Interview: Understanding the recruitment process and the importance of personal branding

The recruitment process

• Tell us about your experience in the recruitment of candidates in Switzerland? 

I worked sixteen years as an internal recruiter at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). I recruited at different levels during this time (specialists, managers, executive positions, etc.). Additionally, I worked for one and a half year as a headhunter.

• What is the difference between an internal recruiter and a headhunter?

An internal recruiter is an employee at the company for which he/she is recruiting for. A headhunter is a professional, external to the company, who receives an exclusive mandate to find a suitable candidate for a given position. Normally, headhunters are entrusted with (confidential) high profile positions or positions for which it is difficult to find the right candidate.

• How are new job vacancies created and advertised? 

It depends on the company. Generally, a position is opened once the budget is approved by the relevant leader. After this, it is usually advertised on the website of the company and various other sites (e.g. LinkedIn, JobUp, etc). As I mentioned before, depending on the profile of the job (and the resources of the company), the recruitment can be entrusted to an external recruiting company or a headhunter. 

• Is it true that around 70% of the positions are never advertised? What happens in those cases?

Yes, it is true. Several scenarios are possible: 

1. The position is filled internally without any formal job opening
2. The position is filled with a person from the network of the leaders without any formal job opening
3. The mandate to find the right person is given to a headhunter who directly sources the right candidates 
4. A position is created around a powerful profile that comes from the network of the leaders

• Is it legal to hire people without advertising a job?

It depends on the company and the role. In Switzerland, there is now a law that forces companies to advertise jobs for certain industries where there is a high unemployment rate (5%)(https://www.seco.admin.ch/seco/fr/home/Arbeit/Arbeitslosenversicherung/stellenmeldepflicht.html) 

• How do I know if a job post is still open?

A job post may be kept open until a suitable candidate has signed a contract.  This means that it might be possible that a position is still advertised, but the hiring process is already at the final stage. This is a likely scenario for positions that have been opened from three months already. It is OK to contact Human Resources (HR) to enquire about it.

• How is the first candidate assessment performed? What makes an application strong? 

It depends, each organization has its own recruitment process. The first screening is done by HR unless the hiring manager is directly involved. It can also happen that the first screening is done via online tests. 

An application is strong if the profile matches a maximum of the requirements from the job description. 

• How important is it to know somebody at the company where a candidate is applying to?

Again, it depends. Generally, the candidate will have to apply anyway and follow the formal process. It may help if the candidate is recommended directly to the HR recruiter or the hiring manager. Knowing other people in the company, not linked to the two above-mentioned roles is generally not helpful, especially in big organizations where hiring processes are standardized and structured. 

• How does the recruitment from executive positions differ from the recruitment of specialists or middle-level managers?

In general, the recruitment of executive positions tends to include role-play assessments or business case presentations where the candidate describes his/her vision for the business or company.

• What would be your main recommendations to job applicants? 

I would recommend to:

1. Identify your personal brand (strengths, values, differentiating factors) and communicate it effectively in order to find a job aligned with who you are. You will appear much more authentic and therefore have better chances to succeed 
2. Prepare yourself carefully for job interviews, create a well-thought strategy
3. Expand your network in order to tackle the hidden job market

Personal Branding

• What is personal branding and why is it important?

Your Personal Brand is your “Unique Promise of Value”. It is your vision about who you are (your strengths, values, passions and journey) and what you can do. It is what distinguishes you from your peers, making you unique and memorable. Identifying and adequately promoting your personal brand allows you to stand out in your professional environment. More importantly, identifying your personal brand allows you to pursue opportunities that are in line with your abilities, goals and values. It makes no sense for an introverted person to go into sales, for example.

• What is your experience in personal branding? 

I am the founder of a company focused on career coaching, outplacement, professional training and personal branding programs, among other services. I am a huge advocate of personal branding because I have seen first-hand the value it brings to the job search process and the overall job satisfaction.

• Who would be a typical candidate for the personal branding program?

A customer can be anyone who wishes to live and work in harmony with himself/herself. It can be an entrepreneur who wants to have a better impact and increase his/her clients base or a CEO who wishes to enhance his/her e-reputation/attract investors/increase employees’ and customers’ confidence or it can be any professional who wants to radically change his career path.  

• How can an experienced job seeker profit from personal branding?

Most people on my personal brand programs are actually experienced professionals, who realized after a certain number of years that their job is not aligned with who they are and who are looking for a more fulfilling professional and personal life. Personal branding allows them to be true to themselves, to align who they are with what they do and how they do it.

• Can a junior job seeker develop a personal branding?

Of course. In fact, in the USA, personal branding starts to be “taught” at school before students get their first “real job”. Personal branding is a very powerful approach to have at this stage, as it allows junior job seekers to know themselves better and it prevents them from taking wrong career choices. It allows for more job satisfaction from early on. 

You can find more information about the recruitment process and the challenges of the job search in the second part of my book, Making Sense Of My Unemployment