All-In Recruitment is a podcast by Manatal focusing on all things related to the recruitment industry’s missions and trends. Join us in our weekly conversations with leaders in the recruitment space and learn their best practices to transform the way you hire.
Transcript
The transcript has been edited for clarity.
The world of recruiting with Line Brøndum Hjorth
Lydia: Hello, Line.
Thank you so much for taking time off to join us on All-In Recruitment. A very warm welcome to you, and I hope you've been having a good week so far.
Line: Thank you so much for having me, Lydia. I’m very excited to be joining this podcast today.
Lydia: Line, you’ve worked across the board – from project management to marketing and now in recruitment. You’re from Denmark, and you spent the last six years in Dubai. So, walk us through that journey towards the recruitment industry. You spent two years now in Sancruit. What drew you to recruitment?
Line: As you mentioned, I’ve been in Dubai for a couple of years now and I’ve been involved in different types of industries. What really drew me to recruitment is that I’ve always, in some way or the other, been working with people, and I just felt that there was something missing when we had to focus on other people’s businesses. So, that was what really drew me into working with both candidates and companies because it is actually such a difficult industry, to match the right talents with the right positions out there.
Lydia: So, you found that there were some things missing. What might these missing things be?
Line: Again, I live in Dubai and in the Middle East. In Dubai, there are only about 10% of local people here, which means that we are mostly expats. There are many cultures mixed together, and coming from Denmark and Scandinavia, focusing on people and the way we treat our employees is so important.
So, I really wanted to go into this and see how we could implement some trends into the market here in Dubai.
Lydia: That led you to have a career as a headhunter today.
Line: Yes.
Lydia: So, what kind of industries do you primarily serve? What might be some of the trends you’ve seen in headhunting within those industries?
Line: So, at Scancruit, we actually focus on all sorts of industries, but are not fully industry-centric, in the sense that we tend to focus more on the position we are hiring for in that industry.
We are sitting around for headhunters in each position to make sure that we’re really carrying this process out formally. This includes sourcing, screening, interview processes, and so on. It can also be anything from the tech industry to the marketing industry, hospitality, etc. It really just varies a lot and especially in Dubai, where there is a tonne of industries to focus on.
Lydia: So, are there any specific ones that you focus on or any that you’ve seen at least some kind of trend in?
Line: Well, recently I have been focusing a lot on the hospitality and tech industry, and what I see for sure is that it is a challenging market. There aren’t many talents out there anymore. I think before COVID, it was very different compared to during the whole pandemic. We had a lot of candidates on the market and not so many available positions. But after the pandemic, the market just boomed so much, and today, it is really hard to find talent, especially within those industries. There is a huge demand.
Lydia: I can imagine. Especially in the hospitality industry right now as travel has reponed and you’re going to have to scramble for talent all over again. But, going back to your point about the people-centric approach to recruitment, recruitment is a people business, as you said, and based on the fact that you transferred from a different background into recruitment; What were your early experiences looking for talent when you started out in recruitment, especially in Dubai?
Line: What I found to be the most interesting thing was that the cultures are just so different. Again, there are around 90% of expats here from all over the world, so it is extremely important that we adapt to these different cultures. We are based in Dubai, but we are working worldwide. So, I constantly have to be aware of cultures and twin trends, both in Dubai and the rest of the Middle East.
For example, we work a lot with Saudi Arabia, which although we are in the same area of the world, but are very different from each other.
“It is extremely important to adapt to different cultures, and that is definitely what I had found to be the most interesting thing when I first joined recruitment.”
Cultural Differences: Bridging Communication Gaps
Lydia: What might be some ways you’ve been able to bridge communication gaps when it comes to communicating with candidates from different cultures?
Line: As you said that we are working with both people and our products, I think this specific phrase is what I use the most because it is so important. We cannot just adapt to people as we can with a product. For the product, we can simply put it into any kind of situation or culture, and it will work out. That’s not the situation when working with people.
Although I come from a Scandinavian culture, it has been very important to me to have a very flat structure within our businesses. We are very straightforward. However, in Dubai, you might need to take a bit of a step back. There’s a lot of respect here, which I have loved to be a part of and learn from that kind of culture.
I think as a recruiter, the most important thing is being able to adapt to the people and not thinking of the situation as a whole, because every situation is different according to every individual.
Lydia: So, being in Dubai, you would have also had to try your best to adapt really quickly to different cultures.
Do you have any examples to share of how you did so practically?
Line: Again, coming from Denmark, we’ve been very straightforward, and we like to get things done. It was all about building relationships. So, I have had to really take that in. In the beginning, I think it was very much about going out and having meetings. I wanted to finalize the deal with the candidates, and get one project done so I could start on another. Whereas, here in Dubai, you have to take more time. You really have to be focused on each person.
So, I’ve been meeting with people, spending the correct time, and not rushing through things. That has been fun, in some ways, because again, we have a mix of cultures here. So many people have had to adapt to who I am as a person and vice versa. I think that’s been one of the most fun things about working in Dubai because you are constantly meeting new people. We often just laugh about this because we clash in so many ways, but at the same time, we can work things out together.
Lydia: Scancruit is a Scandinavian recruitment agency based in Dubai. So, what would you say might be some aspects that a recruiter needs to consider when they build relationships with different cultures? Are there any key steps that they need to take even before approaching a candidate?
Line: Starting from zero, I would definitely say that the most important way of looking at things in an objective way is to begin with in order to be able to be subjective with each candidate. If I speak with a Scandinavian, obviously I will go back to my personal culture. But, each and every time I speak with a new candidate or a new client, I really try and make sure that I understand where they’re coming from.
“It’s about understanding each market, each person, and then most importantly, keeping in mind that the people we are working with are in a vulnerable situation as they are about to make one of the biggest steps in their journey in life at the moment. So, you need to respect them for that, and understand where they’re coming from and where they want to go. Again, it's about thinking about the person and taking care of the person or people that you’re working with. This is very important.”
Crafting a great Candidate experience
Lydia: This clearly links back to the candidate's experience and having a keen awareness of cultural sensitivities. What would you say in this context will be the key ingredients of a great candidate experience?
Line: I think that’s a very interesting question because I think there are so many different ways of looking at this. What I often see here in the market with clients and companies looking for candidates is that they are focusing on their education or the cultural experience. But mostly their education. Whereas for me, work experience is the most important thing.
You can have any sort of education and degree, but if you haven’t used it for anything, then it’s not worth much. What’s also really important is the personality of the candidate. We always used to say that we can have 10 candidates with the exact same CV, but there is that one person who will stand out that you will choose for a specific company. So, being yourself and respecting your individual personality is very important, I believe.
Lydia: In the absence of work experience — let’s take a fresh graduate, for instance, if this person has no work experience whatsoever, then it comes down to personality and an ability to adapt to different cultures. Is that what you’re saying?
Line: That’s one of the things, yes. There’s also the ability to show what you want and that you have this eagerness coming out to the market. So, we are hiring a few fresh grads at Sancruit because we believe that it is important to give them a chance, and we will definitely send them off into the job market with some security in some way.
How we choose those fresh grads is basically looking at the ones that are just willing to go out there and give everything they’ve got to the position that we are hiring them for. So, eagerness and willingness to learn are the most important things if you are fresh in the job market.
The rise of tech recruitment: tackling the challenges
Lydia: On that note, the talent that we’re seeing, especially in the tech spaces, has been either scarce. Some people have been talked about how it’s difficult to find the right kind of talent in the tech recruitment space.
So, having also focused on in the tech industry, what would you say are the top three challenges facing tech recruitment today? What might be the ways to tackle them?
Line: For me, the tech industry is really interesting. It has just flown a lot during the past couple of years. I’ve never seen an industry doing as much as it has in finding the right talents because it’s still so fresh. For us to understand what it is we need, it is still very fresh for candidates themselves to go into that journey as well. There’s just a lack of people in general. That’s definitely the most difficult thing.
Then also, there are only a few candidates to work with, and they are sitting all over the world. So, you have to pull them in from different countries, give them what they want and make sure that you are accommodating them and the company at the same time. It’s very difficult.
The skill set within tech is huge today. You really need to be good at what you do and there are only so few that does exactly what it is that we’re looking for. So, it’s definitely been difficult.
But how to tackle it would be to build your network. We have had to do that with quite a few tech positions. I’d say that we have built quite a good network. We also have offices around the world. So, being in Europe as well as the US and Lebanon and generally being around the world has allowed us to have broad networks. That’s definitely a recommendation.
“Make sure to broaden your network internationally, because after COVID, everything has gone remote, and you can find people from anywhere.”
Lydia: Just add to what you’re saying with COVID; almost every company today is kind of like a tech company because they’ve had to pivot very fast and transform themselves from whatever they’ve been doing into a more digital space using different kinds of productivity tools. This also leads to recruitment, and recruitment is also not unaffected by it. There are plenty of tools that focus on automating the processes and curating may be the most relevant information to make the best decision.
But, recruitment is still very challenging for many people. Why do you think that is?
Line: I think we have so many great tools. For instance, Manatal is a great tool and we actually use Manatal to begin with. We have since then developed our own system purely because we needed to be implemented in our Danish company. So, I think tools are great. I think it creates structure and overview.
It’s really important because we have to deal with thousands of people doing the usual work, right? But, making sure of a good recruiter and know what to do all comes down to who you are as a person, how you interact with other people, and are you able to match the right positions with the right talents.
So, it’s really a mix of having great tools to structure yourself because it’s a very busy industry, and you will lose out if you don’t have anything to structure yourself with. But then also, I need to say that you need to love what you do. Otherwise, it’s not going to work for you to be around so many people on a daily basis as you do as a head one-time proposal.
Recruitment tools: The impacts
Lydia: You have to measure your efforts and see where you’re doing well and where you’re not and that improves the way you work as well. What kind of impact do you think technologies and tools will have on recruitment?
Line: It’s done a lot for recruitment. Starting during the pandemic, it was a crazy time to start up a recruitment business because nobody was giving out positions. Unfortunately, it was such a difficult period of time.
Lydia: So, why did they start in the middle of the pandemic?
Line: Well, I think it’s because we already had our office in Denmark, so the CEO of our company really wanted to start something in Dubai as it’s a booming market. I think being an investor and entrepreneur for so many years, he just knew what to do. Although, it seems like the most crazy thing to do at the time, he really saw two years ahead and thought that this will be the right thing to do. He was completely right.
“We’re in a great time right now. There’s never been a bigger need for recruitment agencies and headhunters than there is today because talent is so hard to find out there.”
Line: Recruitment has changed a lot. During the pandemic, you couldn’t meet up in person and we had to conduct interviews constantly and meet with our clients and so on. We couldn’t do that. So, even just today, you and me, we are sitting in two different locations but we are doing everything remotely. I think that’s been such a great tool.
We are hiring many more from around the world now because positions can be remote. We hire people from London that are working for companies in Dubai or in Saudi Arabia and all around. I’ve never worked so much internationally as I do now. That is purely due to the technology and tools that we have today.
Recruiting today? Here are some tips and suggestions
Lydia: You have so much experience, and although it’s only been two years in Scancruit, you’ve also been in a pivotal period for recruitment. So, with all this experience you’ve had and the things you’ve seen in the recruitment space today, what kind of advice would you give to someone starting out in recruitment today?
Line: I mentioned this a bit before, but I think what is most important is that you need to love what you do. Again, we can have an education, we can graduate and go into different industries and work around that, but recruitment comes down to who you are as a person and how you communicate with people.
I speak with 20 different strangers a day just because I need to do interviews and I need to meet with my clients and so on. I do it because I love doing it. I love communicating with them on a constant basis. I think that’s the most important thing.
Then, as a piece of advice is that if you already know that this is what you want to do, then build your network. This is also one of the most important things. Don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to each other because we all want to talk to each other. At the end of the day, I think it’s because we are all a bit shy sometimes to reach out to people; both candidates and clients.
“Don’t be shy. Put yourself out there and build your network.”
Lydia: Thank you so much, Line, for your time. Those are great insights. I love the passion you have for discovering new cultures and also the fundamentals that you emphasize that this is a people business and it’s wonderful to hear that. Thank you so much for taking the time to be on this show.
I’m sure the audience wants to know how to find you and how to find Scancruit. So, where can they look you up?
Line: Personally, you can find me on LinkedIn. I’m happy to connect with anyone who would like to connect with me. The account is my full name. But of course, Scancruit, please visit www.scancruit.ae, there, you’ll be able to find everything you need to know about our business but also all the positions that we have available at the moment.
Lydia: Thank you so much, Line. We have been speaking with Lina Brøndum here who is the senior recruiter, senior headhunter and recruitment consultant at Scancruit in Dubai.
Do look out for our future podcasts from All-In Recruitment, and stay tuned for our next videos.
Line: Thank you so much.
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