Team up: the manager and the recruiter

We all know IT is a business that will probably never stop growing. The same goes for our IT-department: our Jumbo Tech Campus. Finding new IT professionals obviously is not something the managers do themselves. They can call on their colleagues from HR. This is the story of the cooperation between Soraya, corporate recruiter, and Ad, Team lead and Hiring manager. Find out how they join forces to make sure our teams keep getting stronger.

Setting up a profile

Whenever Ad needs someone for his team, he calls on Soraya. She then goes looking for ways to reach and engage the people that might be interested in this job. She draws up a profile of the candidates they are looking for. And in that profile, you may find practical things like age, the sites they target audience visits, the social networks or platforms they use and so on. But Soroya goes beyond those ‘usual suspects’ and takes so called soft values into account, like their personal drives, reasons to want to work for Jumbo or reasons why they would want to leave their current job behind.

Based on this profile they write the job description together and send it out into the world. In more classic situations the hiring manager would leave all of this to the HR people, but this cooperation works so well because Ad knows all about the needs of his team and the job itself. And Soraya knows all about finding the perfect match.

How would you describe your collaboration?

Soraya: “We get along and work together very well. We know exactly what our individual qualities are and what to expect from each other. We communicate and act swiftly and that’s a big bonus. It’s a very competitive market and we want to stay ahead of the competition. When we find someone, we set up a meeting quickly and talk to the candidate together.”

Ad:” I think we’re a very powerful combination. We each have our own expertise, and we share what we know. But what’s probably even more important is that we communicate honestly and clearly. Between us, we manage the profiles, the processes, and the expectations.”

What makes your job fun?

Soraya: “I get to meet and talk to lots of different people from all over the world. And there’s nothing more satisfying than matching a great candidate to the perfect job. There are several types of recruiters, but as a corporate recruiter I’m a sparring partner more than someone who matches candidates to open positions solely on skills and experience. I’m more of an internal consultant, advising the hiring managers and working with them instead of for them.”

DNA Match

Ad: “Soraya really looks at candidates from a Jumbo perspective and asks herself and me questions like ‘will he or she match our Jumbo DNA?’. We can teach someone the skills they lack, but a cultural match is not something you can force. Still, it is very important, especially at our Jumbo Tech Campus. Because it is nothing like any corporate culture I or my colleagues have experienced. You have much more freedom and personal responsibility here than anywhere else. Not everybody is cut out for that.”

Time is not on our side

Soraya: “And to add to that: everything we do, we must do quickly but also thoroughly. We always want to be respectful towards the candidate, so we communicate clearly and quickly. Nothing is more annoying to a candidate than missing information or having to wait for a reply. It’s good to know that Ad and I think and act alike when it comes to recruitment. Because in IT, good people are scarce. It really asks for a different perspective on our job as a recruiter.”

We are proud of our Jumbo Tech Campus Teams, and of our collaboration with recruitment. Finding the perfect candidate is not something you fix in a matter of hours. It takes focus and dedication. Soraya and Ad both share this vision. And that is what makes their cooperation both fun and successful.

Let’s make IT amazing together.