Publicis Groupe built a digital talent academy managing 500+ students andconverting 36 top candidates to internships. See how Jobful powered their success.
Publicis Groupe built a digital talent academy managing 500+ students andconverting 36 top candidates to internships. See how Jobful powered their success.
Romania's #1 communications group transformed their prestigious internship program using Jobful's platform β managing 500+ students through education, testing, and employment without administrative chaos.
Publicis Groupe Romania β Romania's leading communications group, bringing together top advertising and media agencies under one umbrella
Scaling their prestigious "School of Big Ideas" internship program while maintaining quality, tracking candidate progression, and converting top talent without overwhelming HR
Jobful's talent community platform with integrated learning modules, assessment tools, and automated candidate management across two-stage selection
Publicis Groupe Romania had created something special with their "School of Big Ideas" β a prestigious internship program that provided real education, hands-on experience, and direct pathways to employment across their network of agencies.
But success created its own problems. As applications surged past 500 students and the program expanded to multiple cities, their manual processes were breaking down:
500+ students tracked across multiple Excel files, cities, learning modules, and assessment stages β with constant version conflicts and data inconsistencies
High-quality learning materials scattered across email, Google Drive, and personal computers β impossible to update, track completion, or measure effectiveness
No systematic way to test knowledge acquisition or track skill development β making final intern selection subjective and time-consuming
Keeping 500+ students updated about program phases, deadlines, and opportunities required massive manual effort β with messages getting lost or arriving too late
Running parallel programs in Bucharest, IaΘi, Cluj, and TimiΘoara meant quadruple the administrative work β with no central visibility or standardization
Strong candidates who didn't make final selection had no structured way to stay connected β losing valuable future recruitment pipeline
Administrative struggles and communication gaps were creating negative candidate experiences β threatening the program's prestigious reputation
The Breaking Point
"We had built this amazing educational program, but we were spending more time managing spreadsheets than developing talent. We needed to either scale the infrastructure or accept we couldn't grow the program further." β HR Director, Publicis Groupe Romania
Publicis Groupe chose Jobful's platform specifically because it wasn't just a recruitment tool β it was designed for exactly their use case: managing large cohorts of candidates through education, assessment, and employment in a single integrated system.
Custom learning modules with video content, reading materials, and knowledge checks β all tracked and measurable within the recruitment flow
Multiple assessment types (quizzes, assignments, practical exercises) with automatic scoring and progress tracking per candidate
Each student gets personalized view showing their progress, upcoming deadlines, learning materials, and program status
Centralized platform handling Bucharest, IaΘi, Cluj, and TimiΘoara programs simultaneously with location-specific filters and reporting
Automated notifications for program phases, personalized messages based on performance, and bulk updates β all tracked and scheduled
Live dashboards showing completion rates, assessment scores, dropout points, and conversion metrics across all cities
Education phase (broad cohort) β Internship selection (top performers) with automatic progression rules and stage-specific content
Non-selected candidates automatically moved to talent community for future opportunities rather than being lost to competitors
Implementation Timeline
2 weeks: Platform setup, content migration, and team training
1 week: Pilot program with 50 candidates to test workflows
Week 4: Full rollout to 500+ students across four cities
For students, the platform transformed a confusing, high-friction process into a professional, engaging journey that felt like joining a real company.
Elena applied through Jobful's career page β received instant confirmation β got personalized dashboard access β watched welcome video explaining program structure β understood exactly what to expect
Completed 8 learning modules covering advertising fundamentals, digital marketing, creative strategy, media planning β all at her own pace, with progress tracked and clear deadlines visible in dashboard
Completed knowledge tests and practical assignments through the platform β received immediate scores β got feedback on areas needing improvement β understood where she stood relative to program requirements
Top 7% (36 students) advanced to paid internships across Publicis agencies β others kept engaged in talent community β Elena received offer for Saatchi & Saatchi Bucharest β accepted through platform β onboarded seamlessly
"Everything was in one place β my learning materials, my test results, my progress towards the internship. I always knew where I stood and what I needed to do next. It felt like being part of a real professional environment, not just another student program."
β Elena M., Saatchi & Saatchi Intern (Class of 2024)
For Publicis's HR team, the platform replaced dozens of disconnected tools and manual processes with a single command center.
85% Time Reduction
"We went from spending 80% of our time on administration and 20% on actually improving the program, to the inverse. The platform handles the mechanics so we can focus on what matters β developing talent." β Program Coordinator, Publicis Groupe Romania
Understanding how candidates and administrators interact with the platform across both program phases:
Student: Applies through career page β Receives instant confirmation email β Gets dashboard access
Admin: Reviews applications in bulk β Approves/rejects β System sends automated notifications
Student: Accesses modules through dashboard β Watches videos, reads materials β Completes exercises at own pace β Sees progress tracking
Admin: Monitors completion rates β Identifies struggling students β Sends targeted support messages β Updates content based on feedback
Student: Completes knowledge tests β Submits practical assignments β Receives immediate automated scores β Gets performance feedback
Admin: Reviews flagged submissions β Validates scores β Identifies top performers β Generates selection shortlist
Student: Top performers notified β Invited to interviews β Schedule through platform β Receive agency-specific information
Admin: Creates interview slots β Assigns candidates to agencies β Collects agency feedback β Makes final decisions β Sends offers through platform
Student: Receives offer notification β Reviews terms β Accepts/declines β Gets onboarding checklist β Starts internship preparation
Admin: Sends digital offers β Tracks acceptances β Coordinates with agencies β Manages start dates β Transitions to employee systems
Student: Receives personalized feedback β Automatically moved to talent community β Gets updates on future opportunities β Can apply for other roles
Admin: Sends rejection with feedback β Tags candidates by skills/interests β Keeps pipeline warm for future needs β Maintains relationship
Key Integration Point
The platform's power comes from treating education and employment as a continuous journey rather than separate processes. Student progress, assessment scores, and learning engagement automatically inform hiring decisions β creating a data-driven selection process that identifies the right talent.
Infrastructure can now handle 1000+ students without proportional admin growth β enabling expansion to more cities and multiple cohorts per year
Professional candidate experience transformed program from "student initiative" to "employer of choice" signal β attracting higher-quality applicants
First-time visibility into what content works, where candidates struggle, which agencies get best matches β enabling continuous program improvement
464 non-selected but qualified candidates now available for future roles across agencies β reducing external recruitment costs
Pre-assessed, pre-trained talent ready to onboard β reducing agency-specific training time and improving intern productivity from day one
Only communications group in Romania with this level of structured talent development β positioning Publicis as the industry leader in nurturing young talent
"The learning platform gave me actual skills before the internship even started. When I showed up on day one, I already understood campaign strategy, creative briefs, and media planning. My supervisor was shocked that I could contribute to real projects immediately β most interns take weeks to get up to speed."
"I didn't get selected for the internship initially, but staying in the talent community meant I got notified about a media planning opening six months later. Because I'd completed all the learning modules and they had my assessment scores, the interview was basically a formality. I went from rejection to full-time job."
"The platform showed me exactly what I needed to learn and where I stood compared to others. The transparency was incredible β I could see my assessment scores, track my progress, know what to improve. It wasn't just about getting hired; it was about actually becoming better at the work. That's what set this program apart from every other internship I applied to."
We went from manually managing 200 students in spreadsheets to seamlessly handling 500+ through a single platform. But the real transformation wasn't the numbers β it was getting our time back to focus on what matters: developing talent rather than tracking logistics.
This wasn't just an application process β it was a real educational experience. I could see my progress, understand exactly what was expected, and track my performance against clear standards. It felt like being treated as a professional from day one, not just another student hoping to get noticed.
The interns we receive now come pre-trained and pre-assessed. We know their skill levels, learning styles, and areas of expertise before they start. It's transformed our intern experience from "training beginners" to "developing future employees." The ROI on intern programs has completely changed.
What other organizations can learn from Publicis's approach:
Integrating learning directly into the hiring process didn't just improve candidate quality β it created a self-selecting funnel where the most committed, capable candidates naturally rose to the top.
The tipping point for Publicis was ~200 students. Beyond that, spreadsheets and email simply couldn't maintain quality. Organizations serious about talent development need infrastructure that scales.
The 464 students who didn't receive internships but stayed in the talent community represent massive value β qualified candidates who already understand your brand, culture, and requirements. Most organizations throw this away.
The professional, transparent experience created by the platform transformed how students talked about Publicis β turning the program from "nice internship" to "career-defining opportunity" in candidate perception.
First-time visibility into completion rates, assessment scores, drop-off points, and outcome correlations allowed Publicis to optimize content, identify bottlenecks, and prove ROI to leadership.
Traditional ATS systems can't handle learning content, assessments, and progressive evaluation. Publicis needed a platform designed for their specific use case β managing cohorts through education and employment as one continuous journey.
Publicis Groupe Romania is the country's leading communications group, bringing together top advertising, media, and digital agencies under one umbrella. With agencies including Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom, and more, they serve major multinational and local clients across all industries.
The "School of Big Ideas" internship program represents their commitment to developing Romania's next generation of communications professionals β providing structured education, real work experience, and direct pathways to employment across their network.
See how Jobful can help you manage education, assessment, and employment in one platform β without the administrative chaos.
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Learn more about how Jobful's integrated platform handles education, assessment, and employment at scale.
Initial academy platform for 100 candidates
Scaled to 15 countries with localized content
Connected academy to ATS and HRIS systems
Join 5,000+ HR professionals receiving monthly insights.
Achieved target scale with 94% hire rate