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Carolien Van Gelder joined Econocom in January 2021 as recruitment officer. She takes us along in her story as a network builder.Â
“It is important to connect with people, both with the client and with the candidate. It is this network that allows you to have a win-win situation.”
Tell me about yourself?
I started in January 2021. It is different to start working from home, but at first you must learn to understand the applications, and after some time you get the hang of it, and it goes more smoothly. I also think that good cooperation in a team overall is necessary, so that the needs of the clients are properly translated to the recruiter. And that you start to develop a network and can react more quickly.
What is your experience in the recruitment field? Did you have any other relevant experience?
I had some experience as a recruiter, although not with IT profiles. This is new for me, since the start of this year. At the beginning, I received some explanation from colleagues, Julie and Marie, and we also have a little file that describes the jobs and profiles well.
The IT sector is very broad, with many programs, but I am beginning to understand which programs come under which category. However, the expertise you acquire in this field is certainly beneficial, particularly if you are involved in discussions. This is also important and very interesting for me; it is something I like to read and share about as much as possible.
Is there a common thread among the clients you have won?
The common thread is that with these 3 clients we were able to switch very quickly, both for the Acerta story, Makro and for UzA, which was done instantaneously. Our network also played an important role; we had the candidates already in our network. Matching is important, because we come with a specific request Another positive note is that all three clients already have employees from Econocom working for them at present.
Can you tell me more about the 3 clients?
Acerta: is a client from IT staffing, where we primarily provide managed staffing and ensure continuity of service. There, we have placed a service desk support. Here, we can guarantee that quality is maintained by providing a back-up service desk in case of an absence.
With UZA, there is a close relationship, and they always notify us if they need assistance. We have placed a service desk support there.
Makro also has a great deal of confidence in Econocom. They expect Econocom to choose the right person. The Belgian retail shops will be equipped with an online checking system which will be rolled out by one of our on-site technicians.
What is the recruitment process?
I start by introducing Econocom to the candidate, making a general introduction, screening for matching; to find out if the candidate fits with the client, the period, the location and languages.
This is followed by a debriefing with Hilde Thonnon. The final interview is with Hilde and the candidate.
I think it’s an exchange with one another. Since Hilde knows her customers really well and can translate this to me very effectively, I gradually get to know them better.
We are moving towards a situation where we build up our professional network based on profiles rather than on clients. Recruiters’ networking continues to be built upon this trend.
What is the customer’s need?
The client needs the right candidate, a good matching at a good rate. Being a recruiter, it is necessary to find candidates fast, meet them rapidly, react to them generally very quickly.
One thing that could certainly be helpful here is to make a real connection with people: with the client as well as the candidate. This kind of connection makes it possible to have a win-win situation.
What are the challenges you are facing today?
In the recruitment team we are working at the moment, to respond as efficiently as possible, as fast as possible, and to keep this process running; the processing part is a challenge.
And of course, in the beginning building up a network was a challenge because I was starting from zero.