Job-hunting: a real-life example

A woman dropped out of a well-known employment agency due to stress-related symptoms. For as many as 10 years she had been employed by this large organization. By now she was a seasoned in the HR profession. Somewhat surprised I was by this application. A senior recruiter and HR expert who needed help finding a suitable job. I scratched myself behind the ears for a moment. Curious, I called the candidate to make an appointment for an intake.

During the intake, much became clear to me about this woman's profile. It was not so much the inability to find a suitable job that would match her qualities and years of experience. It was as she herself called "the snags and eyes" of her disability that she needed to take into account in a new position at that time. She was looking for an office job but indicated she was open to almost any alternative suitable option. She preferred the Healthcare industry because she was very familiar with staffing here.

In a new organization, hours should be very dosed and phased to build up. Desirable is a place without too many interruptions, deadlines and high work pace. I started by searching in her region from my own network. The thinking behind this was that an organization familiar to me would understand the candidate's situation better. Not too large an organization but one where she would be of added value without creating pressure.

class="lazyload

After two days of calling, I encountered a P&O employee from a small home care agency. At the moment there was no interest according to her. There was a lot going on in the organization. A merger with another party, with the accompanying problems they had a lot to arrange in the HR department. There was no room for a new colleague to be inducted. As a Jobhunter, I like to speak up, to recommend a candidate to a new employer. But equally important is listening to what the other party is saying, partly because I am genuinely interested in what is going on in the job market but also to take advantage of opportunities. And here I saw an opportunity. I asked for the phone number of the head of P&O and the next day I had a call-back appointment.

I had a very open and pleasant conversation with head of P&O. She outlined situations that worried her about merging the organizations. At the other party, the HR department was, as she herself described it, a big mess. Because the organization itself had operated on a small scale for many years, she was afraid that there was not enough knowledge to manage this. And that is precisely where my candidate could provide perfect support! I highlighted the candidate's resume and told her that she was looking for an organization where she could expand hours over time. This would fit perfectly with the future vision of the organization. An introductory interview followed with the candidate.

Two weeks later, I received a call from an enthusiastic candidate. She had been hired at the organization! She would start next month as an HR employee and would provide support for the merger that would take place, starting with 12 hours a week. We are now a year on and Ms. Laan was able to contribute her knowledge to a pleasant transition of the two organizations. She is now employed for 24 hours and hopes to be employable for 32 hours in the future. She feels at home in the organization and experiences no stress in her position because of her background and expertise.

- Cassandra Tas
Jobhunter