Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte

Internship at Rara Avis

Headhunting

Margriet Kint Academiejaar 2007-2008

Scriptie voorgelegd aan de Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte tot het behalen

van het diploma van

Master in de Meertalige Bedrijfscommunicatie

Promotor: Prof. dr. G Jacobs

Onderneming Stagebegeleiders Taken Talen Periode

Rara Avis bvba

Mevr. Marleen

Coppens

Meewerken aan

en

ondersteuning

van het

rekruterings-

proces

Nederlands

Engels

21/04/2008

tot

06/06/2008

en

19/08/2008

tot

29/08/2008

(Deze scriptie

betreft enkel de

eerst vijf weken

van de stage.)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to thank Mr De Bie for his guidance and for making this a year in

which I have learned a lot.

I am also very grateful to Mrs Coppens for giving me the opportunity to do my internship at

Rara Avis. It is safe to say that it has been a very rewarding experience which I would not

have wanted to miss for the world.

Special thanks must go to Mrs De Bruyckere en Mrs Van Overwaele for assisting me with all

my questions during my internship. They made the experience worthwhile. My fellow trainee,

Miro Babik, also deserves to be mentioned for helping me with my assignments.

I would also like to thank my parents, who have supported me throughout my studies and who

stimulated me to do an extra year of Multilingual Business Communication.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all MTB students for making this a year I will

never forget. Hopefully many of them will stay friends for years to come.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE……………………………………………………………………………………...6

Motivation……………………………………………………………………………...6

Method………………………………………………………………………………....7

1 RARA AVIS…………………………………………………………………………...9

1.1 History………………………………………………………………………………….9

1.2 Structure………………………………………………………………………………10

1.3 Corporate identity……………………………………………………………………..11

1.3.1 Mission statement……………………………………………………………..11

1.3.2 Philosophy…………………………………………………………………….11

1.3.3 Vision for the future…………………………………………………………..13

1.4 Services……………………………………………………………………………….13

1.5 Clients…………………………………………………………………………………15

1.6 Competition…………………………………………………………………………...16

1.7 Communication……………………………………………………………………….17

1.8 Code of conduct………………………………………………………………………18

1.9 Deontology……………………………………………………………………………19

1.10 SWOT analysis……………………..…………………………………………………20

1.10.1 Strengths………………………………………………………………………20

1.10.2 Weaknesses……………………………………………………………………21

1.10.3 Opportunities………………………………………………………………….22

1.10.4 Threats………………………………………………………………………...22

2 HEADHUNTING……………………………………………………………………..24

2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...24

2.2 Characteristics of headhunters………………………………………………………..26

2.2.1 Who are they…………………………………………………………………..26

2.2.2 Headhunters compared to internal recruiters………………………………….28

2.2.3 Frequent complaints…………………………………………………………..29

2.2.4 Misconceptions………………………………………………………………..30

2.3 Recruitment process: practical side…………………………………………………...31

2.3.1 Screening of client and vacancy………………………………………………31

2.3.2 Finding potential candidates…………………………………………………..32

2.3.3 First screening by phone………………………………………………………33

2.3.4 Face-to-face interview………………………………………………………...33

2.3.5 Interview between the client and the candidate……………………………….34

2.3.6 Contract proposal……………………………………………………………...35

2.4 Communication……………………………………………………………………….35

2.4.1 How to attract clients………………………………………………………….35

2.4.2 How to attract candidates……………………………………………………..36

2.5 The future of headhunting…………………………………………………………….37

3 INTERNSHIP AT RARA AVIS……………………………………………………...38

3.1 Recruitment process…………………………………………………………………..38

3.1.1 Information gathering…………………………………………………………38

3.1.2 Job descriptions……………………………………………………………….39

3.1.3 Market research……………………………………………………………….40

FileFinder database……………………………………………………40

Alumni books and sites………………………………………………..41

LinkedIn……………………………………………………………….41

Job sites………………………………………………………………..42

Wild hunt……………………………………………………………...42

3.1.4 Contacting…………………………………………………………………….44

3.1.5 Interviewing and reporting……………………………………………………45

3.1.6 Reference check………………………………………………………………47

3.2 Other assignments…………………………………………………………………….47

3.2.1 Composing alumni book KU Leuven…………………………………………47

3.2.2 Translations…………………………………………………………………...48

Client survey…………………………………………………………..48

Telephone call scenario……………………………………………….49

3.2.3 Drawing up letter for graduates……………………………………………….49

4 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………. 51

BIOBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………..55

APPENDIX….………………………………………………………………………………..56

PREFACE

Motivation

The internship forms a very important part of the Multilingual Business Communication

course. It offers the students a taste of what working life looks like. As it is not uncommon for

MTB students to start working in the sector in which they did their internship, the choice of

my internship was a well-considered one.

One of the reasons why I decided to do the subsequent master degree of MTB was the

opportunity to do an internship in the HR sector. I have always wanted to find a job in which I

can help people. It is something I look for in a job. The reason for this is that I find it very

rewarding and motivating. It seemed to me that the HR sector is a sector that would be able to

offer me that opportunity.

The job offer1 which Mrs Coppens wrote, seemed very appealing: I was promised to become

one of the colleagues and to be able to contribute to each stage of the recruitment process. As

this would be my first HR experience, I also thought it was very important to get an insight in

the recruitment process itself. And the job offer promised to do just that. Moreover, I wanted

to find out whether Human Resources is something for me.

After seeing Mrs Coppens at the MTB panel evening, I was even more enthusiastic. I sent my

letter of application2 and was invited for an interview with Mrs De Bruyckere. During this

interview, I also got to talk to the current trainee, Céline Demey, who was able to give me

some more information on what my tasks would be. I was told that I could work

independently and have my own responsibilities and deadlines, which very much interested

me. The atmosphere among the colleagues seemed very pleasant and the possibility to work

from home on Wednesdays was a nice extra as well. The fact that both consultants warned me

that there would be a lot of administrative tasks involved, did not put me off at all. When I

was offered the opportunity to do my internship at Rara Avis, I of course jumped at the

chance. Before signing the contract, I had a final meeting with Mrs Coppens herself, who

went through my tasks and responsibilities during the internship one more time.

1 See appendix 1.

2 See appendix 2.

As it normally takes longer than five weeks to find the right guy for a vacancy and to place

him in the company, an internship of five weeks is a bit short. That is why Mrs Coppens and I

agreed that an internship of nine weeks would be better-suited. In this thesis, I will only

discuss the first five weeks. The results of my internship, what I learned and experienced can

be found in the following pages.

Method

This thesis consists of four chapters. In the first, I presented the company where I did my

internship: Rara Avis, an HR consultancy agency. I went into the history and the structure of

the company and its corporate identity with the mission statement, philosophy and its vision

for the future. I described the services that the agency offers, the clients the consultants work

for and the company‟s competition. I also elaborated a bit on the consultants‟ communication

policy, their code of conduct and deontology, as these are topics which are very important for

an HR agency. As a conclusion to this first chapter, I made a SWOT analysis based on my

experiences during my internship, company documents, the company website and an

interview with the general manager, Mrs Coppens.

Chapter two deals with the actual topic of this thesis: headhunting. After a general

introduction, in which I explained the various types of HR agencies, I showed which

characteristics are typical of headhunters. I also explained the advantages and disadvantages

of an executive search agency compared to working with internal recruiters. Furthermore, I

mentioned a number of frequent complaints and misconceptions with regard to headhunters.

Next, I shed light on the practical side of the recruitment process: what a headhunter does in

every stage of the process and what he needs to ask himself. In the next part, I discussed the

communication techniques of a headhunting agency, i.e. how it attracts clients and candidates.

To finish this chapter, I gave a short insight in the future of headhunting. This chapter is

primarily based on the books by An De Jonghe (Headhunters. Op zoek naar de witte raaf) and

Jack J.R. van Minden (Alles over headhunters. Uw persoonlijke en praktische gids door

headhuntersland).

The third chapter gives an account of my tasks and responsibilities during my internship. This

chapter consists of two parts. In the first, I described the different stages in the recruitment

process and I showed where I contributed to them. These stages are information gathering,

drawing up job descriptions, conducting market research, contacting candidates, interviewing

and reporting, and checking the references. In the second part of the chapter, I described my

other tasks, such as composing an alumni book of KU Leuven graduates, translating the client

survey and the telephone call scenario and drawing up a letter for recent graduates. For this

chapter, I based myself on my own experiences during my internship and on the procedure

handbook of Rara Avis.

The final chapter gives a general overview of my internship. In it, I discuss what I have

learned from my internship on a professional level and on a personal level. Afterwards, I

made the link with the MTB programme and showed where it helped me to perform my tasks.

1 RARA AVIS

This first chapter is based on an interview with Mrs Coppens, the Rara Avis website, the

procedure handbook, a Q*For investigation3 and on my personal experience.

1.1 History

Rara Avis is a search and selection company which has its office in Ghent. It offers

recruitment and selection and it is specialised in executive search4. The company was founded

in 1998 by Marleen Coppens, the general manager.

Mrs Coppens studied Germanic languages. When graduated, she decided to do an extra year

of Multilingual Business Communication. In 1992, she started her career as a consultant for a

direct search agency. Five years later, she joined an agency that did not only do direct search,

but also assessments and advertising. In this agency, she started out as an independent senior

consultant and made her way to a management position. In the next six years, she gained

experience in a broader scope of activity, in coaching a team and in developing her

commercial skills and responsibilities.

In 1998, she founded Rara Avis as an encompassing agency for her activities as a self-

employed consultant. Up until 2002, she only worked as a subcontractor for other agencies.

This changed at the end of 2002, because Mrs Coppens was convinced that, with her

experience and seniority in the HR sector, it was opportune to do so. She also felt that the

agencies she had worked for, did not exactly meet the service standards she had in mind. She

was convinced that she could do a better job with her one-man business, Rara Avis. From that

moment onwards, Rara Avis became an external HR consultancy agency.

As business was doing well, the agency grew. In 2006, Sylvie De Bruyckere was hired, a

former colleague of Mrs Coppens and Consultant. As the company and the workload

expanded rapidly, Mrs Coppens decided to take on two other staff members in 2007, namely

Wouter Van Renterghem, Consultant, and Jenny Van Overwaele, Office Manager. Today, Mr

Van Renterghem does no longer work at Rara Avis.

3 See appendix 3.

4 Executive search is the HR branch that specialises in high-profile positions.

There has been a slight evolution in the services that the agency offers, as Rara Avis does

more outsourcing activities now than in 1998. The client profile has stayed more or less the

same over the years. The agency‟s clients have always consisted of both big multinationals

(such as Agfa Gevaert) and small companies (like a small firm of architects), attracted

through word-of-mouth advertising. Although working with real small companies is rather the

exception, it occurs (for instance IBBT and Value Square are two of the current client

companies). There has been an increase in the number of clients that are international players.

This means that it, not unoften, occurs that the consultants have to look for candidates in

France, the UK, Germany and Northern and Eastern Europe.

1.2 Structure

Rara Avis has three employees. Marleen Coppens, who founded the company, is General

Manager. After six years experience in HR recruiting, Mrs Coppens started her own agency in

Ghent.

Sylvie De Bruyckere, a former colleague of Mrs Coppens, is Consultant as well. Mrs De

Bruyckere had more than thirteen years experience before joining Rara Avis. Although Mrs

Coppens and Mrs De Bruyckere are in charge of more or less the same kinds of assignments,

Mrs Coppens says that she takes on the more commercial and international ones, because of

her language skills.

Mrs Van Overwaele joined the agency in 2007. She is Office Manager and her tasks consist of

supporting the consultants in their tasks, such as arranging meetings, doing the administration

and bookkeeping, updating the website and receiving the candidates.

The team is also often reinforced by trainees, such as myself. The first six weeks of my

internship, Miroslav Babik, a psychology student, was doing his internship at Rara Avis as

well. Our job was to assist Mrs Coppens and Mrs De Bruyckere in all their tasks, ranging

from drawing up lists of candidates to the actual „hunting‟ and attending interviews with

candidates.

1.3 Corporate identity

1.3.1 Mission statement

According to Mrs Coppens, Rara Avis‟ mission statement can be defined as followed:

Rara Avis is a search and selection company providing cost-efficient, high-quality HR

solutions. No standard services, but tailored client solutions, pushing the limits in

every aspect of the job. Transparency, communication, professionalism and interaction

are key.

The consultants at Rara Avis take this mission statement very seriously, as I was able to see

during my internship. The mission statement is visible in every aspect of their job, ranging

from their philosophy to their actual working methods. In what follows, I will go further into

each aspect of the mission statement.

1.3.2 Philosophy5

Rara Avis is proud of its way of working, which is fast and of high quality. Professionalism,

objectivity, confidentiality, accuracy and loyalty are values that the consultants at Rara

Avis are well aware of. As opposed to many other HR agencies, Rara Avis offers transparent

HR solutions and meets the need for partnership. As this is a combination one does not come

across too often in the HR world, Mrs Coppens named the company „Rara Avis‟, which

means „white raven‟ or „rarity‟.

Rara Avis is a rather small company with consultants that have been in the business for a long

time. Because of this, it can assure the client that the assignment is managed by an

experienced selection and recruitment consultant, specialised in direct search6. The work that

Rara Avis delivers, is done with attention for detail and focuses on delivering results in a fast

and high-priority way. This guarantees the high quality standard that Rara Avis claims to

offer.

5 This section is based on the company‟s website (www.raraavis.be), on the Q*For investigation and on my

personal experience. 6 Direct search is searching for candidates in external sources, such as alumni books (not the database).

A sign of this quality, is the Q*For Certificate7 that Rara Avis obtained in 2004. Q*For is a

quality label that was especially designed for the consulting market. It is a European quality

label that is only awarded to those companies that score more than 80% on client satisfaction.

If the agency has obtained this label, clients can be sure that the agency will meet their

specific demands and wishes. Furthermore, Rara Avis also regularly asks their clients to fill

out a client satisfaction survey, which I had to translate from English into Dutch.

By „transparent‟, I mean that Rara Avis never keeps its clients in the dark. Communication is

key. Clients are provided with regular status reports, giving information about the

methodology, the progress and the results of a particular project. Every week, Mrs Coppens

makes a point of calling each client and keeping him up-to-date on the progress and results of

the assignment. After a client had a meeting with a candidate, Mrs Coppens calls them up to

see how it went and to keep track of the progress. Six months after a candidate has been hired,

Mrs Coppens also contacts the client to see whether the candidate is doing well and whether

the client is satisfied.

The transparency can also be found in the costs charged to the client. Rara Avis works with

TimeWriter, an electronic agenda in which the Rara Avis employees have to fill in how many

hours a week they work for each client. This way, the client pays for the agency‟s services on

a time-spent basis. This is not the case in most other recruitment agencies, where clients have

to pay a pre-arranged sum, regardless of the hours put into their assignments. This method

also contributes to the agency‟s relation with its clients. It is an extra service which proves

that the agency can be trusted, it helps to build a real „partnership‟.

The agency wants to become a partner of its clients, it wants to establish a lasting partnership.

This way, Rara Avis does not only see to it that clients are satisfied, but it also makes sure that

the clients will think of the company for further HR assignments. To give a few examples,

Rara Avis says that its employees are happy to work on site at the clients‟ location to better

understand the client‟s company, its needs and the way it works. Moreover, each client is

assigned one contact person. This method makes sure that the contact person does not only

profoundly know the company and its working methods, it also offers him the opportunity to

7 Innova Services & Consulting, 2006 and Teampower, 2008-05-11.

build a more personal relationship with the client. During my internship, another sign of this

partnership became eminent. I had to translate a client survey, which is filled out by the client

at the end of an assignment. In this survey, the client is asked to answer a number of questions

about his satisfaction with the work done. Rara Avis uses the outcome of this survey to try

and improve the services it offers and its working methods.

Furthermore, Rara Avis guarantees professionalism. A professional consultant works WITH

the client, advising him in an objective way with respect for confidentiality. Rara Avis selects

candidates with the client‟s company in mind. There has to be a „match‟ between the two

parties. The reports are accurate, clear and presented at the pre-arranged times. Loyalty

towards the client is another important value of the agency. If an assignment proves to be

more difficult than imagined, the consultant cannot give up. He has to keep his promise to the

client and keep looking for the right guy for the job. Deontology and correct treatment of the

candidates are important aspects as well, which I will go further into later on.

1.3.3 Vision for the future

Mrs Coppens is doing research into recruitment marketing and employer branding. She wants

to find out how far Flanders stands in that area and whether clients are open to the integration

of these aspects within the services of an HR consultancy agency. If the results of this

research turn out to be positive, Rara Avis may develop in that direction in the future. But the

research is still in its very early stages. Nevertheless, the agency‟s priority lays with the

current customers, and making sure that they are attended to like they should be. All current

assignments need to be performed and followed up properly. For the moment, the consultants

have enough on their plate just doing that. Consequently, how Rara Avis will develop in the

future is not very clear yet.

1.4 Services

Rara Avis does not offer standard services but specialises in tailor-made solutions. Their

services are threefold: direct search, advertising campaigns and recruitment outsourcing.

Rara Avis‟ core business is „direct search‟ and „headhunting‟. Headhunters operate at the

most senior level, looking for managers and technical specialists. Depending on who gives the

definition, headhunting can be described as „limited to C-level (CEO, COO, etc.)‟ or as „also

includes lower high-profile positions (Senior Consultants, Project Managers, etc.)‟. This last

description is the one used by Rara Avis. Rara Avis does not only look for candidates with the

right qualifications, but also tries to match the candidate to the client‟s employment culture.

Interested professionals and candidates are contacted in an individual and discrete way. This

type of search method enables the company to reach potential applicants, who would not be

reached through other search methods.

Direct search typically follows the following process:

- Information gathering: through a meeting with the client, Rara Avis finds out what

exact profile the client is looking for. These meetings also serve to collect further

particulars about the company and all other relevant information.

- Research: through market research, the consultants make a longlist of potential

candidates and companies where these candidates can be found.

- Contacting: the people on the longlist are contacted to see whether they are interested

in the particular function. If so, the potential candidates are asked to send their

curriculum vitae.

- Interviewing: If the candidate has the right experience and qualifications and if the

client is interested, the candidate is invited for an interview at Rara Avis.

- Presenting: After the interview with the candidate, Rara Avis presents the client with a

report of the interview. If the client still shows an interest, the candidate makes the

shortlist. If so, Rara Avis arranges a meeting between the client and the candidate at

the client‟s company.

Besides headhunting, Rara Avis also engages in setting up advertising campaigns. This

implies that candidates are contacted by means of advertisements in newspapers, specialised

magazines and appropriate electronic media. When Rara Avis uses an advertising campaign,

it most often resorts to electronic media, such as monster.be. Direct search in combination

with this kind of campaign, ensures the largest possible number of candidates.

Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that Rara Avis does not use these campaigns very often.

They used to do so, but scaled it down after evaluating the cost compared to the number of

successes resulting from these campaigns. Moreover, advertisements are not used for every

kind of job, but rather for positions that are not sector-related, such as Management

Assistants. Advertisements in newspapers and specialised magazines are almost never placed,

unless the client specifically asks for them, for instance to try and improve its image as an

employer.

Rara Avis also offers recruitment outsourcing services. By outsourcing its recruitment

activities, a company can improve its core business. Rara Avis offers both full-service

outsourcing, in which it looks for candidates for all kinds of high-profile positions within the

company, and outsourcing of specific expert areas, in which it looks for specific expert

profiles in one area of the company. For this kind of assignments, Rara Avis places a

consultant in the client‟s company for a couple of days, to do the work on-site with more

company particulars at his or her disposal.

Mrs Coppens also forms part of the selection comity of the University of Ghent as an external

HR specialist, and of a remuneration committee of one of the client companies. These are,

however, adhoc projects, and do not belong to Rara Avis‟ core business.

1.5 Clients

The clients of Rara Avis do not belong to one particular sector or area. They consist of

national and international companies, both big and small, which are active in a wide range of

sectors. Some call on Rara Avis because they do not have an HR department of their own.

Others choose Rara Avis because their HR department cannot handle the workload or because

they find recruitment to be a very specialist skill.

The headhunting business does, however, specialise in high-profile candidates for job

functions that are at the most senior level, for instance managers and technical specialists.

Nevertheless, as the agency also offers full outsourcing services, it is possible that Rara Avis

also looks for less high-profile functions within their client‟s company, as long as they are

white-collar positions.

According to the Q*For investigation, 33% of all clients is active in the services sector, with a

focus on logistic consulting. Another 33% is active in the industry. The finance industry takes

23% and trade and distribution takes 11%. 50% of the assignments are for middle

management positions, 25% for self-employed entrepreneurs and 19% for top management

positions. A smaller percentage of the assignments, 6%, goes to less high-profile white-collar

positions.

1.6 Competition

Mrs Coppens claims that Rara Avis does not experience real competition from other

recruitment and executive search agencies, because it is rather unique in what it offers.

Nevertheless, it is wrong to assume that Rara Avis has no competitors whatsoever.

Mrs Coppens is probably right when she claims that temporary employment agencies, such as

Randstad, are not the biggest competitors of Rara Avis. They operate in a different field: they

become the „employer‟ of their candidates whose services they „sell‟ to their clients for a

determined amount of time, they look for candidates for „lower‟ functions, and do not actually

„hunt‟ (look for candidates currently employed in other companies), but match jobseekers

with clients. Still, some temporary employment agencies decide to expand their services with

executive search. Then they look for candidates for high-profile positions as well, next to their

other activities. The difference between the executive search offered by temporary

employment agencies and executive search agencies, like Rara Avis, is that the latter are

much more specialised and can, consequently, deliver a better service than the first: the first

use the same selection techniques for filling vacancies ranging from Receptionists to Sales

Directors, which is certainly not the case for executive search agencies, as these specialise in

higher profiles.

Other specialised recruitment and executive search agencies such as Hudson - De

Witte&Morel (Hudson, 2008-05-11) and Hays (Hays, 2000-2007) are more similar to Rara

Avis. They are paid by the client and, consequently, work primarily for them rather than for

the candidates, and they specialise in higher profiles. Nevertheless, Hudson and Hays offer a

wider range of services, as they also offer assessments. They are both much larger

international players and much better known than Rara Avis.

Smaller players, such as Schelstraete & Desmedt, are specialised in executive search and

director search, like Rara Avis. Just like Schelstraete & Desmedt, Rara Avis focuses on

quality search. However, contrary to only filling management positions, Rara Avis also takes

on lower high-profile assignments, such as searching for Financial Controllers and

Management Assistants.

Rara Avis distinguishes itself from these last few companies by their considerable

transparency: clients and candidates are always kept up-to-date on a regular basis and the

client is intensively involved in the recruitment process. This transparency can also be seen in

the billing principle of Rara Avis, which is a very decisive point for client companies. Rara

Avis charges per hour spent on the vacancy, while bigger recruitment and executive search

agencies ask a considerable price which is charged when a candidate is placed (or in

instalments: when they receive the assignment, when they get to the shortlist stage and when

the candidate is placed), irrespective of the hours spent on filling the vacancy.

1.7 Communication8

Rara Avis attracts its clients through word-of-mouth advertising only. Mrs Coppens

sometimes organises an HR event, in cooperation with one of her clients. If anything, these

events contribute to the agency‟s name awareness. They also offer the opportunity to talk to

potential clients and clients that Mrs Coppens does not see very often.

As Rara Avis depends on word-of-mouth advertising, it is of paramount importance that

current clients are very satisfied with the services. If not, they are sure to share their negative

experience with other businesses who might call on Rara Avis for their HR activities. That is

why Rara Avis spends so much time and effort in communication and partnership with its

clients.

As for the communication towards candidates, Rara Avis uses a wide range of channels.

These days, the internet takes a very important place in communication. For instance,

LinkedIn, a networking website, is an often-used tool for the consultants. As people often put

their cv on the website, Rara Avis can search for the right profile and mail potential

candidates a job description. Postings on alumni websites are also an interesting tool, just as

postings on job sites, such as monster.be. The consultants also often find contact information

on the alumni websites. Potential candidates are then put into the FileFinder database, and

8 Section 1.7 is based on an interview with Mrs Coppens and on my personal experience.

mailed or called to see whether they are interested in the particular position. If they are not

interested, the consultants make sure to ask why and whether they know any people who

might be interested in the job. This is a way of finding potential candidates as well. All

information they can get (current employer, experience, what they are looking for in a job,

etc) is stored in the database, in order to be able to contact the candidates and send them job

descriptions which better suit their expectations in the future. Candidates are also sometimes

contacted through advertisements.

Once the first contact is over, communication, both with the client and the candidates, remains

very important. As mentioned before, clients are kept up-to-date every step of the way. They

are guaranteed a follow-up after a candidate has been hired as well, to make sure the client is

still pleased with the service that Rara Avis performed. Communication with the clients

occurs primarily through telephone calls and emails.

Candidates are guided as well. Mrs Coppens feels that they have the right to be informed

about how well they did on an interview, why they were hired, why they were rejected, etc.

and this within a reasonable period of time. This is a service that is often forgotten by other

recruitment agencies. As Rara Avis might contact rejected candidates for another position in

the future, the consultants are convinced that the relation with the candidates has to be

maintained as well.

1.8 Code of conduct9

The agency has to fulfil a number of regulations enforced by law10

. I will discuss some of

them below:

The consultants cannot distinguish between candidates on the grounds of handicap and health,

nor can they do so for reasons of sexual inclination and age. Male and female candidates have

to be guaranteed the same opportunities, just as candidates of other races.

9 Sections 1.8 and 1.9 are based on the Rara Avis procedure handbook. See section on “Code of conduct” in

appendix 4. 10

Bijlage 2 bij het Besluit van de Vlaamse regering van 8 juni 2000 tot uitvoering van het decreet van 13 april

1999 met betrekking tot de private arbeidsbemiddeling in het Vlaamse Gewest.

The consultants can only collect medical information about the candidates to the extent that it

helps them to determine whether the candidate is capable of the job function and whether he

fulfils the health and safety demands.

If the selection procedure includes a practical test, this test cannot take longer than the

necessary amount of time which is needed to determine the candidate‟s capacities.

The agency can only save the kind of information about candidates that is actually necessary

to find a suitable candidate for the job. This information may only be held if and for the

period of time that the candidate allows. The agency cannot give personal candidate

information to third parties without permission of the candidate.

The agency only accepts assignments for vacancies that exist or will exist in the near future

(for instance, when an employee needs to be replaced). In times of recession, some

organisations want to place job advertisement in the newspaper, while there is no actual

vacancy behind it. That is a form of hidden company advertising. Companies might do this

because it gives the general public the idea that the company is doing well and is looking for

new employees. Rara Avis refuses to take part in such activities.

The candidates have to be kept up-to-date. The transparency rule applies here as well. The

candidate has to know as soon as possible whether he got the job or not. If a candidate is

rejected, he deserves to know the reason why. All this needs to be done in a reasonable

amount of time.

The agency cannot place candidates in situations that are dangerous or risky, or in

environments where they will be subject to discrimination or abuse.

1.9 Deontology

Rara Avis has a clear deontological policy11

. This policy supports the relation of trust that

exists between the agency and the client. It consists of seven stipulations:

11

See appendix 5.

- Rara Avis performs each assignment in a conscientious way with respect for the

regulations.

- The consultants work constructively and expertly at the preparation and realisation of

the assignments.

- The cooperation between Rara Avis and its clients is based on mutual confidence, on

an open and sincere approach of the assignments and on making possible problems

discussable.

- Rara Avis represents its clients in a professional way. As the candidates get in touch

with a potential employer through the agency, the way the agency handles this contact

and represents its client is of crucial importance. If the agency represents the client in

an inappropriate way, the candidate will certainly link that bad image to the client.

- All employees of Rara Avis will keep to themselves all confidential matters that came

to their knowledge while doing their job.

- Rara Avis will see to it that all parties involved will observe utmost discretion with

regard to interested people and candidates.

- Rara Avis commits itself to it that it will never contact candidates that are working at

other clients‟ companies. This is an agreement between the agency and the client and

it is valid up to three years after the contract has been terminated. Moreover,

candidates that have been placed in a company by Rara Avis, will not be contacted for

other clients, unless they do not work there anymore. Rara Avis will also never contact

or accept employees of another client when they put themselves up as candidates for

vacancies at other clients‟ companies. All these commitments contribute to the

relationship between the client and the agency. All the candidates discussed in this last

stipulation, are indicated in red in Rara Avis‟ database (FileFinder). They are „off-

limits‟.

1.10 SWOT analysis

1.10.1 Strengths

In my opinion, the most important asset of Rara Avis, is the close relationship it has with its

clients. As so much time and effort is spent on communication, the clients know what is going

on in every step of the process. They are intensively involved in the recruitment process.

Clients appreciate this very much, which makes them think of Rara Avis for other

assignments as well. Clients do not call on the agency once, but tend to come back when they

have other high-profile positions to be filled as well. There is a lasting partnership.

The transparency offered by the agency contributes to this relationship as well. This

transparency can be seen both in the reporting style and in the billing principle of Rara Avis.

In comparison to other agencies, Rara Avis only charges on a time-spent basis, i.e. based on

the amount of time spent on the assignment. This creates a relationship of trust, which is very

important for future cooperation as well.

As the consultants at Rara Avis are very experienced at what they do, the quality of their work

is guaranteed. They do not only look for candidates with the right qualifications, but try to

find a real match with the client‟s company: someone who will fit in with the company‟s

culture, working methods, and who will get along well with the colleagues.

1.10.2 Weaknesses

As Rara Avis only counts three staff members, two of which are consultants, the agency is

limited in the amount of work it can take on (especially when it comes to outsourcing

assignments). This means that growing as a business is a bit hard, unless Mrs Coppens hires

additional employees. However, this „weakness‟ can be seen as a „strength‟ as well: the

limited amount of staff guarantees a personal client approach. The client is always attended to

by a senior consultant, which is a very strong point in comparison to the competition.

The agency‟s name is not well-known, especially when compared to other bigger recruitment

agencies such as Hudson or Hays. Because of this, most potential clients will not immediately

think of Rara Avis for its HR recruitment. This rather small name awareness is probably also

due to the limited channels the agency uses to promote its activities: word-of-mouth

advertising only. Nevertheless, this „weakness‟ is not experienced as such by the agency

itself. Mrs Coppens says: “The companies that need to know us, do know us.”

Another weakness can be attributed to the HR environment: these days, it is very hard to find

candidates. There is a structural shortage on the market. This means that the consultants have

to keep a close eye on what is going on in the market and have to find the right channels to

contact potential candidates. They have to try and develop these channels and be better at it

than the competition.

1.10.3 Opportunities

Extending the agency‟s services with recruitment marketing and employer branding could be

an opportunity. Time (and particularly the research that Mrs Coppens is conducting) will tell

whether that will be a good idea for Rara Avis.

Updating the database, FileFinder, offers plenty of opportunities as well. The database is a

massive source of information, which has to be kept up-to-date in order to be able to use it as

efficiently as possible.

Mrs Coppens also mentions optimising the service Rara Avis offers as an opportunity.

Although the agency is already very good at this aspect, small improvements cannot hurt.

Increasingly more clients of Rara Avis are international players. This means that the agency

becomes more active in the international market. It offers Mrs Coppens a much larger work

field, which means that the company stands much stronger with regard to the competition.

More and more companies want to focus on their core activities, which leads them to

outsource all other activities, such as HR. This is an ideal opportunity for recruitment

agencies such as Rara Avis. However, as the number of staff is limited, Rara Avis cannot

extend its outsourcing activities. Outsourcing is very time-consuming, as it means that a

consultant has to go on-site for at least two days a week. Extending the outsourcing activities

will thus be very difficult for Rara Avis.

1.10.4 Threats

The biggest threat for Rara Avis is that the company is rather unknown compared to the

competition. Consequently, less employers will think of the agency when they have a position

to be filled. Still, Mrs Coppens nuances this a bit by saying that more and more companies

(even the biggest ones) have a tendency to choose to work with small HR consultancy

agencies for their personal approach, transparency and lower costs that come with these

characteristics.

And finally, the dependency on the economic situation might form another threat. If there is

an economic slump, employers will not look for new employees. Subsequently, there will be

less work for Rara Avis. Therefore, taking on international clients seems a very good idea, as

the economic situation in Belgium is not necessarily the same as that in other European

countries.

2 HEADHUNTING

2.1 Introduction

According to dr. Jack J.R. van Minden (2003, 21), one in four highly educated people calls in

a recruitment agency when looking for another job. In Belgium, probably 500 agencies are

active in this sector, 50 of which are large or medium-sized. Almost half of them have their

offices in Brussels. Each year, together they place 10,000 to 15,000 candidates in client

companies. Some of these agencies are specialised in executive search, others specialise in

other activities, such as psychological selection, management consultancy, training,

outplacement, temporary employment, etc.

The number of agencies increases considerably in times of an economic boom, but it also

decreases significantly in times of an economic slump. The services that these agencies offer,

will probably evolve towards consultancy, as this is a service which is also highly requested

when the economy is not doing so well. (van Minden, Jack J.R., 2003, 22)

Headhunters act as mediators for positions that are often „hidden‟ and „better‟, i.e. generally

interesting and well-paid. However, there are different kinds of recruitment agencies that offer

different kinds of recruitment services. To give an idea, I will give a short overview: (Jonghe,

An De, 2006, 9-12; van Minden, Jack J.R., 2003, 23-25)

- No cure no pay bureaus: these agencies have a large client base with whom they

generally are not in close contact. They send their clients CVs, without asking for

advance payment. The client is charged for the agency‟s services when a candidate is

actually placed (15% to 25% of the candidate‟s first gross income). This way of

working means that the client does not run any risk, because he only has to pay when a

position gets filled. The final invoice stays relatively low and it is an ideal solution

when one is looking for a large amount of employees. However, the client still has to

do the selection work (the client only receives the CVs, and the consultant has not

even seen the candidate, as he thinks that is a waste of time) and there is no

relationship between the client and the agency.

- Temporary employment agencies: these agencies hire candidates themselves and rent

them to their clients. After some time, the client can decide to hire the candidate

himself, after paying a compensation fee. This makes the relation between the

candidate and the agency different, as the agency is actually the employer. The

advantage of this kind of agency is that it offers companies the opportunity to take on

or fire employees in a more flexible way, following the economic trend. Nevertheless,

temporary employment agencies generally have a less qualitative approach: the same

consultant is responsible for finding the client‟s temporary labourers and his

permanent accountant. The same screening methods are used, which has an effect on

the quality of the service. This kind of agency, however, offers a great solution when

one is looking for temporary, low-skilled employees.

- Recruitment agencies: recruitment agencies can be divided into the general agencies

(which look for all kinds of functions in all kinds of sectors) and specialised agencies

(which are specialised in a particular sector or in a particular kind of function

regardless of the sector). Most recruitment agencies are in close contact with their

clients. They visit them to get a better insight in the company and the way it works.

These agencies offer the guarantee that they will find a candidate and they approach

both active (those actively looking for a job) and passive (those that are not actively

looking for a job but are open to a good offer) candidates. These agencies offer a wide

range of advantages: expertise; the consultants take their time to analyse, understand

and fix the personnel problem; quality is more important than quantity, because they

hope to do business with the client company again in the future; less staff turnover in

the agencies which means that clients do not have to explain the corporate culture over

and over again. Downsides are the higher costs (20% to 25% of the candidate‟s first

gross income) and a bit of risk because of the advance payment.

- Executive search and headhunters: they operate on the most senior level, looking for

directors and CEOs. However, some also operate on a slightly lower level, looking for

Consultants and Plant Managers for instance. It often occurs that the headhunters have

once fulfilled the positions that they are trying to fill now. Consequently, they have a

large functional knowledge. Calling in the services of a headhunter means paying a

large amount of money (30% to 35% of the candidate‟s first gross income plus fringe

benefits), waiting a long time before the position gets filled and, sometimes, lack of

specialisation (all management functions in all sectors).

However, recruiters are not always external agencies. Many companies have their own

internal recruiters: specialists employed by those client companies that wish to keep

recruitment in-house. Advantages and disadvantages of internal recruiters will be discussed

later on.

If we take a look at table 1, we notice that jobseekers do not always look for a job in the same

places as employers look for employees. Recruitment agencies and headhunters only take

sixth place.

Table 1: Employment channels for employers and employees

Channel Employers (%) Employees (%)

Temporary employment agencies 109 41

Advertisements 86 76

Informal channels 71 39

Unsolicited applications 67 24

Employment office 58 35

Recruitment & selection agencies / headhunters 41 Unknown

Company website 33 10 (van Minden, Jack J.R., 2003, 17-18)

Not all jobseekers have an equal chance of finding a job through executive search agencies

and headhunters. Table 2 shows which profiles have a bigger or smaller chance.

Table 2: Employment channels for employers and employees

Bigger chance Smaller chance

Top managers Non-graduates

Directors (Board of Directors) Recent graduates / starters

Medium and high commercial positions Craftsmen

Specialists Technical and vocational training (16-18 years)

Superspecialists Scientists

Creative positions Administrative positions

Higher middle management General training / experience

„Booming‟ business Struggling business (van Minden, Jack J.R., 2003, 32)

2.2 Characteristics of headhunters

2.2.1 Who are they12

Headhunters do not have one and the same background. One cannot study to become a

headhunter. Generally, they are highly-skilled (university, sometimes with subsequent master

12

This section is based on An De Jonghe, 2006, 17-19 and van Minden, Jack J.R., 2003, 49-50.

degree) professionals that knowingly choose for that profession. Some have fulfilled the high-

profile positions that they are now looking to fill for their clients. Therefore they know how

the business works and what it needs. Some more characteristics:

- They can have an economic, linguistic, historical, … background.

- They have a broad general background, good communication skills and commercial

talent.

- They can convince people through their knowledge of the sector and their charisma.

- They are good at multitasking and project management.

- They are driven, immune to stress and creative in finding solutions for difficult

situations.

- They have a large network, which they continually try to maintain and extend.

- They are team players.

- They have good assessment capacities and know how to do an in-depth interview over

the phone or face-to-face.

- They know their business (trends, current salaries, etc.).

- They have an insight in the job functions, know what they are about and which skills

are needed to fulfil them.

- They know how to achieve their results, are responsible and do not give up until their

aim has been reached.

Their day consists of updating their database, looking for candidates, updating the website,

interviewing candidates, writing reports, finding out what the client/candidate thought of an

interview, prospecting and visiting clients, drawing up job functions and contract proposals,

etc.

To open a headhunting agency, one has to meet a number of conditions. For instance, the

headhunter has to obtain a competence certificate in order to receive a work permit. Each

search and selection agency that starts up in Flanders has to be recognised by a Homologation

Committee. Only when the advisory board gives positive advice, will the minister recognise

the agency. Other specifications and rules of conduct and deontology were discussed in

chapter 1.

2.2.2 Headhunters compared to internal recruiters13

When companies have a position to be filled, they have to choose whether they will find

candidates themselves with the help of internal recruiters or whether they will outsource the

recruitment activity. Generally, most companies do the recruitment activities themselves,

because they think they can do it faster, better and especially cheaper. Still, external recruiters

offer a wide range of advantages that internal recruiters do not offer. For specialised positions

or positions that are hard to fill, the help of an external recruiter is often called in. A number

of the advantages of executive searchers and headhunters are:

- They have an extensive database with potential candidates (active and passive) and

know how to reach them. They know and work with the latest technological tools to

keep their database up-to-date.

- Headhunters can approach employees of their client‟s competitors (passive). Internal

recruiters can only take these employees into account if they apply for the job

themselves (active).

- External agencies are more effective, as there is no conflict of interest to speak of. For

instance, when a hiring manager in a client company knows a potential candidate, he

might see to it that this candidate gets the position, although he might not be the best

person for the job. That is not the case for executive search agencies, as they select

candidates based on their qualities, and as the final decision lays with the client

company.

- It sometimes occurs that employees of the client company cannot find out that the

company is looking for candidates to fill a particular position (for instance, for top

positions in companies that are quoted on the stock exchange). It is also possible that

the employees cannot find out which people are on the list of potential candidates.

External agencies offer a splendid solution to that problem.

- External agencies can generally work faster than internal recruiters. It saves the

company time and administrative worries.

- External agencies have expertise. They know which recruitment channels are effective

for what type of vacancy, they can write catchy advertisements, have an extensive

database and master the selection techniques.

13

This section is based on An De Jonghe, 2006, 14-15 and van Minden, Jack J.R., 2003, 46-48.

- Specialised agencies also offer a better insight in the labour market than internal

recruiters. It is their key business.

- For internal recruiters, recruitment activities are only a part of their job. They have a

number of other tasks that need to be done as well. For external recruiters, recruitment

is their main activity.

- They know how to convince the candidate through their empathy, enthusiasm and

charisma.

2.2.3 Frequent complaints

Despite the advantages an executive search agency offers, it also happens that client

companies have complaints. An De Jonghe (2006, 13-14) and dr. Jack J.R. van Minden (2003,

42-43) describe the most frequent ones:

- Lack of feedback: both to the client and the candidates. The client wishes to know how

the search is going, how many candidates have been interviewed, when and how many

candidates are coming for an interview at the client company, etc. The candidate wants

to know whether the interview was good, what he did wrong, when he will be invited

for a next interview, etc.

- No high quality: some recruiters (less the case for executive searchers and

headhunters) focus on quantity rather than quality. They send as much CVs to the

client as possible, without trying to match the right profile to the company. The

candidate is their product which they try to sell for the highest price possible.

- Unprofessionalism: recruiters that do not understand the vacancy or the company.

These recruiters can harm the company‟s image, as they are often the first contact

between the candidate and the company and act as the „face‟ of the client company.

- Indiscretion: recruiters that go about distributing CV information in a careless way. In

that case, they break privacy regulations: CVs can only be distributed and kept with

the approval of the candidate in question.

- Laziness and lack of interest: recruiters that do not keep their promises, come late at

appointments, do not make a big effort, etc.

- Wrong attitude: arrogant or rude recruiters that only think about the money and treat

their candidates as products.

- Unreliability: recruiters that post non-existing vacancies in order to boost the

company‟s marketing, and to show how well the company is doing, even when there is

an economic slump.

It should, however, be mentioned that the agencies which receive these complaints do not take

their job seriously. They will probably not exist for a long time.

2.2.4 Misconceptions14

There has always existed some kind of mystery around headhunters. Companies did not want

the world to know that they needed headhunters to find the right employees, and headhunters

did not want to release the names of their client companies. Maybe this has resulted in a

number of misconceptions, the most frequent of which I will discuss below:

- “Everyone who has a large network and a lot of experience can start a headhunting

agency.” There are a lot of other skills that are needed (commercial skills,

communication skills, etc.).

- “People with a lot of empathy are perfect headhunters.” Commercial skills are also

essential, or even more essential.

- “Headhunters try to match the „perfect‟ candidate with the „perfect‟ employer.”

Actually, headhunters try to find the candidate that suits the position and the company

best, given the time, the space and the circumstances of the moment. They know what

the strong and the weak points of the candidate and of the job are, and match the

candidate that can live with the weak points of the job to the employer that can live

with the weak points of the candidate.

- “All headhunters make a lot of money.” Most headhunters charge a fixed and a

variable sum. The variable part is the largest and depends on how well they are at their

job. Only the good ones actually make a lot of money.

- “Headhunters are mediators and are there to help candidates find a job.”

Headhunters get paid by their client companies, not by their candidates. Their job is to

fill in vacancies at their clients‟ company, not to help the candidates find a job.

- “It only takes a telephone call to a headhunting agency, and I get the job.” People are

unaware of the whole recruitment process. Making a phone call might get a candidate

14

This section is based on An De Jonghe, 2006, 15-16 and van Minden, Jack J.R., 2003, 26.

on the longlist, but there is still a long way to go. The actual decision lays with the

client.

- “All headhunters only recruit at C-level.” Some headhunters also recruit for lower

high-profile positions.

- “Headhunters smell talent and quality from miles away.” Good headhunters make

their decisions based on objective criteria.

2.3 Recruitment process: practical side15

Each recruitment process goes through the following stages: identification, selection,

marketing (convincing potential candidates) and risk control (follow-up) (Jonghe, An De,

2006, 38). As the different stages of the recruitment process will be discussed in chapter 3, I

will now particularly focus on the practical side, i.e. what a headhunter needs to ask himself

and what he needs to do in every stage of the process.

2.3.1 Screening of client and vacancy

Before a headhunter starts looking for candidates, he has to make sure he fully comprehends

who the client company is looking for. A meeting with the actual hiring manager is crucial in

this stage, as the consultant and the hiring manager have to be on the same wavelength. In

order to be able to perform an effective search, the headhunter needs to find out the following

things about the position:

- Why does the company have this vacancy (growth, did someone leave, why did he leave)?

- What is the job description?

- How long has the company been trying to fill the position?

- Are there no candidates within the company?

- How has the company already searched?

- Have there been potential candidates with whom the client did not want to work? Why?

- In what period of time does the vacancy need to be filled?

- What will the candidate‟s typical day look like?

- Which wage package can the client offer?

- When is the hiring manager able to meet candidates for an interview?

15

This section is based on An De Jonghe (2006, 64-90).

- Does the client have a list of potential candidates, companies where these can be found or

companies in which the headhunter cannot „hunt‟?

The consultant also needs to have background information about the company. He needs to

understand the company‟s culture and history in order to try and find a good match.

Therefore, the headhunter asks:

- What is the company‟s position on the market (leader, follower, innovator)?

- Who owns the company?

- How large is it (profit, turnover, staff)?

- Is the company quoted on the stock exchange?

- What is its core business?

- Is it a private or a public company?

- Is the company an international player?

- Who are the company‟s partners, clients and competitors?

- Who in the company decides which candidate is hired?

- Which are the company‟s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?

2.3.2 Finding potential candidates

A number of sources can help to find the right amount of potential candidates. In the first

place, headhunters will use their own database, a priceless tool they try to keep up-to-date as

much as possible. Furthermore, they use various free and paying search robots (Google,

Yahoo, etc.) in which they enter key words in different languages. Trends 3000 and news

letters of clients and prospects are useful as well. Of course, year books, alumni sites and

LinkedIn cannot be forgotten in this stage. Headhunters also look at blogs and company

websites to try and find potential candidates for which they can „hunt‟.

To work efficiently, the executive search agency has to draw up a search method and stick to

it. They also have to keep up with new search technologies. As not all these sources are used

all the time, only the most important ones will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.

2.3.3 First screening by phone

The headhunter has to keep in mind that he is the „face‟ of his client‟s company when he talks

to a potential candidate. Consequently, he has to sound enthusiastic, pleasant and positive. He

has to charm his way into the candidate‟s time by using the right words and intonation. This

way, he will also attract the attention of candidates that are not actively looking for a job.

Headhunters should not call a candidate without being prepared. A telephone scenario is a

good tool for that. The caller should always first ask whether the candidate can talk at the

moment. If that is not the case, he should call back at a later time. On the phone, the

consultant should articulate clearly and speak slowly. Speaking in a calm way invokes

authority and friendliness.

Some recruiters tend to be more mysterious than they should be. Consultants should give a

short description of the function and the company, and see how the candidate reacts. If the

candidate is interested, the consultant can suggest to send a more extensive job description,

once the candidate has sent his CV. The consultant should also make sure that the candidate‟s

contact information is up-to-date in the database.

2.3.4 Face-to-face interview

When the candidate is interested in the vacancy and the client is interested in the candidate‟s

CV, the candidate is invited for an interview. For most recruiters, the interview is the only

selection method. As interviews are thought not to be very reliable, it happens that the

candidate is also submitted to some tests. In order to improve the quality of the interviews, the

recruiter can ask a number of questions from which he can deduce certain personal

characteristics. Some questions a recruiter should not neglect to ask are mentioned below.

If the recruiter does not know how the candidate found the agency, he should ask about it. He

should also give some information about the agency and the process. These things make it

possible for the candidate to relax a bit.

To get the candidate talking, the recruiter can say “I see you work at company X”. Later on,

he can use the same technique when asking about the candidate‟s function title. It is an

introduction for going deeper into the subject (“What are your tasks in that function?”,

“Which skills are needed for that?”).

“To whom do you report?” and “Who reports to you?” are two questions that the consultant

needs to ask in order to gain an insight in the structure of the candidate‟s company and where

his place is in that structure.

Furthermore, the consultant needs to ask about the candidate‟s motivation to change jobs.

This is an essential part of the interview, as it says whether the candidate still has doubts, or

whether he only does it for the money.

The interview is also the moment when the consultant needs to find out the personal

characteristics of the candidate. He can do that by asking explicit questions (“Do you have an

analytical mind?”, “Can you discern main and side issues”, “Are you flexible”, “Are you

assertive or rather shy”, “Are you a good listener?” etc.). To continue, the interviewer should

ask questions in which the candidate has to prove his claims (“Can you give an example of

that?”, “How did you apply that characteristic in your previous job?” etc.). Many of these

characteristics are also visible in non-verbal reactions of the candidate during the interview

itself.

Moreover, the interview should also include a section on the candidate‟s wage package. This

is important for the later stage of the contract proposal. If the candidate is applying for a

number of jobs at a number of agencies, the consultant should try to find out which vacancies

these are and which ones the candidate prefers. To conclude, the recruiter should also ask

about references, which he can check as soon as possible after the interview.

What some recruiters do and what should be avoided, is making decisions based on the

infamous „first impression‟ and on stereotypes and prejudice.

2.3.5 Interview between the client and the candidate

A headhunter‟s job also includes guiding both parties towards an agreement, coaching them.

This coaching is needed in this phase of the process. The consultant should tell the candidate

what he should expect, how he should prepare and how he should act. He should also advise

him to ask relevant questions after the interview, which shows his interest in the vacancy and

his motivation.

The client sometimes needs to be coached as well. The consultant can do this by making sure

that the client knows all relevant information about the candidate, etc.

2.3.6 Contract proposal

This is a crucial stage in the recruitment process. As a consultant, one should make sure that

he is practically certain that the candidate will accept the proposal. The consultant needs to

match the candidate‟s wage wishes to the client‟s offer. Before both parties talk about this

subject, the recruiter should make sure that the client will not propose a wage package that is

much lower than what the candidate expects. Generally, the client only has one chance to do a

proposal. If it is not what the candidate is looking for, he will reject the job offer as well.

Recruiters should also try to assess whether the candidate will go back to his current employer

to ask for a pay rise. The consultant can try to find this out by assessing the candidate‟s

motivation. If he only looks for another job because he thinks he might benefit from it

financially, the chance that the candidate will decline the client‟s offer in the final stage of the

process is bigger.

Another reason why a candidate declines a contract proposal is because he is afraid of the

unknown. It is always safer to stay in a current job than to change jobs not knowing whether

one will like the job and one‟s colleagues. Consultants should try and take away the doubts

that candidates have. This is where their persuasion techniques come in. Of course, it is also

possible that the candidate chooses one of the other vacancies he was applying for over the

one that the client offers.

2.4 Communication

2.4.1 How to attract clients

The first contact between the client company and the agency can be initiated by both parties.

In most cases, companies will first try to handle the situation themselves. Only when the

vacancy is too specialised or hard to fill, will they call in the service of an HR consultancy

agency. Of course, when the company has already called in the help of a recruitment agency

before or when the company does not have its own HR department, the step to outsourcing the

HR activity is a lot smaller.

But the agencies can also take the first step. An De Jonghe advises headhunters to handle

prospection in the right way and, more specifically, at the right time. A company that has

personnel problems at this particular time, will be interested in what the agency has to offer.

A company that does not have these problems, will not be interested. The trick is for the

headhunter to present his message as „the solution to the client‟s problem‟.

Mrs De Jonghe suggests contacting a potential client company when the consultant has

received a lead from a candidate or another client (insider information). Consultants should

also make sure that they know when a new manager is appointed in a company, or when new

products are launched, or when a new partnership or distribution agreement is signed. These

are all occasions which might bring with them a personnel shift. At the end of the fiscal year,

there is another opportunity for HR agencies: HR budgets that were not used in the past year,

run the risk of being reduced the next year. That is why many HR budgets are spent in the last

trimester of the year.

It is also advisable to offer the client an extra service to convince him: the agency can offer

research into the reasons why people leave their job, the most recent salary changes, etc. Any

topic will do, as long as it interests the target audience.

2.4.2 How to attract candidates

There are a number of channels through which recruiters get in contact with potential

candidates. As these channels are discussed in 2.3.2 and 3.1.3, I will not go further into them

here.

However, candidates do not always wait until they are contacted by a headhunter, but contact

them themselves. Some candidates also make their chances of being contacted by a

headhunter bigger by making sure that their name is in year books and their CV is on internet

databases. Other ways to attract a headhunter‟s attention is to publish papers one has written,

giving an interview in specialised and general magazines and using the media for one‟s own

purposes. (van Minden, Jack J.R., 2003, 34)

Although the job one gets with the help of a headhunter might be one‟s last, it is still a good

idea to keep in touch with the consultants afterwards. Their services might come in handy in

the future, for instance when one needs to recruit staff oneself, or when one needs the

consultant to keep him informed on the latest trends in the labour market. (van Minden, Jack

J.R., 2003, 160-161)

2.5 The future of headhunting

As companies will start working more internationally, so will recruitment agencies. The

European labour market keeps getting bigger, and so is the competition for highly qualified

staff (and low-skilled staff). Both employees and employers see opportunities in this new

development, as they will not be limited by country borders any longer. And this creates

opportunities for recruitment agencies as well. More and more consultants will start looking

for candidates who will work abroad, both in and outside the European Union. (van Minden,

Jack J.R., 2003, 149-150; Jonghe, An De, 2006, 107)

Furthermore, the HR market is still booming business, but it is getting mature. The number of

new HR agencies that are set up is expected to decrease, while many mergers and acquisitions

will take place instead. Big agencies will extend their services and take over specialised

agencies. Partnerships will be set up between companies that originally operated in different

sectors. (An De, 2006, 106-107)

3 INTERNSHIP AT RARA AVIS

In this chapter, I will discuss my assignments and responsibilities during my internship at

Rara Avis. As promised in the internship description16

, I was “one of the colleagues” and I

had all the same tasks as the consultants, with the exception of a number of crucial activities,

such as the actual interviewing. I contributed to the selection and recruitment process in every

aspect and had administrative, communicative, as well as supporting tasks.

This chapter consists of two parts: in the first, I will describe my tasks as they occurred in the

recruitment process; in the second part, I will go into my additional assignments. For each

task, I will first give theoretical background information. Afterwards I will describe my

contribution to the assignment.

3.1 Recruitment process

The recruitment process can take five to fifteen weeks, or even longer. The different stages

are described below.

3.1.1 Information gathering

Method

When a client company has a position to be filled, they can call in Rara Avis. The assignment

is assigned to one of the consultants, which is either Mrs Coppens herself or Mrs De

Bruyckere. The consultant sets up a meeting with the contact person in the client company, in

which information is gathered about the position itself, the exact profile and qualifications of

the candidates and the client company. The more information the consultants receive during

this meeting, the better they are able to find the best person for the job.

16

See appendix 1.

Personal contribution

The meetings with the clients were done in private, between the consultant and the contact

person, in order to guarantee confidentiality. This is why I was not allowed to attend one of

those meetings. However, the consultant briefed me afterwards so that I was able to draw up a

job description in the next stage of the process.

3.1.2 Job descriptions

Once the meeting is over, the actual process can start. The first thing to do is to draw up a job

description. As client companies often prefer not to be mentioned in the first contact with the

candidate, two job descriptions have to be written for each vacancy: an anonymous one (for

the website) and a non-anonymous one, which can be sent to the candidate when he has

shown an interest in the vacancy. The job description gives information about the company,

the position, the skills required and the general offer. It invites potential candidates to contact

the agency if they are interested in the position. As Rara Avis has international clients, job

descriptions can be drawn up in Dutch, English or French. After a job description is drawn up,

a matching template has to be created, which is a shorter, anonymous version of the job

description itself. This template can be mailed to potential candidates during the first contact

in a later stage of the recruitment process.

Personal contribution

When I first started my internship, I had to get to know the current vacancies (which

companies offer which positions and what is the required candidate profile), the database

(FileFinder), the recruitment process and the telephone system. Once I „got the hang of it‟, I

was able to contribute to the recruitment process. I worked on a number of vacancies, for

which I contributed to each step of the process. For instance, I worked on the vacancy for a

Management Assistant for IBBT and the vacancy for a Financial Controller for VGP.

In the first stage of the process, I had to draw up job descriptions myself. These were in

Dutch, in English and in French. Examples of this can be found in appendices 6 to 19. I got

the information through the internet website of the company and through the information

given by the contact person during the meeting. As Mrs Coppens attaches great importance to

accuracy and confidentiality, each job description has to be read through by one of the other

colleagues. Therefore, it was sometimes my job to read through job descriptions that had been

drawn up by one of my colleagues as well. I also had to draw up the templates for the

mailings. Examples of this can be found in appendices 20 to 27.

Translating the job descriptions sometimes proved to be rather difficult, as I was not yet

acquainted with the particular terminology of the positions. I had to focus on the details as

well and make sure that the anonymous job descriptions did not contain any references to the

client company.

3.1.3 Market research

Method

Next, the consultant screens the market looking for companies that might employ the required

candidate profile. A target list is drawn up of these companies, which is then sent to the client

company for approval. The consultants will first look for candidates in these companies, and

later extend their search to other companies as well.

When that is done, information is collected about the name, job position and relevant data of

potential candidates. The information gathered is completed with other relevant sources such

as the database, alumni books and websites, job sites, the internet, LinkedIn etc. The list of all

potential candidates is called the longlist. In what follows, I will shortly describe each source.

FileFinder database

Over the years, the FileFinder database has grown to contain information about thousands of

people. These people can be looked up on the basis of their job function, their company, etc.

Needless to say, it is a very important source of information. Generally, it is the first source

that the consultants use in their search for candidates. All the information that is put into

FileFinder is in English, in order to guarantee consistency.

Due to the agency‟s deontological code, no candidates that work in one of the client

companies (neither those that have been placed there by Rara Avis) can be contacted for

another vacancy (unless they are not working there anymore). As these candidates can be

found in the database as well, they are marked in red, which means that they are off-limits.

The use of this database saves a lot of time, and consequently money, as one simple query can

result in a list of potential candidates. All the information is centralised and can be consulted

by several consultants at the same time.

Alumni books and websites

Most schools have sites or publish books in which all their graduates are gathered, with

information about their degrees, their contact information and their professional experience.

The consultants can use these sources based on the degree(s) or the year of graduation, which

is done for every search. A few examples are the alumni websites of the KU Leuven, Vlerick

Management School, Ehsal and the alumni books of KVIV17

and Ekonomika18

.

The information on these sites and in these books is not always up-to-date and not always

complete. That is why potential candidates are often sent an email with a short, anonymous

job description, in which they are asked to send us their CV when interested.

The great advantage of these sources is that they assemble all people with the same degrees.

This comes in handy for vacancies for which the obtained degree is important. The downside

is that they are not always up-to-date or complete. Also, not every alumni website is organised

in the same efficient way, which means that browsing through the site can be very time-

consuming.

LinkedIn

Nowadays, LinkedIn19

is another important source of information for HR agencies. LinkedIn

is an online network connecting more than 20 million professionals from all over the world in

150 industries. When joining, one is asked to create one‟s own profile, giving information

about one‟s professional accomplishments, education and interests. It offers the opportunity to

17

Koninklijkke Vlaamse Ingenieursvereniging. 18

All Applied Economic Sciences graduates. 19

LinkedIn, 2008.

find and be found by (former) friends and colleagues. Mrs Coppens and Mrs De Bruyckere

both have a very extensive LinkedIn network of their own. LinkedIn can help to find

candidates through a query, as it offers a list of one‟s connections, one‟s connections‟

connections and the people they know, etc.

Compared to alumni books and websites, LinkedIn is more up-to-date. These days it is

increasingly used. However, it seems to me that it is a tool that is more often used by people

who already have several years of professional experience and less by students and young

graduates. Moreover, the number of inmails one can send via LinkedIn is limited.

Job sites

As I said before, Rara Avis does not always use job sites, such as monster.be. However, when

the client specifically asks for it, they try to get as much out of it as possible. In the first place,

they conduct a search for candidates working at the companies of the target list drawn up at

the beginning of the process. Later on, they also look for people with the required job title, in

the right region and with the right amount of experience, working in other companies than

those on the target list.

These job sites are also a rich source of information. However, as HR agencies have to pay a

large amount of money and only have a limited period of time to consult the site, it is not as

often used as other sources.

Wild hunt

Wild hunt refers to calling potential candidates in companies that seem to be competitors of

the client company. Very often, the consultants do not have the telephone number of the

candidate they are looking for. They then have to call the secretary of the company and try to

find out the potential candidate‟s mobile number, without drawing attention or letting the

secretary know that they are consultants for a selection and recruitment agency. It speaks for

itself that discretion is of paramount importance in this stage. If the secretary finds out that the

caller is a headhunter, he or she will not provide the information requested.

The advantage of wild hunt is that the consultants come into contact with potential candidates

that have experience in the particular position, in a company that is a direct competitor of the

client. The drawback is that calling the same company over and over again can arouse

suspicion.

Personal contribution

The main vacancies I had to work on were those of Management Assistant for IBBT and

Financial Controller for VGP. It was my job to look up potential candidates in all the above-

mentioned sources.

I first did a query in FileFinder. In a later stage, I would send the people whose email address

was known, a template of a job description (an anonymous one in the first contact). I had to

take into account the number of years of experience that potential candidates had to have,

their degrees, the sector they were working in and their job function.

Next, I also consulted the alumni sites and books, such as the alumni site of KU Leuven and

Ehsal, and the Ekonomika alumni book with all Applied Economic Sciences graduates. If the

information found in these sources was not complete, my next task was to find out more

information by sending these potential candidates a template of the vacancy in question, and

ask them to send their CV if interested.

I also used the LinkedIn website and monster.be to find additional candidates. As my own

LinkedIn network is not that extensive, I used the password and network of Mrs Coppens.

Furthermore, the consultants regularly asked me to call companies of the target list to find out

the mobile number of potential candidates. The reason why the consultants asked Miro, my

fellow trainee, or me to do that, was that the secretary on the line might remember their voice

and might become suspicious when they call several times.

3.1.4 Contacting

Method

Once a longlist of all potential candidates is drawn up, the consultants can start contacting

each one of them. If the consultants do not know the candidate‟s telephone number, the

candidate is contacted by mail. If the candidate‟s telephone number is known to the

consultant, the consultant calls him or her. There is a very strict scenario for these telephone

calls which I will discuss below.

When the candidate is first contacted by mail, the consultant sends him or her a short,

anonymous job description, a template. The candidate is invited to send us his CV if he is

interested. If he does so, the CV has to be put into FileFinder and the candidate is sent a more

extensive job description which is not anonymous. If he is still interested and the consultant

thinks his profile matches the position, he is invited for an interview.

When the first contact occurs by phone, the consultants have to follow a strict telephone

scenario, which can be found in appendix 28. If the person on the line is the secretary, the

consultant should never mention Rara Avis. The consultant also has to ask for the candidate‟s

mobile number, in order to avoid having to call the secretary several times. If the same

secretary has to be called a number of times, the consultant has to use a fake name and

company to avoid arousing suspicion.

For reasons of confidentiality, the consultant always has to confirm that he has the right

person on the line and, if so, whether the person can speak freely. If this is not the case, the

consultant has to call back at a more convenient time, which is often after working hours.

When the candidate can speak freely, the consultant gives a short description of the vacancy.

If the candidate is not interested, which is most often the case, the consultant asks why and

also whether the candidate would like to be contacted for other job opportunities in the future.

The consultant also tries to find out information about his current job position, experience,

education, age, email address and mobile number to complete the database. The consultant

always asks whether the candidate knows any people who might be interested in the position

as well.

If the candidate shows an interest, he is asked about his current job position, his professional

experience and his education. When this information matches the required profile, the

candidate is requested to send his CV and the consultant sends him an extensive job

description. The candidate is also requested to call back. If both parties are still interested

afterwards, the candidate is invited for an interview. The candidates that are invited for an

interview make the shortlist.

Personal contribution

As there was no phone connected to my computer, I was not able to call candidates very

often.

My main contacting tasks consequently included mailing potential candidates. In the first

mailing, I sent a short template, in the second, I sent an extensive job description. When I

received a CV, I put it into FileFinder. When the candidate did not send his CV but only the

reason why he was not interested, this information was also put into the system.

As some CVs are very extensive, Mrs Coppens sometimes asked me to mark the most

important passages, so that she was able to read through them more easily. These passages

included name, year of birth, education, relevant experience and motivation. I only had to do

this for one vacancy.

3.1.5 Interviewing and reporting

Method

Candidates that fit the profile and are interested in the vacancy are invited for a job interview

with Mrs De Bruyckere or Mrs Coppens at the office of Rara Avis. In the interview, they go

deeper into the information on their CV: personal information, education, language skills, job

experience, reason for changing jobs, motivation, personal characteristics and remuneration

package. For each topic of the interview, the interviewer tries to get some background

information by asking questions such as: “Why did you choose those studies?”; “What does

your typical work day look like?”; “How would your colleagues or boss describe you?”. The

interview also serves to give the candidate more information about the job opportunity and

resolve any questions he might have.

If the interview went well, a comprehensive report is written. This report goes into each of the

aspects discussed during the interview and also gives a general evaluation of the candidate.

After being read through by one of the colleagues, the report is sent to the client. Based on the

client‟s decision, the candidate will be invited for a second interview at the client‟s company

or will be called or mailed to inform him that he has been rejected and why. If the interview

did not go very well and the candidate proved to be the wrong guy for the job, an evaluation

mail is sent to the client, which is much less extensive than a report, but summarises each

topic of the interview.

Personal contribution

I was allowed to attend most interviews at the office. As some candidates can only meet after

working hours, interviews often took place then. During these interviews, it was my job to

take notes of everything that was said. Afterwards, I had to draw up the report based on my

notes. As these reports are confidential, I am not allowed to include one in the appendix.

However, I included a general template of how a report looks like in appendix 29. Once the

report was finished, I sent it to one of my colleagues who would then read it through. It also

occurred several times that I had to read through a report written by my colleagues.

I liked attending the interviews and writing up the reports and evaluation mails very much. I

was perfectly able to take notes during the interview, as I was used to it after a course of

minute-taking during my translation studies. I also managed to write up the reports based on

my notes, especially for the aspects that did not have to do with the candidate‟s character.

Commenting on the candidate‟s personal characteristics proved to be a bit more difficult, as I

had only seen the candidate for one hour and did not know him. This is probably easier for

more experienced consultants, as they have a better insight in these things. However, as time

passed by I got better at it.

Moreover, I also think I learned a lot from these interviews for myself as well. I now have a

better idea of the things I can and cannot say when I am the candidate in the job interview and

how I should prepare myself for it.

3.1.6 Reference check

Method

It sometimes occurs that the candidate suggests references during the interview. These

references can be checked, which is done by calling the reference itself. This happens as soon

as possible after the interview. Calling up the reference is only done when especially

requested by the client. If so, the candidate has to be notified and asked which references can

be called. This gives the candidate the chance to verify the reference in question is positive

about his work, before the consultants call the reference.

Personal contribution

As the consultant comes in contact with the contact person at the client company in this stage,

this was a stage in the process that I was not allowed to participate in. Mrs Coppens insists

that the contact person is always contacted by the same consultant, in order to guarantee the

close relationship and partnership between the agency and the client.

3.2 Other assignments

3.2.1 Composing alumni book of KU Leuven graduates

As I said before, in the beginning of the recruitment process a longlist of candidates is drawn

up, which consists of people that fit the profile. These candidates are found through a number

of channels: the FileFinder database, LinkedIn, recruitment sites such as monster.be, alumni

websites and alumni books. As alumni sources are a very valuable tool for Rara Avis and as

browsing the alumni websites is a very time-consuming activity, Mrs Coppens decided to

draw up her own alumni book for the KU Leuven based on the alumni website. I had to

browse the site and make lists of all KUL students that had graduated since 1990 in all the

courses offered by the university. I was the only one working on this assignment. Due to the

large number of graduates and my other work, I was not able to complete the assignment. For

reasons of confidentiality, I am not able to include the KUL alumni list in this thesis.

On the alumni website, three types of information could be found about the graduates:

personal information, such as name, address, telephone number and email address;

professional information, such as employer, position, telephone/fax number at work and

sector; and educational information, such as degrees, year of graduation and institution. As

the professional information was in many cases not mentioned on the website, my second task

was to contact the graduates in question to find out where they worked, what professional

experience they had and what their ambitions were. I did this by means of a general mailing

sent to those graduates with an email address. The others were not contacted. In this mail,

which can be found in appendix 30, I first shortly presented Rara Avis. Then, I tried to

convince the graduates to send us their CV, accompanied by their professional ambitions.

Once I received the CVs, I had to put them into FileFinder, so the consultants would be able

to use them in the future.

As the alumni website contained thousands and thousands of names, there were a few courses

that had priority over the others. At the time, we were looking for a BioTech Investment

Manager for KBC Private Equity and I had to first look for pharmacy and biomedical

graduates.

As this assignment was very monotonous and time-consuming, I did not really learn a lot

from it. However, I understand that this is a job that really had to be done as the consultants

otherwise have to spend too much time browsing the alumni website and this way lose a lot of

time.

3.2.2 Translations

During my internship, I had to make a number of translations that were not directly related to

the recruitment process: I had to translate the client survey from English into Dutch and the

telephone call scenario from Dutch into English, French and Spanish.

Client survey

Rara Avis pays a lot of attention to quality control and partnership with the clients. To make

sure that the clients are satisfied with the services and quality that Rara Avis offers, the

agency offers the clients a client survey, which they have to fill in when an assignment is

completed. The survey started with the motivation for conducting the survey and a bit of

information on how to complete it. The survey asked about the client‟s satisfaction with the

consultants‟ understanding of the candidate profile and of the company‟s strategic objectives

and key business issues. It also inquired about the satisfaction with the period in which the

assignment was completed, with the information updates, the quality of the reports and the

briefing of the candidates. The clients were also asked whether our services came up to the

their expectations and whether the consultants met their needs. Finally, they were also asked

about their general appreciation with room for further comments and suggestions. Based on

the results of this survey, Rara Avis tries to improve the quality of its services.

The client survey already existed in English20

, but Mrs Coppens wanted to have a Dutch copy

as well, for those clients who preferred a Dutch client survey. I translated it and afterwards

my fellow trainee made an electronic version of it. The final Dutch client survey can be found

in appendix 32.

Telephone call scenario

My second translation assignment consisted of translating the telephone call scenario that

Rara Avis uses to contact potential candidates. This is a very strict scenario, as the consultants

cannot give out confidential information and always have to make sure that the candidate can

speak freely. If the candidate is interested, a short job description is given on the phone. Next,

he is asked about his training and professional experience to try and complete the information

in the FileFinder database. If the candidate is not interested, the consultant still tries to find

out more information about the candidate and asks whether he knows anyone who might be

interested in the vacancy. My translations of the Dutch scenario can be found in appendices

33 to 35 (English, French and Spanish).

3.2.3 Drawing up letter for graduates

FileFinder, the Rara Avis database, is a very important tool for the agency, which the

consultants use all the time. It contains information on assignments, clients and, most of all,

candidates. The database contains thousands of candidates with their personal, professional

20

See appendix 31.

and educational information, their skills and the assignment(s) they are linked to. Clearly, the

database is a valuable source for the consultants. And it is completed every day when new

candidates send their CV or when interesting profiles are found on the internet.

Yet, the largest part of the candidates in the database already have job experiences, which is

not the case for recent graduates. In most cases, these recent graduates are not yet present in

the database. Mrs Coppens also wanted to complete her database with these young graduates

and asked me to write up an enthusiastic letter addressing them, in which they are given an

incentive to send us their CV. The letter is included in appendix 36.

In the first part of the letter, the graduates were addressed and given a reason to send us their

details. I did this by asking them two opening question (“Wil je graag weten wat er reilt en

zeilt in jouw sector? En dat zonder dat je er iets voor moet doen?”), by shortly presenting

Rara Avis and by saying how the agency could help them. In the second part, they were

informed which information we needed to find the right job for them: education, professional

experience and positions and sectors they prefer. In the case of Vlerick students, they were

also asked about their previous studies. To conclude, they were asked to send us their CV.

Writing up this kind of letter might seem rather easy, but that is not the case. Convincing

people to send us their personal information is not that obvious. Moreover, our aim was to get

as much information as possible to complete the database. Consequently, the letter also had to

address those people that were not necessarily looking for a job at the moment. Particularly

getting them to send us their CV proved to be rather tricky. We had to try and convince them

that the reason why we wanted their information was to help them find a job, while, from our

point of view, we just wanted to complete the database and find more candidates that might be

suited for one of our clients‟ vacancies.

4 CONCLUSION

I look back on my internship at Rara Avis as an experience I would not have wanted to miss

out on. I got to have a taste of the HR sector and the recruitment process and I have come to

like it very much.

What I have learned on a professional level, is that HR consultants take on a lot of

responsibility when they agree to look for the right guy for the job. They have a commitment,

both towards the client and towards the candidates. They promise the client to deliver, within

the agreed amount of time, a colleague that does not only have the right qualifications, but

will also fit in at the company. Rara Avis also agrees to keep the client up-to-date every step

of the way. To the candidates, the consultants promise to keep them informed on how they are

doing. Candidates have the right to receive feedback, which is something the Rara Avis

consultants do not take lightly.

It also surprised me how long it can take to fill a vacancy: it is a process with no immediate

result. It proves that the Rara Avis consultants are not happy with the first candidate they see.

They really want to find the perfect match between the client company and the candidate.

That is a process that can take weeks, even months. It may happen that, after a couple of

weeks, no adequate candidates are left and that the consultant has to start his search all over

again. This takes courage and dedication to the job, which is very admirable.

Moreover, it also caught my eye how well the consultants are able to get an insight in the

candidates‟ character. By asking the right questions at the right time, and by reflecting on

every detail, they can get a pretty good idea of what a person‟s character is like. The

consultants also seem to always know what they can say at what moment. While I still have to

think about that a lot, their years of experience have obviously helped them in that area. These

are two characteristics I admired a lot in the consultants and I would like to get better at

myself.

On a personal level, I have come to the conclusion that I need a lot of variation in my job. On

the one hand, that was what my internship at Rara Avis offered: I participated in the whole

recruitment process, from drawing up job description and making longlists to contacting

potential candidates, attending the interviews and writing up reports. On the other hand, some

assignments, like composing the alumni book for the KU Leuven, were very monotonous and

did not offer any variation. Moreover, I can imagine that some tasks become routine for

consultants that have been in the sector for a long time. Nevertheless, in my view, the

interviewing and reporting stage is different with each candidate, as they each have their own

background, character and motivation.

I also realised that I need a job in which I can see the end result. I have to be able to feel that I

succeeded in my work, and there is no better way to do that than to see the outcome of your

work and hear that the client is satisfied. Placing a candidate in the client‟s company gives a

lot of satisfaction, which is something I would not be able to miss in my job.

Of course, the atmosphere at work is also very important to me. Getting along with your

colleagues and being able to occasionally talk about something else than work, is something I

need as well. And that was certainly the case at Rara Avis, which I am very thankful for.

However, that does not mean that I do not appreciate some peace and quiet during tasks for

which a high amount of concentration is needed.

Attending the interviews will certainly have a positive effect on the job interviews that I

myself will have to go through. I got a better idea of the things one can say and cannot say

and what one has to watch out for. I think I am now better prepared and will consequently be

more at ease when I will be the interviewee.

Another important lesson on a personal level for me, was that I should not take every mistake

that I make too seriously. I tend to worry about my mistakes a lot. What I learned was that

everyone makes mistakes and that it is not always your fault. Consequently, you should not

take it too personally, but learn from them, so that you do not make the same mistakes in the

future.

Although I might like to find a job in Human Resources, I would probably prefer a job in an

HR department of a company. A job like that would offer even more variation, as the

employees of an HR department do not only recruit people but also try to please their current

staff and have several other HR tasks as well.

The Multilingual Business Communication course was helpful in a number of ways. My

language skills came in handy as I had to use English on a daily basis: job descriptions and

templates are often drawn up in English, candidates from other countries were contacted in

English and all information had to be saved in the FileFinder database in English. As none of

my colleagues liked assignments in French, I also got to use my French skills when drawing

up French job descriptions or when translating the telephone call scenario into French.

MTB also made me used to working with deadlines. The good thing about my internship was

that I got a lot of assignments with their own deadlines, and that I was able to organise them

myself. I had to make sure that I delivered the assignments in time, and I really enjoyed

having that responsibility.

The employer branding investigation that I conducted for Siemens came in handy in my

internship in a Human Resources environment. It so happened that Mrs Coppens was

conducting an employer branding research of her own, and that one of the clients was

particularly interested in the results of our investigation.

The many company visits during this past year were a treat as well. I thought and talked about

them on many occasions during my internship. It was very interesting to see how these

companies conducted business and what their philosophy was like. As one of my colleagues

did a lot of company visits and on-sight assignments during her years in the HR sector as

well, it was nice to compare experiences in that area.

What I somewhat missed in the MTB course was a slightly higher focus on Human

Resources. A lot of attention went to advertising and Public Relations, and the HR field was a

bit left out. Although the two recruitment sessions were a welcome variation, they seemed not

specifically aimed at an MTB audience. Particularly the assignment proved to be a bit

pointless and not related to the sessions themselves. I would certainly keep the recruitment

sessions, but maybe with a higher MTB focus and a more practical assignment.

In brief, I am very happy with my choice to have studied an extra year of Multilingual

Business Communication and with my decision to do an internship in the HR sector. I feel

like this might be the sector in which I would like to find a job. Therefore, I would again like

to thank Mrs Coppens for giving me the opportunity to gain a first experience in Human

Resources.