“Good employees are the backbone of a company.” In the age of skills shortages and Corona, this cannot be taken for granted. Nevertheless, business should continue, corporate goals should be achieved, and staff growth should not stagnate. This requires innovative recruiting strategies.
What does recruiting mean?
Originally, the term comes from the military and refers to the recruitment of soldiers. Basically, it is about finding qualified employees for open positions and convincing them of the company.
But in the everyday life of a recruiter, it is often not just about finding the right person for the right job. Rather, we also take care of the company’s foundation and play a significant role in winning projects.
The Tractebel recruiting team
Despite the difficult Corona situation, Tractebel is still active in the market and open for bright minds as well as profound know-how to support the energy transition with words and actions. It is a great feeling to positively contribute to climate change and a CO2-neutral future. We also convey this to our candidates in the recruiting process.
“We” that is Claudia Hammann and Felix Hanreich. Together we form the new recruiting team of Tractebel. And although we are united by recruitment, we work in two different worlds.
Claudia Hammann provides the foundation
I have been with Tractebel for 19 years and have been responsible for Talent Acquisition since March 2021. You could say: “I keep the company running” and look for employees for our fundamental tasks – from accounting and marketing to our energy and water departments and the business development.
People submit their application who are looking for a permanent position and who intend to work for a company in the long term. These can be temporary or permanent contracts.
What particularly appeals to me about my job? Every day I meet new people who have made it their passion – to actively working towards a better future – their profession. It motivates me a lot to shape careers and to build up our team with interesting personalities.
Felix Hanreich takes care of the projects
I have been responsible for freelancer recruiting since October 2021. And even though I have only been with the company for 3 months, I already know Tractebel and the working togehter with Claudia very well. Originally, I came from the field of personnel management and already looked after Tractebel as a client. Which means, I am quite familiar with the other side of people business.
But what does it actually mean to recruit freelancers and how is it different from Claudia’s work? A freelancer is a self-employed person who carries out orders and projects for a company on his or her own account. In concrete terms, I am looking for professionals who can support us for a certain period of time within a specific project and a specific task. Unlike in Claudia’s field, however, these colleagues are not permanent employees.
Knowing exactly WHO can do WHAT in the market and HOW we can make the most of it, is my core task. I organize specific know-how for our projects. My work contributes to the individual fulfilment of our clients’ needs. So, I am not only the direct central contact for our freelancers, but I also work closely with our project managers and executives in an advisory capacity.
Rarely have I been able to get so directly involved in important areas – I really enjoy that. It’s also exciting to see how truly colorful project teams are created across departments with freelancers and permanent experts.
Our challenge
Even though it feels like we work in two different worlds, we face similar challenges. On the one hand, there is of course the changed work situation due to Corona – New Working in the New Normal.
On the other hand, it is important to stay up to date, because we know: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” (Henry Ford). This applies in particular to addressing potential employees, because the fast pace of our everyday lives is also reflected in recruiting. It is no longer enough to communicate vacancies via job boards or newspaper advertisements. We have to show presence on the usual social media channels, such as LinkedIn. What new projects are coming up and what moves us?
There will always be individual vacancies and project roles that need to be filled quickly. But especially in the freelance sector, a good network is important. Experts and engineers want to get in touch with us at an early stage and stay connected with us.
Due to the increasing shortage of skilled workers, applicants are also making completely new demands on their employer, such as flexible working time models and mobile working, regular further training and development opportunities or a better work-life balance. We react to this and respond to the needs of applicants and employees as individually and flexibly as possible.
Last but not least, it defines a good recruiter to be able to adapt flexibly to the situation in the company as well as on the personnel market at any time.
Why recruiting concerns us all?
We often spend more time at work than at home. Therefore, the working atmosphere plays a big role. We all want colleagues with whom we can work together. The call for a sense of purpose and joy at work is getting louder and louder. Why? Perhaps because money alone does not make you happy.
Of course, we are aware of this and include this factor in the demands we make on our applicants. In addition to professional skills, we also pay attention to the soft skills of our applicants and question their motivation to work for our company. But the market is highly competitive. Therefore, we can all contribute.
Support us in this task and in shaping the working atmosphere. Help us to profile Tractebel as an attractive employer.
Ask your network – you will be surprised how many people are looking for a new job. We are happy about every application!
We are all ambassadors for our company!