The work of a recruiter at Partner in Compliance

No day is the same for our recruiters, besides the day start meeting at 9:00 am. Going over current affairs and aligning on team’s tasks for the day is a real must. Rob Duijs, Chief Talent Officer, explains what their work looks like.

What does your job look like?

Coffee
I’m usually the first from our team who is in the office. Then I have time to check the status of the vacancies before we start the day. But before I do that: first a good cup of coffee and some music on.

Various conversations
After the day starts, I go through the resumes of the candidates with whom I have appointments that day. I mainly enter these conversations with an open attitude. Next to candidates, I also talk to my colleagues who need people for our projects or our office. I often have contact with clients about the people who will be joining a project team. In addition to competence and experience, an employee must fit in well with the organization. As Chief Talent Officer, along with recruitment and selection, I am also involved in coordinating terms of employment with a candidate. For this reason, I spar with the team manager and my colleagues from HR/PD.

Calling with candidates in advance
For entry-level positions, we receive many resumes. If there seems to be a match based on the motivation and resume, we contact the candidate. The first contact is always by phone. We are especially curious why the candidate is interested in Partner in Compliance. Furthermore, we ask what compliance is all about and why the candidate wants to work with us. This initial call also immediately demonstrates our open and personal way of treating each other here at Partner in Compliance.

Lunchtime
At lunchtime, we enjoy our break together at the long table in our dining room. We catch up on all sorts of things, such as the best place for a pub quiz in Amstelveen or developments in projects. At Partner in Compliance, we are also executing a TM project for a client in our KYC Centre. The analysts like to join us for lunch.

References
When we have a candidate for a position, we contact the provided references. At our company, references are required. They gives us a little more background information about the candidate and perhaps some extra insight at the start of our long-term collaboration.

The feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day
After I finish work, I go home feeling satisfied, especially when we succeeded in helping someone in finding a new job or moving to another employer that was a better fit.

Friday Funday
On Friday afternoon, it’s our ritual to close the work week with some drinks. We look back with great satisfaction on what we have achieved that week. Usually, we tell stories or anecdotes and exchange tips for the coming weekend. 

What makes your work as a recruiter so appealing?

The clear vision of Partner in Compliance makes my work attractive. In this way, I know when I can make people happy and when a candidate does not fit. I can move straight to my goals and engage others to join. What needs to happen today actually happens today. That suits me well.

What is the biggest compliment you have received from a new colleague?

That we are personal in our contact during the application process. One of our new joiners also gave feedback that the interviews were well structured. It was clear what we expected from the candidate. He liked that we always made exact follow-up appointments (by phone or in the office).

Do you offer internships?

Through several educational institutions, we offer students the opportunity to gain work experience in compliance as a CDD/AML analyst after completing the second year of study. As an intern, you really engage in a project for a few days a week. You can take a look behind the scenes of compliance. One of our compliance professionals at Partner in Compliance will become your buddy to guide you through your work activities.

How does the work of other team members differ from yours?

Internet search
The recruiters and junior recruiters actively search the internet for suitable candidates matching our open vacancies for compliance specialists. For the junior recruiters, this is their primary task. I do it as well, however, within a more limited timeframe.

Interviews with candidates
Like me, my fellow recruiters talk to many interesting and promising candidates. This is a primary task of the recruiters. The essence of our conversations with candidates lies in their answer to the question: do you fit in with Partner in Compliance? The recruiters themselves will also discuss the terms of employment with the candidate.

Sparring with each other
Our recruiters work independently. Recruitment is based on experience: the more interviews you have, the better you become. To share and build up experience, we spar a lot with each other.

What qualities do your fellow recruiters have that are useful in their work?

To begin with, you must be a self-starter. You must dare to ask candidates good direct questions. Also, depending on your work’s focus, it is important that you are task-oriented or people-oriented. I am mainly task-oriented, and my colleague Esther, for example, is mainly people-oriented. We are all different but equally interested in what occupies people and what their aspirations are.