Interview with Jorien van Wezel and Laura Stenacker

Jorien van Wezel and Laura Stenacker have a combined 25 years’ experience in the field of multi-lingual recruitment in the Netherlands. With the founding of Wezel & Stenacker Recruitment Services in 2011, they have combined this experience with an extensive network to provide a new approach to recruitment solutions.
In an interview with Together Abroad they spoke about the changes they have witnessed over the years, the challenges of working in today’s turbulent job market and the evolution of the modern candidate.

---

How has the employment landscape changed for candidates and companies during your time in recruitment?
Laura: When I started in 1986 a physical location was very important. It was a totally different situation than it is now; people would just walk by and register. It was local business. Now we interview candidates at our offices or we go to the candidate’s offices or homes, or we meet them in a café. All recruitment is online and we use social media a lot.
Jorien: In the past your office would be in a shopping area and most candidates and client companies were in the same area. Now we have a broader scope. We deal with companies in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and beyond because distance is no longer important. This is a very positive change and creates new possibilities.

Are there any skills now considered essential by recruiters that were previously not as important in an application?
Laura: Obviously before all the internet developments, there were certainly skills that were not needed then that are now paramount. It also used to be a real asset if someone had just one or two longterm jobs on his or her CV, but now we look at a such CV and wonder whether this candidate is entrepreneurial enough.
From a company’s point of view there are so many candidates applying for the same job, they tend to become more and more critical.
Jorien: Companies are very busy with employer branding. That is also the other side to the argument. Bigger companies have special talent managers as part of their HR strategy. For all talent, not just for the top positions but for employees on a variety of levels: the people they really want to keep within the company.

What do job seekers find most important about the company they are applying to? Has this changed over the years?
Jorien: They are more loyal to their careers than before, and look carefully to see which company fits into their perspective - and even nowadays, with the market being difficult, they think carefully before they take the next step.
Laura: Candidates expect a lot more input on the vacancies, they want to know more about the company, for instance, what are my future possibilities, how can I develop. Qualified candidates, the people you really want, are very critical. They look at company and ask themselves: “What does this company offer me (in the end)?” It is not just a job they need: they look for more than just work and a paycheck. Their job is an important part of their lives.

Much has been said the turbulent nature of the job market, both for job seekers and for those looking for personnel, what is your opinion on the current state of affairs? How do you see the job market develop in 2013?
Jorien: The market is quite challenging at the moment, and at times it seems there are too many issues to resolve. I do think it will remain same for the coming year (2013), though this depends on what the new cabinet will decide and how the whole euro crisis will develop. It’s difficult to say.
Laura: I think a lot will be happening in the coming years. If the dismissal process (ontslag procedure) will change then a lot of companies may decide to restart hiring. Then there’s also the baby boomers generation: all the people who started working 40 years ago. A large part of this generation will turn 65 in the coming years –around 2 million people are expected to retire between now and 2017– those jobs will have to be done by someone. Hopefully this will create some movement in the job market.

How will the proposed changes to the dismissal process (ontslagprocedure) affect the job market in the Netherlands and in turn the recruitment process?
Laura: It will be much easier for companies to let people go, which is currently preventing them from hiring new employees. If the proposed dismissal procedure goes into effect, the temporary employment agencies (uitzendbureaus) might lose some business as it will become easier for companies to make their workforce more flexible. On the other hand: people will be more on the move and recruitment agencies will play a significant role in enabling this.
Candidates will also have to adapt; they have to be more independent. This is something you already see happening with younger people, they feel in charge of their own careers and lives. People have to realize the heydays of the 90s are over: you have to take care of yourself. This might be a big change for a lot of people.

The general elections have taken place this month, from a recruitment point of view, what do you hope for in the new coalition?
Jorien: A lot more jobs! We experience this often when contacting companies to see if there are vacancies; everybody is still very cautious. First they were going to wait until after summer, now they want to wait until the first quarter of 2013
Laura: There’s a status quo: nobody’s moving, everyone’s waiting for something to happen. Nobody really knows what we’re waiting for, but we’re still all waiting. If the government makes a move to resolve the worst parts of the crisis, for example if they move to make more flexible labour laws, maybe change the climate for housing and mortgages, if all those things look a little more positive, everyone may start to make a move. For now, everyone is stuck, waiting.

Of the sectors that Wezel & Stenacker specialises in (HR, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Logistics, Management and Management Support), which sector(s) do you see growing in the coming five years?
Jorien: They will all grow eventually and there will always be a need for sales people. Companies simply need to sell their products. The vacancies for good ICT personnel are also increasing; the same goes for finance. Good finance people are hard to find.
Laura: What is really difficult at the moment is the management support sector. When a company has to cut down on people, they’re the first group to go.

Why did you decide to start a new recruitment company at this time?
Laura: It’s something I’ve being doing since 1986. We knew it would be a challenging market, but we try to keep costs to a minimum
Jorien: The market will eventually change, though it is taking a little longer than expected. However, we have a very broad network, we know a lot of people and we’re not new to the market.

What do you offer candidate and companies?
Laura: We’re very critical and only send in a few candidates per vacancy. We really try to find “the” candidate. We would rather not send in a CV then send in just any CV. Companies know we have a large network of qualified candidates.
Jorien: Our experience also helps the candidates, and we are in contact with international companies all over The Netherlands We also give advice to our candidates and are always honest in our feedback.