Top talent should be offered the scope to grow professionally as recruitment company Unique knows only too well.

Finding the right expat workers is a challenge, holding on to them even more so, especially in the current job market, and recruitment organisation Unique are meeting this challenge.

Momentive Specialty Chemicals and Unique Multilingual are working in close cooperation to meet this challenge.

A soft landing for expat workers

Momentive Specialty Chemicals BV employs almost 7,000 people around the world, 300 of whom work at the European head office in Pernis. “Many corporate functions are concentrated here, including account management, customer support and various financial functions”, says Beatrijs van Rijckevorsel (Corporate Recruiter). “These functions involve daily contact with colleagues and customers around the world, not all of whom speak English. The language used is also highly technical. So having adequately qualified native speakers is vital. More than one-fifth of the people here are expats, representing all European and several Asian languages.”

Quality scarce

To find well-qualified expats, Beatrijs often consults Unique Multilingual. “They have an extensive network, which is essential. Especially now that we seem to be emerging from recession, good candidates are few and far between.” Unique Multilingual General Manager Michiel Drenth agrees. “Quality is becoming ever more scarce, and the top candidates know they can afford to choose. We expect this trend to become more and more pronounced, and are developing strategies to anticipate it.” A company’s corporate image is becoming more crucial than ever, Michiel emphasizes. “You might say that is primarily Momentive’s own responsibility. But I think we also have a role to play. It’s our job to make sure candidates understand and appreciate that corporate image. That’s one way for us to help Momentive achieve its goals.”

Finding their place

Finding candidates is not enough, though. Holding on to them often proves even more of a challenge. Research shows that between 30 and 40 per cent of expat workers in the Netherlands leave the country – and their contracts – prematurely. At Momentive, that figure is considerably lower, Beatrijs says. “Our international colleagues generally feel at home here. Dutch culture doesn’t put them off. That’s partly because they have plenty of expat colleagues with whom they can exchange valuable experiences. And Unique Multilingual also helps them to find their place in Dutch society.”

Michiel Drenth confirms that as well as providing (language) training and coaching, helping people to develop ‘cultural awareness’ is a prime concern for Unique Multilingual. “That starts with seemingly simple things. For example, people are often surprised at how difficult it can be to open a bank account. By helping them with such practical things, we provide a ‘soft landing’ for people who have moved to the Netherlands.” On another level, Unique Multilingual manages to ‘bind’ people by offering them a contract. “That gives candidates the security of a contract, while employers have less reason to fear that a good candidate will be lured away by competitors.”

Playing to ambitions

Unique Multilingual is aware that expats are generally ambitious. “It’s our responsibility to make sure they don’t find themselves in a position without career perspectives. That’s why we focus on companies that offer candidates room to develop,” says Michiel.

Therefore, in addition to finding and binding people, a third goal for both Momentive and Unique Multilingual is to keep them interested. “During a recession, good employees are likely to stay put”, says Beatrijs. “But now that the economy is recovering, they are more likely to look for other opportunities. We have to make sure we offer them enough incentives.” According to Michiel, the strongest incentives are those that appeal to the candidates’ ambitions. “Expats are generally ambitious people, with clear professional goals. We need to offer them a place with companies like Momentive, where there’s enough scope for them to grow and develop.”

Making the right match

For Unique Multilingual, a close working relationship is crucial to finding the right candidates. “When our Unique Multilingual consultant visited Momentive for the first time, I noticed she knew and greeted all our expat colleagues”, Beatrijs recalls. “That’s a good sign: it shows personal involvement.” Michiel emphasizes that Unique Multilingual can’t afford to be seen as merely dealing in CVs. “Our goal is to represent Momentive in the job market. In a way, we’re a specialized extension of their HR department. That means we need to be thoroughly familiar with the company, its values and unique selling points. We need to know and understand a client’s business in order to offer real added value, and to help Momentive achieve its ambitions.”

 UNIQUE
www.unique.nl/