Select Group provides tailor-made staffing solutions, including recruitment and selection, project staffing, temporary employment, and international recruitment.
We support companies with employer branding and digital solutions to help them find the right talent.
The fact that several profiles are increasingly hard to find in our job market today is no longer news. The pool of available talent is slowly drying up, especially for certain specific profiles. Companies need to get more creative in convincing talent working elsewhere to join their ranks. What if we were to cast our net in different waters? Select Group is focusing on international recruitment and did so in 2023 for an internal position.
The labor market's tightness is particularly felt today in some specific fields. Think of IT profiles, engineers, or technical professionals. Ask companies with job vacancies for these kinds of profiles today, and the answer is: "They can no longer be found!" When all domestic sources have run dry, there's always the option to look to international talent pools. But how do you go about it?
Thanks to the close collaboration among members within Select Group, they can quickly explore other options. Xpertize, active in Morocco, acts as a bridge between the Belgian and Dutch entities within Select Group and the local market for Moroccan talent. With the hiring of Zakaria, a software developer from Marrakesh, we made use of our own services for a first internal international recruitment.
'In early 2023, it became clear that we needed to strengthen our team in the field of software development,' says Jeroen Huygh, Corporate IT Manager at Select Group. 'We had to find a software developer with the necessary experience who could evolve into a product owner of a specific software that we use within our organization in the long term.'
After an internal briefing about the profile, a vacancy was posted by Select Group's internal HR team. It quickly became evident how challenging this task was. 'IT profiles are always hard to find, but in this case, an additional difficulty arose. Software developers prefer to work as freelancers so they can take on various projects for different clients. For this position, we were looking for someone who could support the project in the long term and who would be willing to join us as a permanent employee. He or she would need to become our in-house expert.'
Many potential candidates stumbled on this aspect. Select Group's internal HR department pulled out all the stops, including using unconventional channels specifically for IT professionals, such as Reddit, and reaching out to companies tailored to individuals with autism spectrum disorders. But finding the right candidate was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The open vacancy came to the attention of their colleague Naïm Bentaleb, who, along with his brother, is responsible for Xpertize in Morocco. He suggested to Jeroen that they also search for software developers in Morocco. With the help of Xpertize, they received many applications from Morocco. They conducted a second round of interviews with several candidates, including Zakaria, who eventually accepted their offer.
The job interviews were conducted via video calls, which posed no obstacle for Select Group's internal HR team. 'We immediately noticed that Zakaria was a great fit for Select Group. He was also enthusiastic, presented himself professionally, and passed the technical screening.' Both the colleagues in Morocco and Zakaria are fluent in French and English, which facilitated communication.
To further streamline communication between Moroccan candidates and Select Group as their prospective employer, Xpertize played a crucial role. They prepared candidates for their international or remote adventure on-site, and they also provided information to the future employer about the local job market in Morocco and the general framework from the outset. A local partner is necessary to bridge this gap.
Zakaria currently works from Morocco. In IT profiles, this is a common way of working that also appeals to many IT professionals. However, there are other non-remote options. For instance, Select Projects recently hired an engineer from Morocco who traveled to Belgium a few days before starting.
Depending on the job vacancy and the preferences of the candidate or employer, one of these options can be chosen. Alternatively, if appropriate, a hybrid option can be selected where the candidate starts remotely temporarily and later travels to Europe. As always, the members of Select Group work entirely tailored to individual needs and can provide support in various forms for international recruitment.
Want to know more about international recruitment? Don't hesitate to contact us.
How to attract young talent? Young talent is very valuable, especially in these times of scarcity. Vacancies are not easily filled, even by young starters. But how do you get young people on board as an organization these days?
If you want to reach a specific target group, you need to be where that target group is. It makes little sense to look for a bus driver for the Brussels region using posters in the streets of Kortrijk. If you want to reach young talent, you will need to share your job vacancy on the right channels.
Help! Where should I publish my job vacancy? Randstad published the results of a 2019 survey on job channels and who uses them. It turns out that those under 25 are less likely to search through public job sites like VDAB or LeForem, but instead, they use Google and Facebook more. Recruitment agencies are notably more popular among those aged 25-34.
So, it's crucial to publish your job vacancy on these channels or reallocate your budget to certain channels. If your job vacancy is not on Facebook, the chances of attracting young talent are smaller.
Away from traditional channels EN HR Solutions, a Dutch company and a member of the Select Group specializing in job marketing, understands that not everyone is reached in the same way. If you have difficulty finding candidates, the professionals at EN HR ensure that your job vacancy is marketed in a way that reaches the right target audience.
Lodi Planting from EN HR Solutions explains, "Before you publish a job vacancy, you need to have a target audience in mind and empathize with their world. In the example of young talent: they have less faith in traditional media channels. They don't read news through newspapers but rather through social media, where news is shared among peers. Young people attach more importance to what their 'peers' say because it is authentic. So, make sure you are active on social media."
"Additionally, the way young people absorb information is changing. A job vacancy on a website consists of a lot of text, while young people prefer to see images. That's why social media platforms like TikTok, WeChat, and Instagram are gaining more ground." In short: If you want to reach young people, immerse yourself in their world. Ensure that your job vacancy is on social media and has an attractive image or even better, a video.
Tailor your offer to your target audience Did you know that fringe benefits like health insurance or a company car rank second as the least important reasons for young people to choose a job? This is revealed in a survey conducted by VDAB & youth organization De Ambrassade among 940 young people aged 16-30.
What do young people look for in a future employer then? A good salary is an important factor, especially for job-seeking young people, but it is only indicated as the most important reason by 50.87% of job seekers and 28.84% of working young people.
However, salary is only in third place. Job content and location are slightly more important. Flexible working hours are also important for young people. They want autonomy, the ability to organize their work, and a job they enjoy. Varied tasks and friendly colleagues make work meaningful.
Conclusion: Attract young talent by… Publishing your job vacancy where young people are active: social media Using images and videos Focusing on aspects that appeal to young people for a job (job content, location, colleagues) If you find it difficult to reach your target audience with your job vacancy despite these tips, contact our colleagues at EN HR Solutions via https://enhrsolutions.com/en/contact/. They can help you further.
No time to create a job vacancy yourself? Turn to the consultants at Select HR. They will publish your job vacancy on the right channels and select suitable candidates based on your criteria. You can find an HR professional near you on the Select HR website.
