Trainee Stephanie Prins knew nothing about telecommunications before she began. “During the traineeship I learned a lot about the technical side, but I was also able to follow several recruitment courses, all of which were hugely informative. This is an ideal start to a career in recruitment.” Daisy de Laat, another trainee, agrees that the traineeship is informative and also a lot of fun. “Once we accompanied people who had been placed by us to see exactly what they did. Before we knew it we were standing on a block of flats with a site engineer!”
When Decom began the recruitment traineeship for promising starters in 2014, its aim was to set up its own recruitment centre and train the best recruiters itself. This represents a continuous investment in new people in order to sustain Decom’s strong growth. As the first trainees are currently in their final phase, this is a good moment to look back and to look ahead.
Although recruiters may come from any background, not everyone is suitable for the function. Danny Poelen, recruitment manager at Decom and responsible for the traineeship, states, “For example, you may have a perfect candidate for a particular vacancy, but the job falls through due to external factors. In such cases you have to be able to deal with the disappointment.” In addition a good recruiter must have a practical working mentality, high energy levels, commercial drive and excellent communication skills.
“An ideal start to a career in recruitment.” – Stephanie Prins, Recruitment Trainee
“It is a tough job,” says Danny. The trainees, who often have little work experience, are thrown in at the deep end from day one. They are in charge of their own vacancies straight away – although, of course, they receive adequate support and plenty of personal supervision. The traineeship takes two years and consists of three phases, each with its own tasks, responsibilities, course components and employment conditions. Trainees know exactly what to expect in advance.
“You are given plenty of responsibility from the start.” – Stephanie Prins, Recruitment Trainee
Stephanie agrees that the trainees start working as recruiter straight away. “You are given plenty of responsibility from the start. My first vacancy happened to be a record placement. Within two weeks the entire office was celebrating with champagne on a Monday morning! Of course, things don’t always go as fast as that, but it is a good incentive.”
“It is also nice to see that everyone has different qualities. This makes every recruiter unique and ensures that we have widely diverse characters in our team.” – Danny Poelen, Decom Recruitment Manager
During the traineeship it is important to work together regularly with the other trainees and colleagues at Decom. “We can learn a lot from one another because everyone has different qualities. We evaluate everything in fine detail, so we always know exactly who to approach in order to improve in a particular field. Furthermore we believe in intensive supervision, both on a professional and on a personal level. I therefore have regular discussions with the trainees,” states Danny.
Decom is pleased with its internal training of recruiters. Danny explains, “It is good to see people develop so quickly and for them to experience job satisfaction. The trainees are well received by both candidates and clients. The feedback we have obtained indicates that the trainees perform well with regard to interview skills and professional know-how. It is also nice to see that everyone has different qualities. This makes every recruiter unique and ensures that we have widely diverse characters in our team.”
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