Colin Jackson: How important is it to recruit the right type of people to come and work for UEFA?

Florian Python: Well, it's for the wellbeing of the organisation. We try to attract the most talented people in every kind of division.

CJ: What is the best way to contact recruitment?

FP: Our main contact is via the website. We have a very well-known website, so everybody can apply for open positions on it.

CJ: I think one of the things that people love about working at UEFA is working in an environment where everybody seems to be very cool and relaxed. Is that the case?

FP: Yes. I mean the average age at UEFA is around 37, so it's pretty young and most of our staff play sport, so we have a very sportive environment which is nice to work in.

CJ: How would a young person go about applying to work at UEFA?

FP: Firstly, we are interested in well educated people, and that can be in marketing, finance or whatever, it doesn't matter because we have so many different divisions.

Secondly, we look for experience. When it comes to an event, we need people with some kind of experience even if it's a smaller unit.

CJ: How important is it to have language skills to work in your industry?

FP: Languages are one of our key criteria for hiring people. Most of our staff speak at least two languages and some speak up to four or five, some more!

CJ: How did you get your job here at UEFA?

FP: I simply applied to an open position and went through a standard recruitment process. I had previous experience in my area, so that was very helpful. That's what we ask for most of our new staff, they have to be specialists or experts in their area before joining UEFA.

We also hire young people of course and even if it's a small experience, previous experience is always good to have.

CJ: What are the lowlights of your job?

FP: On average we get about 100 to120 people applying for each open position and only one can win, so I have to say to the rest that it's a no, so that's probably the most painful task I have to do.

CJ: Are there any other roles that you do within UEFA other than Human Resources?

FP: Yes. We have a role called Venue Director, which is open to all our internal staff but also to external staff. They are involved during competitions such as the Champions League, the European Championships and The Europa League.

They act on behalf of UEFA on-site at the venue. They are also the contact between the home club and the visiting club and are responsible for all sporting matters, during and prior to the match.

CJ: Can you see yourself moving on somewhere else or are you happy to stay at UEFA?

FP: I have to say that the experience of working at UEFA changes every year. Season after season everything is moving, new competitions come up, so it's not like you will do the same for the rest of your life. It's a changing environment.