Published on: 27 December 2018 It's getting more difficult to find talent, especially highly-educated, technical employees. At Select Projects we search for talent as widely as possible. This means that we also recruit internationally. That choice was the deciding factor in a successful collaboration for a project in Zwolle. An international team of engineers and technicians now supports a young company in full expansion.
A company in Zwolle builds and manages information infrastructures for network owners. At the end of 2017 they started a new project for which they would need more and more technical draughtsmen and engineers. Jef, a technical consultant at Select Projects, noticed this and contacted the Project Manager. The young entrepreneur shared Jef's international vision and assured him that it didn't matter whether the engineers or architects spoke Dutch or English. ‘As long as they have the right skills and knowledge.’
Jef sought and found international candidates. ‘The screenings were not less thorough. On the contrary, I had a lot of video conversations, both with the candidates individually and together with the Project Manager.’ The team in Zwolle grew every month. ‘We now have about 20 project staff members on the telecom project. Engineers and architects from Romania, Venezuela, Spain, India and Italy work together in a young team.’
Taking the step to work abroad is definitely a challenge and some people are not open to this. ‘But working in the Netherlands is also interesting for lots of foreigners: a new environment, advanced technologies and making new contacts. Select Projects plays an important role in this. We look for the best match, both in professional and personal areas. There are also many advantages for the client. Foreign candidates often have a more specific profile, more extensive training and other experiences than Dutch technicians. Moreover, they are more flexible with regard to commuting distance; a two hour commute is not an obstacle for them.’
Select Projects supports the client as best it can. ‘We are the employer of our technical talents in Zwolle,’ says Jef. ‘That means that I sit together with them for performance reviews on a regular basis. Then I brief the Project Manager about the results. This enables me to remain actively involved in the project.’ Select Projects also supports its employees. ‘This doesn't only include training sessions that suit their career, but also Dutch language lessons. We don't want them to lack anything.’
That's how the team in Zwolle experiences things too:
Working for Select Projects is a very positive experience. They really pay attention to your needs and together they look for ways to improve the working environment and to help us develop as employees and as people.Every conversation with a Select Projects colleague is followed by a good result because we are encouraged to speak freely. It feels more like talking to a friend than discussing problems with your employer.
- Dana Polacec, Bim coördinator from Romania
As a staff member of Select Projects, I can confirm how good it is to work in a young and dynamic team where new challenges always present themselves. The vast collection of clients makes it easy to plot out your career and to be part of innovative projects where you can learn new skills and improve your current skills. It's interesting to work for an international team and to learn new things about different cultures. Select Projects organises various team building activities and they keep in contact in order to ensure that you feel good about your work and the project. They know how things are going at work.
- Maria Vanessa Riera Romero, Bim modeller from Venezuela
It all started with a LinkedIn message. I always heard about people finding a new challenge via this professional network, but I never thought that I would be one of them until Jef contacted me. You often don't know who is on the other side, but that was different with Select Projects. We had close contact from the very first contact. Jef explained what Select Projects does, what profiles they are looking for and what they expect in return.After the first contact, I received regular updates and advice so that I could prepare myself properly for the next project. As soon as you are employed on a project, Select Projects stays at your side to give you every amenity you need and to make your work experience as comfortable as possible.
- Eloy Fernàndez, BIM modeller from Spain