The art of recruitment: boutique approach as a response to growing labor market demands

In discussing the effectiveness of a business model inspired by the need to create an efficient approach in recruiting multilingual specialists, as well as ambitious plans to join the ranks of the most important recruitment agencies in America, we converse with Zdeno Fedeš, Founder and CEO, and Piotr Dziedzic, Non-Executive Director at Ahoy Career.

FOCUS ON Business: Ahoy Career is an international recruitment agency specializing in recruiting professionals who speak at least two languages. The company was founded in Warsaw 5 years ago. What has changed in your business over that time?

Zdeno Fedeš, Ahoy Career: The creation of Ahoy Career was inspired by two decisive thoughts I had about the labor market.

First of all, I noticed that very often employers and recruitment agencies recruit candidates whose skills and experience are not consistent with the specifics of the offered position. Market analysis and experience taught me how to recruit more effectively. This knowledge I wanted to share.

The second important motivation – I am a Slovak, living and working in Warsaw for 9 years now. I thought that based on my experience, I would like to make it possible for people from Slovakia and the Czechia to work in Poland, where I live a really fantastic life.

Going back to the beginnings of my company – already in the first year of operation I established cooperation with several corporate clients (including those from the BSS sector), which allowed me to develop an optimal strategy for sourcing candidates, which we have been sticking to ever since. Then I worked alone and independently developed Ahoy Career’s position on the map of recruitment agencies.

Today we have a substantial portfolio of clients from different countries, whom we have selected to be able to meet their recruitment needs 100%. I am no longer alone, and I work with a team of professional consultants who have a good understanding of the positions they are looking for candidates for, and who know best what it’s like to live and work abroad because they have experienced relocation themselves.

I make no secret of the fact that over the past few years we have built a strong competence in skillful national branding management at Ahoy Career. Using Poland as an example, 5 years ago it was difficult to convince anyone to move to Poland, which was not perceived abroad as an attractive job market. Today things are much better! Our long-term efforts to promote Poland and employers hiring in Poland are bearing fruit, i.e. growing interest. The number of job offers is also definitely higher.

We know that Poland and Polish customers are still at the top of your list. In addition to our country, do you plan to work with more customers in other European markets this year?

Z.F.: Definitely yes! I will boast that we have ambitious and interesting plans, but we want to implement them gradually and thoughtfully.

Poland is indeed the number one market for us, as it continues to be the European leader in the BSS sector. We also operate in Bulgaria, Greece, the Czechia, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. In the coming months, we want to focus more strongly on the aforementioned markets in order to acquire more customers and intensify our recruitment processes. We are particularly interested in those countries that have an active BSS sector on their business map. Romania is currently the most attractive in this regard.

Each of these markets is different and requires a separate approach. Each has different needs when it comes to talent acquisition. Therefore, we try our best to meet the trends of a given market, the expectations of corporate clients and candidates. We are working to build a position as a European Multilingual Recruitment Agency in Europe that has the skills and tools to broadly national branding a specific market.

Does Ahoy Career present the same business model to all markets?

Z.F.: Our business model is universal. Namely, we provide our clients with what they need to make their business flourish, namely professional employees who speak foreign languages. We look for candidates in local markets, but primarily specialize in relocating them to where attractive jobs await them, their knowledge and skills.

Operating in such different markets, we rely heavily on research and analysis and information from business partners. Data is very important to us.

Of course, there are social or cultural differences between markets, but from our perspective they are not very big. Operating in different European markets is very instructive and interesting. Before we enter a given market, we know which companies we want to work with and which candidates we will be looking for. We also know how to develop a National branding strategy for a country.

Piotr, you have been working with Zdeno as Non-Executive Director since November 2023. Until now, you have been associated with large international HR agencies. What captured you about a boutique recruitment agency like Ahoy Career?

Piotr Dziedzic, Ahoy Career: I met Zdeno during a business meeting, and like Ahoy Career’s clients, I was also interested in the offerings his agency provides.

My work experience is not only with large, international recruitment agencies, but also with smaller ones or even startups, like the one I worked for in the UK. As for the agency, all in all, it doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, local or international; if it can present the right candidates it will win with effectiveness.

In recruitment, we work with people every day, and when I met Zdeno, I found that his values are consistent with the way he does business. What he has done so far on his own should already merit praise. Zdeno, on the other hand, is a prudent businessman and knows that if he wants to further develop the company he needs support. My experience of more than 18 years in recruitment is proving to be very useful to Ahoy Career, in terms of laying out processes, improving contact with clients and candidates in various recruitment markets, and in creating a plan for the company’s development for the next few years, taking into account the various markets in Europe, but also in terms of the high-quality “product” offering that Ahoy Career’s clients will soon be able to take advantage of.

What processes or tools at Ahoy Career are already automated and what do you plan to improve this year?

Z.F.: Our priority is to “deliver” the best talent to our clients as quickly as possible. We can achieve this by, among other things, automating the process of sourcing candidates’ resumes through the marketing campaigns we run. Another source is our candidate databases.

This year we would like to focus on developing a tool that will allow us to efficiently reach out to active candidates looking for work. We heard that agency will stand on a second strong leg, because in addition to Ahoy Career, Ahoy Career Group will enter the game...

P.D.: That is true. We have ambitious plans, but everything has to be done one step at a time. Currently, the core of our agency’s activity is cooperation with SSC/BPO/CoE companies and recruitment processes in European markets, including relocation of recruited employees. I boast that one of our clients in Bulgaria, satisfied with our support, recommended us to a company outside this sector, and on top of that, having trouble finding talent in the Bulgarian market. This experience has opened up new opportunities for us to expand into permanent recruitment.

The idea behind Ahoy Career Group is that under its wings there will be both Ahoy Career, focusing on language recruitment, relocation, BSS clients, and Ahoy Permanent, which will target permanent recruitment for local clients. We have a few more ideas in store, but we’ll talk about them in the future.

Lastly, a question about the future. Where do you see Ahoy Career agency in 10 years?

P.D.: 10 years is a lot of time and we can assume that along the way, there will be one or two more crises, the development will follow a sine wave pattern and we will have both ups and downs, but nevertheless, I believe that in 10 years, Ahoy Group will be a very recognizable player in the European arena, both for the SSC/BPO/CoE industry, but also for clients outside this area. And with its technological innovations and very high quali ty work, it will be the company of first choice for its business partners, which is what I wish for the clients themselves, the candidates, Zdeno, and myself.

Z.F.: I have a clear vision for Ahoy Career – we will join the ranks of the most important recruitment agencies in Europe, serving both the BSS sector and for clients in other business areas. We will stand in line with the global TOP “players”.

I also dream that Ahoy Career will become a trendsetter when it comes to the introduction and use of technological solutions, marketing and high quality of services offered. And let’s keep in our DNA this mission of ours, to enable candidates to explore the world and reach out to the most interesting job opportunities across Europe.

Thank you for the interview and we keep our fingers crossed for your success!

On the photo, from left: Zdeno Fedeš, Founder and CEO, and Piotr Dziedzic, Non-Executive Director at Ahoy Career.

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #16 May-June (3/2024)