Peps Interim expands to Flanders: first office opened in Ghent

What do you do when the traditional channels no longer work? When your job posting barely generates any applications and you can't reach the right candidates? With vacancy marketing, Select Group strategically markets your job posting. Antwerp-based company Solvio was one of the first to use our service and found the two candidates they had been searching for for months within a few weeks.

High Demand, Low Supply

After the covid 19-pandemic, companies started to hire again in full force but the job market couldn't provide the right talents. "We also notice at Select that the number of job orders has increased significantly in a short period," says Jelle Destoop, Commercial Director at Select Group. "The COVID-19 crisis was very unpredictable. Companies paused ongoing hirings or canceled plans to hire new employees. As soon as the economy started to pick up again, the number of job vacancies increased."

"Today, we are inundated with requests. Our clients are once again searching for employees. The high demand for workers combined with a limited supply of candidates makes the situation very challenging. We can't change the market, but with vacancy marketing, we can attract the right candidates more quickly."

"Vacancy marketing allows us to attract the right candidates more quickly."

Solvio was one of the first to experience this. Solvio is a well-established company in the Antwerp region, specializing in property management and administration for both individuals and businesses. They were looking for a property manager, preferably with some experience, a challenging task given the current job market.

"For a property manager at Solvio, you are responsible for managing many properties, which is quite a challenge. The job is not for everyone," explains Olivier Blockhuys. "We were looking for someone with experience, and they are not easy to find. To find our new employee, we turned to Select Group."

Using Conventional Methods

"We started with Solvio just like any other job posting: after a thorough interview with Olivier, we created a job posting and placed it on our job boards. Additionally, we searched for candidates in our own database and through other sources," says Steffi, Lead Consultant at Select HR in Belgium. "We quickly realized that this would be a tough search. The number of candidates for this type of position is very limited. Not many people can or want to perform this job, and this vacancy required someone with experience, making it even more challenging."

Steffi began the search in April, primarily focusing on LinkedIn. "You need to approach such challenging profiles personally." From this intensive search, they found a good candidate who received an offer but ultimately decided to stay with their current employer. So, in July, they started the search again.

"Urgently Wanted: Property Manager"

After the summer vacation, they faced a new challenge. "Another property manager had left our organization," explains Olivier. "So, we were not only looking for a new employee but also urgently needed a replacement. We asked Select Group if they could do more." At that time, vacancy marketing at Select Group was just getting started, and Solvio became the first client to use this service.

"In the current job market, simply posting a job online and waiting for applicants is no longer sufficient. You need to be where your potential candidates are," Steffi explains. "At Select Group, we can rely on our experience: we know that one profile is more likely to be found on Indeed, while another might be looking at job listings on LinkedIn. As a result, we publish job postings in a targeted manner. Vacancy marketing takes it a step further."

"With vacancy marketing, we start even more from the candidate."

With vacancy marketing, the focus is even more on the candidate. An analysis of the job market determines which media channels the candidates you are looking for frequent, how the job posting should be crafted, and what additional campaigns we can undertake. In short, it's a customized marketing campaign for your job vacancy.

What Is Vacancy Marketing?

Select Group's core business is the recruitment process: finding candidates, identifying their talents, and matching them with what employers are looking for. The human aspect is central to this process: taking the time to truly get to know your candidate, looking beyond their CV. However, to do this, you need an adequate pool of candidates. In a tight job market like this, it requires additional expertise.

Select Group found this expertise with EN HR Solutions. In the spring of 2020, Select Group acquired this Dutch RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) player. One of their strengths? Vacancy marketing. They ensure that a job vacancy is viewed, read, and that the right candidates apply. In essence, they handle everything that comes before the actual application. Select Group and EN HR Solutions complement each other nicely because once the application reaches the recruiter, they can ask the right questions and make the match with a potential employer.

First Vacancy Marketing Campaign a Success

Back to Solvio's story. Olivier was presented with the idea of setting up a vacancy marketing campaign.

The campaign went live in early September. Just three days later, the first application arrived. The job posting was viewed 143 times in the first two weeks. For comparison, in the two weeks before the campaign, it was viewed only 20 times. During the campaign, 13 candidates applied for the position. One week after the campaign's launch, one property manager received an offer. The second one applied at the end of the campaign and signed his contract a few weeks later. A search that had lasted more than six months was concluded in less than three weeks.

"We were extremely satisfied with the campaign," Olivier says. "The need became very high with the imminent replacement. During that period, we also approached other parties, but no one could provide the right candidates quickly enough. By launching vacancy marketing, we were able to attract many more candidates in a short time."

"It was something new, but it worked! And Select Group kept us informed of the results every week. Additionally, we could continue to rely on the service we were accustomed to from Select: they screened the applicants and introduced us to interesting candidates who matched the job requirements and our company culture. We could confidently place the entire recruitment process in Select's hands."

Are you currently looking for candidates? Turn to Select to find the right candidate! For more information, contact Commercial Director Jelle Destoop at jelle.destoop@selecthr.be or +32 3 612 22 91.

3W is ruim 25 jaar actief in Interim Management en beschikt over een databank van ongeveer 2000 ervaren managers. Die hebben telkens 20-30 jaar ervaring in de maakindustrie. 3W ondersteunt klanten door hen in contact de brengen met de juiste interim manager, voor specifieke projecten. Daarom bevindt 3W zich binnen Select Group onder de pijler ‘Project Sourcing’.

De experts bij 3W hebben zelf ervaring binnen de businesswereld. Dat maakt dat zij de noden van hun contactpersonen heel goed kunnen inschatten. Zowel van C-level managers bij klanten als eigen Interim Managers.

Synergie met Select Group

‘Drie jaar geleden hebben we, in overleg met de CEO van Select Group Bart Gonnissen, de beslissing genomen om 3W over te nemen,’ vertelt Patrick Michielsen, partner van 3W. ‘Wij voelden dat er veel synergie mogelijk was met de leden van de groep. Heel belangrijk was het feit dat onze visies op HR services heel sterk gelijk liepen.’

‘Select Group heeft een duidelijke visie: kwaliteit kan enkel gedragen worden door authentieke en gedreven personen. Dit onderschrijven we bij 3W ook voor 100%.’

Die synergiën hebben zich ondertussen meer dan bewezen. 50% van de aanvragen bij 3W komen via het netwerk van de groep. Door de samenwerking met andere leden van Select Group, kan 3W ook de juiste persoon binnen de groep aanduiden om hun klanten te ondersteunen met andere diensten. Naast de nood aan interim managers, hebben zij ook andere rekruteringsbehoeften en 3W kan dankzij de nauwe band met Select Group de juiste oplossing bieden.

Wil je meer weten over de diensten van 3W? Bezoek hun website.

For the first time, Select Group participated in the Antwerp 10 Miles, a running event in and through Antwerp. With 32 runners, Select Group was well represented. Moreover, the run was not just for the sake of it, but for a good cause: Mercy Ships.

The Miles for Mercy campaign started 10 weeks before the Antwerp 10 Miles. Anyone within the Select Group could commit to a special challenge: run from Antwerp to Senegal in 10 weeks. If the 4.416 km were covered, Select Group would donate 2.000 euros to Mercy Ships. Just under 50 runners ran a total of 4.470 kilometres.

On the eve of the run, several hundred kilometres were still missing. Those last kilometres were covered during the Antwerp 10 Miles under a bright sunshine. With 32 runners, we can speak of a successful first edition. In the company ranking of just under 300 companies, Select Group came 143rd.

See below for some photos of the event: