Category: Industry

Recruiting in the Industry sector in the coming months? Be Agile and Fast!

A few weeks ago, expert members of InterSearch Worldwide’s Industrial Practice Group met in person in Paris, hosted by the French member of InterSearch, Grant Alexander to make a global assessment of the industrial recruitment market, sharing thoughts and views. Here are the main findings of this analysis we performed and to which other InterSearch industrial experts from around the world also contributed:

Candidate-Driven Market

This may not be a reassuring thought for the reader, but the candidate-driven market is not a phenomenon limited to 1 country or 1 region. Across the world, all experts make the same assessment: candidates have more options and are therefore in a position of strength, to demand higher salaries as well as other perks related to work-life balance. They are also way pickier when it comes to company culture. This leads to growing difficulties in filling positions: senior management roles in industries like engineering and technology are particularly affected, as well as middle-management roles across all subsectors. Johanna Horn, at InterSearch Germany, observes:

“For the younger generation (candidates up to the age of 40), values have changed. Relocation, frequent business travelling requirements, the number of office days etc. have become show stoppers, as work-life balance or just more time with the family have become more important.”

This tight market makes it difficult for companies to find suitable candidates, sometimes forcing them to simply give up and think of other ways to achieve a project.

 

 

Focus on Sustainability and CSR

Portrait of Michéal CoughlanCompanies across multiple regions are increasingly prioritizing sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Candidates, especially the younger generation, consider a company’s attitude towards sustainability and values when making career decisions. This shift emphasizes the need for companies to integrate sustainability into their business plans and actions and communicate them effectively to attract and retain talents. And since all companies are now moving on the subject, those with the most visible commitment will make the difference. Fortunately, governments are also stepping up their commitment to sustainable development. Micheál Coughlan, at InterSearch Ireland:

“Our country is making a strong push towards sustainability, with initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, invest in renewable energy, and promote green technologies. This trend is expected to continue and create opportunities in the clean energy and sustainability sectors.”

See InterSearch’s article on Sustainability-related recruitments, here.

Impact of Digital Transformation

Digital skills and IT expertise are in high demand across industries, which have seen an increase in automation, robotization of their processes, globally. ERP, CAM, WMS software have become widely adopted, even in the most traditional industries, and call for experts to ensure maintenance and developments. The shortage of talents in this field favors the growth of parallel businesses, which provide industries with a wide range of IT-related services: training, software development, externalized maintenance, cyber-security…

Sector-Specific Trends

In addition to local specifics (slowdown of the Technology sector in the US, high growth potential of the semiconductor industry in India, Aerospace rebound in France…), most markets witness a significant increase in the Renewable Energies sector, encouraged by government policies (see above).

Jay Yoo Brisk & Young Company Leader“In Korea, the battery industry’s upstream and downstream sectors, including materials, manufacturing processes, and recycling, are experiencing growth, leading to a substantial demand for related experts” comments Jay Yoo (InterSearch South Korea).

The same observation can be made in many countries in Europe (Norway, France, Ireland…), where numerous projects of wind farms, PV fields, hydrogen production facilities are deploying, arising the need for engineers and experts.

 

 

Outlook

Unfortunately, there is no sign of a calm-down in the coming months, and the war of talent will probably intensify. Most InterSearch partners expect a structural talent shortage in all traditional roles, which will worsen with the emergence of new roles (digital, cyber, CSR…). Frequently engaged in several recruitment processes at the same time, the candidates will remain unpredictable and highly unreliable, leaving the outcome of your process uncertain until the end of the onboarding!

“In this context, the value of Executive Search firms has never been so clear. Our role has shifted somehow: it’s not only about finding the right talent and assessing hard-to-find soft skills such as Initiative, Adaptability, Engagement…, but it’s also about advising our clients on how to react, training them on the best way to lead a recruitment project and to discuss with potential employees, whatever the level.” – summarizes Godefroy De La Bourdonnaye, Head of Industrial Practice Group of InterSearch Worldwide.

 

Here are some tips from InterSearch partners:

  • Once you have a candidate secured for a 1st interview, be fast and give information on the process. According to Greg Harper, from InterSearch USA, “if the client is not prepared to move quickly and transparently, candidates quickly lose interest” and dropout. Frequent touch points are essential to keep the candidates involved in the process.
  • Rethink your recruitment processes: be ready to tailor the job for the candidate, adjusting the content and the prospects to his/her expectations, and not the other way around. Improve the candidate experience and make the difference, including a visit of the plant / headquarters at some point during the process, or even offering a 1-day immersion! Stick to the WYSIWYG motto: What you See Is What You Get!
  • Give an international dimension to the search, don’t limit yourself to your own territory. Some countries (i.e. Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates) are already used to go looking for expatriate profiles, worldwide. Ask your local InterSearch contact for more information on our cross-border solutions!
  • As an employer, be ready to state your company’s Why? It does make a difference with candidates looking for a purposeful job.
  • Work on your onboarding, to secure your new employees. But the job of securing the employee’s future begins even before he or she takes up the position, during the notice period with his or her previous employer! During this period, anything can happen: the profile may be bought out by the employer, he/she may change his/her mind, he/she may accept a better offer… Find excuses to stay in touch!

Contact the Industrial Practice Group experts of InterSearch worldwide.

About Intersearch

InterSearch Worldwide is a global organization of executive search firms consistently ranked amongst the largest retained executive search practices in the world. InterSearch is currently operating with over 90 offices in more than 50 countries, able to operate in 70+. Established in 1989 in the UK, InterSearch carefully selects the best executive search firms to partner with as a member of a global entity with high integrity, transparency, and depth of experience. InterSearch prides itself on having a global reach with local impact.

InterSearch Worldwide’ s first in-person Industrial Practice Group convention in Paris

In late April, the industrial segment experts of InterSearch Ww convened in the beautiful city of Paris, France for a two-day knowledge exchange.

This gathering provided an opportunity to share best practices in executive search, ensuring the delivery of the highest quality service to InterSearch Ww’s clients across the globe through international assignments.

Hosted by Godefroy De La Bourdonnaye, Head of Industrial Practice Group of InterSearch Ww, the event also featured a round table discussion with representatives of clients of Grant Alexander -InterSearch Member of France: Charlotte Delmas, HR Director at Datawords and Alain Everbecq, Senior Executive at Poclain.

In the course of the discussion, InterSearch delegates from 10 countries across Europe, Middle East & Africa provided market intelligence while the guests present also shared their perspectives, current challenges and expectations resulting in a dynamic exchange of insights and ideas.

Be sure not to miss out on the upcoming article that participants of the Paris Industrial Practice Group meeting are preparing based the key learning of the event by following InterSearch Ww on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter).

About Intersearch

InterSearch Worldwide is a global organization of executive search firms consistently ranked amongst the largest retained executive search practices in the world. InterSearch is currently operating with over 90 offices in more than 50 countries, able to operate in 70+. Established in 1989 in the UK, InterSearch carefully selects the best executive search firms to partner with as a member of a global entity with high integrity, transparency, and depth of experience. InterSearch prides itself on having a global reach with local impact.

 

About Grant Alexander

For over 30 years, Grant Alexander has been a partner in the performance of organizations and their leaders, providing them with comprehensive support for all their skills management and development needs, always with a tailor-made response. A multi-specialist HR consulting and services group, with 4 activities (Executive Search, Executive Interim, Leadership Development, HR & Organization Transformation), it operates in all sectors, on all functions (managers/experts /rare profiles), throughout the world. It has several offices in France (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Toulouse), an office in Abidjan for Africa, and is an active member of InterSearch, of which it is the exclusive partner in France. A socially committed player, Grant Alexander is Lucie 26000 certified.

French Member of InterSearch Ww – Grant Alexander to host the International Meeting of Industrial Experts in Paris

The Industrial Practice Group of InterSearch Worldwide, is holding a 2-days international meeting to exchange market knowledge and develop common projects.

“Grant Alexander has been the French partner of InterSearch for one year now, and hosting this first In-Person meeting of the Industrial Practice Group in France, an industry territory, is an honor for us. Grant Alexander is very happy to contribute to the organization of this event and to welcome its partners. I am convinced that the discussions will be fascinating and that this time together will help to create more links and trust, to develop synergies within the network.” – Says Henri Vidalinc, President of Grant Alexander, French member of Intersect Worldwide.

The discussions will be led by Godefroy De La Bourdonnaye – Global Leader of Industrial Practice Group at InterSearch Ww, Regional Director of Grant Alexander:

“With representatives from 10 partner countries, this meeting will allow us to better understand the specificities of our markets and the trends in recruitment in the industry.

By sharing our analyses and best practices, we will develop our expertise and our ability to support our industrial clients in all their international projects, always with the highest level of quality, whether in terms of relationships, consulting, or services, anywhere in the world.

I am looking forward to bringing together the partners of the Industry Practice in this magnificent city of Paris and to contribute to strengthening our beautiful InterSearch network!”

About Grant Alexander

For over 30 years, Grant Alexander has been a partner in the performance of organizations and their leaders, providing them with comprehensive support for all their skills management and development needs, always with a tailor-made response.

A multi-specialist HR consulting and services group, with 4 activities (Executive Search, Executive Interim, Leadership Development, HR & Organization Transformation), it operates in all sectors, on all functions (managers/experts /rare profiles), throughout the world. It has several offices in France (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Toulouse), an office in Abidjan for Africa, and is an active member of Intersearch, of which it is the exclusive partner in France.

A socially committed player, Grant Alexander is Lucie 26000 certified.

About Intersearch

InterSearch Worldwide is a global organization of executive search firms consistently ranked amongst the largest retained executive search practices in the world. InterSearch is currently operating with over 90 offices in more than 50 countries, able to operate in 70+. Established in 1989 in the UK, InterSearch carefully selects the best executive search firms to partner with as a member of a global entity with high integrity, transparency, and depth of experience. InterSearch prides itself on having a global reach with local impact.

 

Three trends our team is currently seeing in the industrial space

by Bryce Koonts and Taylor Rouse

As the US partner of Intersearch, Charles Aris continues to place executive-level talent across the engineering, operations and supply chain spaces, they’ve become cognizant of emerging trends across the industrial landscape. As we come to the close of Q3, here are three major findings that may help you prepare for the remainder of 2022.

Hiring is on track despite recession concerns

While leaders across industries have speculated over a possible recession, we’re not seeing any notable indications of one to date. Hiring among industrial organizations has continued to be quite robust, and while we have seen a few sectors stabilize to some degree, we haven’t experienced any hiring freezes, which would historically indicate the beginning of a recession.

Supply chain continues to pose challenges, but organizations have learned to adapt

Many organizations continue to face issues that were exposed at the height of the pandemic, but these problems are no longer dominating the landscape. This is largely due to adaptations within organizations themselves, where leaders have gotten a better handle on managing expectations. Informing customers and clients of the higher cost of production and potential shipping delays has reduced sensationalism around these issues by giving everyone a realistic idea of the cost and time behind shipping and importation.

Organizations are demonstrating flexibility when hiring

While the experience required to fill top engineering, operations and supply chain roles is generally uncompromising, having a background in a relevant industry has become secondary to exceptional adaptability and/or process improvement skills. Organizations aren’t necessarily interested in candidates from completely opposite industries, but someone with the ability to evaluate operations and adapt to dynamic industry changes is becoming a more valuable asset than someone with experience in a specific industry.

The takeaway

We haven’t witnessed any transformative changes like we saw in the last two years taking place in 2022, but we have seen the industrial space begin to stabilize. Overall, hiring is staying steady, organizations are better equipped to deal with supply chain issues and our team remains optimistic about the immediate future.

 

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Multiple growth in 2 years – How does InterSearch members collaborate on an international executive search project?
Successful searching for a President to a manufacturing company responsible for several markets

Joint project of InterSearch Russia and InterSearch Europe.

Natalya Chuiko, Department Director at Kontakt InterSearch Russia, Project Manager, describes the challenges of the international assignment and the positive conclusion.

Case

An international family-owned manufacturing company had a need to select a successor for the presidency, who would be in charge of the Eastern European macro-region. The new leader had to fulfill the task of increasing the market share in these regions, as well as quickly, smoothly and efficiently launch local production. This multinational company headquartered in Europe is a global client of InterSearch in various countries.

The main challenges

It was important for the client to see an expat in this role. On the one hand, the candidate had to have experience in innovative businesses and be adept at the best western business practices. It was also agreed that he or she would participate in the work of the European industry association. On the other hand, it was important that the manager had an excellent understanding of the Russian market, understood the mentality and also spoke Russian, because for the tasks assigned it was required to communicate with specialists who did not speak foreign languages well.

The area of responsibility of the new director assumed a huge scale. The segment in which the company operates is narrow and requires work experience in leading companies with similar specifics. All these conditions made the search incredibly difficult: it turned out that there were only a few candidates on the market who could qualify for the position.

Project progress and details

The entire project took 8 months from the start of negotiations with the client. The consultants conducted a careful and scrupulous search for candidates who could meet all the stated requirements. As a result, the team managed to get to know the head of the Russian branch of a large international company and introduce him to the client.

As an expat, the candidate was fluent in Russian, had a vast strategic experience and industry knowledge. But most importantly, he fully shared the family values of the company, which declares honest relationships and attention to employees.

An important point was the negotiation of a motivating compensation package with the candidate, for whom it was important to maintain the usual level of income. In addition to paying for housing, as well as extra benefit (driver, insurance, etc.), the social package included compensation for the education of the candidate’s children, which constituted a significant part of his annual income. By agreeing to take over the tuition fees, the employer reaffirmed the company’s focus on people and family values. Such a caring attitude of the employer persuaded the candidate to take the offer. Thus, the social package in the first year amounted to almost 10.5 million rubles.

Result

For the last 2 years after the candidate was hired, the company has been demonstrating multiple growth and increasing dynamics, overtaking all market players. The production was successfully launched and became the catalyst for a quantum leap forward. Observing the results, we can safely say that the employer’s multimillion-dollar investment in a key manager not only paid off, but also returned with a huge plus. Today it is a company in which almost all candidates in this segment dream of working.

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