In the May edition of Recruiter: Prosper in the Netherlands
21 May 2013
Being “a bit more commercial” and reaping the benefits of not working under no solicitation clauses are among tips three agency recruiters operating in the Netherlands offer for success in the market.
Tue, 21 May 2013Being “a bit more commercial” and reaping the benefits of not working under no solicitation clauses are among tips three agency recruiters operating in the Netherlands offer for success in the market.
As Sam Burne James writes in the new May edition of Recruiter, out last week, the Netherlands offers recruitment agencies opportunities and challenges on the UK’s doorstep.
Nicholas Béchu, the regional managing director for Northern Europe at PageGroup, paints a somewhat negative view of the market, which he says continues to suffer amid the global recession. But with 130 PageGroup consultants being kept busy in the company’s Amsterdam office, he adds: “It’s not like there is nothing happening.”
He says being savvy will be the key for Page in this market. “We have to be a bit more commercial to gain some more customers,” he says, and also “visit our historic clients” and win new business from them.
Jon Dweck is MD of supply chain and procurement recruiter Pod Talent. Founded just over a year ago – it was highly commended in the Best Newcomer Agency category at 2013’s Recruiter Awards for Excellence, sponsored by Eploy – Dweck says that this has helped it get a foothold in the market.
“The secret I believe for entering the market is to start headhunting the market with no ‘no solicitation clauses’ in place,” he tells Recruiter. Because the firm is not burdened with not being able to recruit from existing clients, he says the company has been able to make faster headway in new markets than a more established player. It now takes around a third of its revenue from the Netherlands.
Daniel Mulholland, the co-owner of IT recruiter Darwin Recruitment, which does around a fifth of its business in the Netherlands, says that broadly, bureaucratic and regulatory issues are more burdensome and complex in the Netherlands than in the UK. Restrictive covenants tend to last at least a year, he says.
But the rewards are strong. “Fees are definitely higher than you’re going to find in the UK,” he describes, although adds: “But they are being squeezed.”
As Sam Burne James writes in the new May edition of Recruiter, out last week, the Netherlands offers recruitment agencies opportunities and challenges on the UK’s doorstep.
Nicholas Béchu, the regional managing director for Northern Europe at PageGroup, paints a somewhat negative view of the market, which he says continues to suffer amid the global recession. But with 130 PageGroup consultants being kept busy in the company’s Amsterdam office, he adds: “It’s not like there is nothing happening.”
He says being savvy will be the key for Page in this market. “We have to be a bit more commercial to gain some more customers,” he says, and also “visit our historic clients” and win new business from them.
Jon Dweck is MD of supply chain and procurement recruiter Pod Talent. Founded just over a year ago – it was highly commended in the Best Newcomer Agency category at 2013’s Recruiter Awards for Excellence, sponsored by Eploy – Dweck says that this has helped it get a foothold in the market.
“The secret I believe for entering the market is to start headhunting the market with no ‘no solicitation clauses’ in place,” he tells Recruiter. Because the firm is not burdened with not being able to recruit from existing clients, he says the company has been able to make faster headway in new markets than a more established player. It now takes around a third of its revenue from the Netherlands.
Daniel Mulholland, the co-owner of IT recruiter Darwin Recruitment, which does around a fifth of its business in the Netherlands, says that broadly, bureaucratic and regulatory issues are more burdensome and complex in the Netherlands than in the UK. Restrictive covenants tend to last at least a year, he says.
But the rewards are strong. “Fees are definitely higher than you’re going to find in the UK,” he describes, although adds: “But they are being squeezed.”
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