Select Group op de Antwerp 10 Miles

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?

Software Developer in Morocco

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.'

Extra Difficulty: Mainly Freelancers Available

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.

Xpertize as a Key Local Link

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.

Remote Work or Relocating to Europe

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.

3W has been active in Interim Management for over 25 years and has a database of approximately 2000 experienced managers, each with 20-30 years of experience in the manufacturing industry. 3W supports clients by connecting them with the right interim manager for specific projects. Therefore, 3W is positioned within Select Group under the pillar of 'Project Sourcing.'

The experts of 3W have their own experience in the business world, enabling them to assess the needs of their contacts very well, including those of C-level managers at clients and their own Interim Managers.

Synergy with Select Group

'Three years ago, in consultation with Select Group CEO Bart Gonnissen, we decided to acquire 3W," says Patrick Michielsen, a partner at 3W. "We felt that there was a lot of synergy possible with the members of the group. It was very important that our visions on HR services were very closely aligned.'

'Select Group has a clear vision: quality can only be carried by authentic and driven individuals. We at 3W also fully endorse this.'

These synergies have since proven themselves. 50% of requests at 3W come through the group's network. Through collaboration with other members of Select Group, 3W can designate the right person within the group to support their clients with other services. In addition to the need for interim managers, clients have other recruitment needs as well, and thanks to the close relationship with Select Group, 3W can provide the right solution.

Want to know more about 3W's services? Visit their website.

An employee expresses ambition and wants to grow. He or she is extremely motivated, you think he or she has the right capabilities, but you are not 100% sure. Then an independent assessment centre can provide the decisive answer. Belfius called on Select HR & Select Beople to objectively assess the internal candidates for the role of manager.

Assessments have become an integral part of employee development and growth in many organisations. Thanks to an assessment, employees can be assessed independently. Are they suitable for a new role in the organisation? What areas of work remain? What training courses are appropriate?

'Within Belfius, our COMMV attaches great importance to the development of employees, allowing them to grow from starting positions to more challenging and complex roles, and even to manager,' says Stijn Buelens, manager COMMV. 'Naturally, we handle such career jumps very carefully.'

'At Select Beople we immediately had a good feeling'

Four employees had expressed their ambition and wanted to progress to manager. To make an informed choice, Belfius enlisted the help of Select HR, who in turn called on the Select Beople colleagues within Select Group. 'We went over a number of issues together. Capacities or characteristics relevant to a business manager. This also already largely corresponded to the capacities that Select Beople itself considered relevant.'

Belfius and Select HR are no strangers to each other. Select HR already looked for and found the right profiles for several offices. For this assignment, Select HR called in the experts of Select Beople, which, like Select HR, is part of Select Group. Select Beople was able to bring the right references to the table in terms of assessments. Nevertheless, Stijn and his colleagues made a comparative study between three parties beforehand. 'With Select Beople we immediately had a good feeling. You can have the right tests technically and be able to perform and interpret them well, but in such exercises emotional or social intelligence is also very important,' Stijn explains. 'I had the impression from the start that Liva and Annemie are very performant people, whom I could trust completely.'

'I was amazed at how good that description was'

The assessment centre itself took just over half a day. The four prospective business owners were tested in a variety of areas. Caroline, one of the participants explains what exercises were on the programme: 'It started with some tests we had to prepare at home including a personality test and a motivation test. At the office itself, we were given a big case to test our analytical ability, two role plays, a SWOT analysis and a general interview.'

After an intensive day, assessors Annemie and Liva took the time to give extensive feedback to each candidate. 'We received some brief feedback immediately after the exercise and afterwards we each received an extensive personal report that we went over together in a call. I was amazed at how, based on not even a full day, they could describe who we are so well. It seemed like they had known us like our colleagues for eight years. Consequently, the working points and strengths largely matched what I expected for myself.'

For the participants, besides being an eye-opener, this is also a learning experience. 'You don't do this every day,' Caroline explains. 'By being presented with a case like this, you also learn how you would deal with it. These are situations you've never had to deal with before. It certainly wasn't easy, but it was very instructive.'

There are few areas for improvement'

An assessment centre stands or falls with the assessors who steer everything in the right direction. For Stijn, that aspect was the deciding factor. You can still do all the tests correctly. If you don't interpret them correctly, the result is only half as good. That is precisely what Select HR & Select Beople is so strong in: high-performing people who do the right thing in the right way. That combined with the result, the process made it a very pleasant experience. There are few areas for improvement.'

Caroline also agrees: 'Annemie and Liva created a pleasant environment where I really felt at ease. An assessment is always exciting. You want to do your best and are quite nervous. But they still put us at ease by explaining the exercises well and communicating very clearly.'

For Caroline, the assessment already proved positive. Together with a second colleague, she came out of the assessment positively. Soon we will be sitting down with head office to discuss the rest of this process in more detail. Which working points came out of the assessment and which coaching can we adapt to these? In January 2025, I will then officially make the move.'

We wish Caroline and her colleague every success and would like to thank Stijn and his colleagues at Belfius for their trust in Select HR & Select Beople.

Want to know more about assessment centres? Don't hesitate to contact us!