We are Select Group: Select Projects Introduces Itself

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!

Home of Recruitment supports clients in recruiting sales, marketing, and interim professionals based on recruitment & selection. Always working with a focus on results but also with consideration for the individual: Always reaching for the stars!

Home of Recruitment consists of three departments: Salesrecruiters is the largest recruitment agency in the field of Sales in the Netherlands. Marketingrecruiters are the specialists in selecting and convincing the stars in marketing. Since the beginning of 2024, we also mediate interim professionals through Interimrecruiters.

Specialists in their field

What makes Home of Recruitment so strong is their specialization. "We speak the language of our clients and candidates," says CFO Jasper Bentvelsen. "At Salesrecruiters, our consultants are daily engaged in speaking with sales profiles from various industries. And as a result, they can select the best candidates. Additionally, for each assignment, we look at which consultant has the most affinity and experience so that they best fit the client."

Maintaining autonomy within Select Group

Home Of Recruitment has been part of Select Group since October 2023. "We were looking for a strategic partner with a long-term vision," says CEO & founder Enrico Ouwehand. "We believe we have found that with Select Group. The discussions we had with Bart, Jelle, and Charlot were very pleasant from the start. We noticed that we share the same values ​​when it comes to quality focus, integrity, and organizational safety."

An important condition for Home of Recruitment was also autonomy. "We are very proud of the brands we have built and we wanted them to continue to exist. And Select Group felt exactly the same way."

This acquisition is a win-win for both parties. Select Group strengthens its position in the Dutch market. And vice versa, Home of Recruitment can accelerate its exploration of opportunities in the Belgian market. Additionally, this collaboration is an opportunity to transfer knowledge and create new commercial opportunities.

Would you like to know more about the services of Home Of Recruitment? Visit their website.

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.