The Internet is the Best Place for Recruiting Talent

As mistakes are costly, employers in Croatia are increasingly turning to companies specialized in human resource management for assistance in recruiting employees.

Written by: Mislav Nekić
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Photo: Željko Jelenski

Employers in Croatia most often make mistakes when hiring for scarce professions. They know that there are few good candidates in the market and will do everything to attract them. In most cases, they hire the first candidate who responds to their ad or comes to them through other channels, without considering their actual professional knowledge. After some time, all relationships within the team deteriorate. In short, the hiring process is much more than just posting ads or responding to traditional ads in the media or leaving information with the Croatian Employment Service. Since mistakes are costly, employers in Croatia are increasingly seeking help in recruiting necessary employees from companies specialized in human resource management.

Sources of Information

The company Selectio specializes in finding managers and strategic consulting in the field of human resources. They have been present in the market since 2002, covering all segments and industrial sectors. When filling higher positions, global agencies engage in active searches known as headhunting. Headhunters are talent seekers hired by employers. Ideally, a headhunter is an expert in a specific field (marketing, finance, IT…). Vera Čubranić, the executive director of Selectio, states that the labor market in Croatia is not large enough for such specialization. The term executive search is more commonly used for those who mediate in hiring. Companies where they are employed recruit candidates by searching their own database, which mainly consists of candidates from previous job postings. Better agencies continuously update this database with resumes of interesting professionals, even when they do not have an open position. After the recruitment phase, agencies select candidates based on their resumes, interviews, and tests. At the end of the selection process, agencies usually propose three or four candidates for the open position, with the final choice resting with the employer.

Discretion Above All

Since managers in higher positions typically do not actively seek jobs, meaning they do not respond to ads, the question arises: how to approach them? Executive director Čubranić says that it is most important to follow the media, as it is the best way to see if someone has succeeded in a project or not, whether they are satisfied, and so on.
– One of the better methods, which is not headhunting, is the daily monitoring of social media – Facebook and LinkedIn, as they can provide a lot of useful information about people. They can be approached easily, and no one will be offended if you ask if they are interested in a conversation. You must sincerely tell them what is on your mind and why you find them interesting. People perceive this as a compliment because they appreciate being seen as experts, says Čubranić.

Recruiting via the Internet in Croatia is much more developed than in many countries such as Austria, Italy, and Germany. Resume databases like the portal MojPosao.net are useful because they show who is looking for a job, and agencies like Selectio also post ads there. It is common for candidates for companies in Croatia to be sought in the global market. In such cases, interesting are Croatians living abroad who intend to return to Croatia. All these people have left their resumes somewhere. For example, on the portal Monster.com, the largest global resume database, there are several thousand Croatians. It is also useful to collaborate with expatriate associations as they know who wants to return to Croatia and have their contacts.

– Business ethics in the work we do must be at a high level. When we send someone for an interview with a potential employer, we must guarantee that no one will find out that they attended that interview. It cannot happen that a manager we sent for an interview is told by a potential employer: ‘Listen, I have a friend I play tennis with, so I will call him and ask if he knows you.’ Also, as intermediaries, we must ensure discretion in every contact with the person we are reaching out to. That is why we do not call them on their official phone because a colleague might overhear that they spoke with us, so we do not send calls to their official email or any control system that someone other than the candidate can see, says Čubranić.

 She adds that the most common misconception is that recruitment agencies can only help employees in high positions. Interns and managers are equally sought after, they say at Selectio. For this reason, Selectio collaborates with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, the Faculty of Economics, the psychology study program, and student associations as potential sources of candidates.

Misconceptions

– This is an informal collaboration. We went to the faculties, introduced ourselves to professors and associate deans, and explained what we are looking for. Today, you can find lists and contacts of students who have just graduated at these faculties, and this is a positive example because faculties are not passive observers but actively place students in the labor market, continues Čubranić.
Whether it is about checking students who have just graduated or people with experience, recommendations are the most important. In an interview with a candidate, an objective impression can be formed about them, but many open questions will remain that the candidate cannot provide an objective answer to. At Selectio, they advise employers, and also ask candidates for a specific job to provide contacts of people who could give them a recommendation. They advise that this should not be an employer or someone close to the company where they currently work.

– Unlike five years ago, when the labor market in Croatia was just beginning to develop and the practice was to attach a written recommendation signed by the company director to the resume without knowing for whom it was signed, today there is direct communication with the person giving the recommendation. Concrete examples are obtained where the candidate was good, suggesting which skills they need to improve, and so on. People have learned that recommendations should not be given lightly because the market is too small; if you present someone as an expert, and they are not, it will come back to you and harm the person who gave the recommendation and the company they represent, concludes executive director Čubranić.

Hunters and Prey
In modern organized companies, the search for talent or very specific profiles of staff is left to the experts in that craft, namely headhunters. All employees looking for a job must be aware that they cannot hire or persuade a headhunter to help them in their job search. However, how and why do headhunters help job seekers? A headhunter, as a link between the employer and the manager responsible for hiring, has very precise information about what is expected from candidates. Some professionals perform their jobs excellently but are not skilled in presenting themselves. A headhunter will help them design their presentation and give them the necessary confidence. It is important for the headhunter that the candidate they propose for a job is truly qualified for that position. Namely, besides achieving a one-time brokerage commission if they fill an open position, their long-term interest is for the employer to be satisfied with the employee and to hire them again based on that positive experience. How to reach a headhunter? There are several ways. One is to ask business friends who their headhunter is. Although most do not have their own headhunter, you can still get quality information from those who have recently been promoted to higher positions in other companies. There is a high probability that their promotion was facilitated by some ‘talent hunter.’ Be cautious because if your superiors find out that you are inquiring about a headhunter, they might interpret it negatively. One creative way is to use the company you would like to be ‘hunted’ by. Choose a few companies you would like to work for. Call the manager who would be your superior and ask them which headhunters they would contact if they wanted to fill the position you are interested in. A smart manager might immediately recognize you as a serious candidate and secure you an interview without the involvement of a headhunter, thus avoiding paying their commission. Some headhunters also have their own websites, and one effective way to contact them is to send your resume to the designated address. Do not insist on a phone call. In one email, you can present much more useful information than in a phone conversation, and at the same time, you will avoid leaving the impression of being an inflexible person who does not value others’ time and obligations through persistent calling. Another creative way is to approach them at professional conferences and gatherings where all serious ‘head hunters’ are present. You will find them on the list of participants and introduce yourself.
(Source: www.moj-posao.net)