, Sylvie has always devoted a significant portion of her time to supporting people (ages 7 to 97).
Since 2023, she has volunteered as the facilitator of a group bringing together nearly 200 human resources professionals. Members share advice, job openings, feedback, and best practices (both online and in person). This initiative illustrates her deep conviction: mutual support and networking are essential.
For her, sharing her experience and helping others move forward is an integral part of who she is.
This perspective reminds us that a career is not merely a succession of jobs or responsibilities. It is part of a broader whole in which career choices, personal commitments, and life’s ups and downs constantly interact.
Her Message to Students and Recent Graduates
If she had one piece of advice to share with students and recent graduates of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, it would be, first and foremost, not to be afraid of changing course. Her own career path demonstrates that a career change can become a real strength when it is grounded in solid training, a desire to pursue what one truly loves, and a willingness to learn.
She also encourages young professionals to develop a strong legal foundation, particularly in HR roles, and to view every assignment as an opportunity to acquire new skills.
For Sylvie Pernot, the early years of one’s professional life should be viewed as a long-term investment. She urges recent graduates to cultivate their curiosity, to fully commit to the assignments entrusted to them, and to dare to take on challenges beyond their initial scope. This ability to learn continuously, take on more responsibility, and enrich one’s experience is, in her view, one of the best drivers of professional growth.
Sylvie is available for part-time HR assignments.
View her Profile www.linkedin.com/in/hrmanagerparis
[1] Sylvie Pernot, Employment Law Basics in France 2014 Do’s and Don‘t, Eska : https://eska-publishing.com/fr/human-ressources-management/1862-employment-law-basics-in-france.html
Comments0
Please log in to see or add a comment
Suggested Articles
