Our strategy is centred on the people
Gi Group is a big international organisation operating in almost 60 countries worldwide. Comprehensive HR solutions for the corporate sector are a significant asset distinguishing you on the market. What does it mean in practice? And what are the areas of your operations in Poland?
Anna Chmurawa-Rębisz, Human Resources Manager Gi Group & Grafton Recruitment: Indeed, the Gi Group generates EUR 2.5 billion a year which makes it one of 20 top recruitment organisations worldwide. Given the portfolio of services we offer on the Polish market, however, I would be hard pressed to admit we only operate in the field of recruitment. Nowadays, clients expect diversification, flexibility, and assistance in determining the direction for developing the HR policy in their organisations. Together with its subsidiaries Gi Group (Temp & Perm), Grafton Recruitment, Wyser, QiBit, and TACK&TMI, the Gi Group offers a full scope of HR services. Our offer is characterised by complexity, years of experience, original tools, and databases that guarantee a quick reaction to the individual needs of our clients. We regularly publish industry wage reports and operate as investment consultants. We do all this because it is our conviction that a modern recruitment company should be able to satisfy any need of its clients with respect to HR management. Recruitment is only the first step.
Last year was dominated by a debate on the “revolution” that millennials started on the labour market. How do you reach millennials? Are traditional recruitment methods still valid? What communication channels do you select?
We strive to be authentic and focus on open dialogue. We are looking for candidates who wish to have a real impact on their work and grow professionally with us. During the recruitment process, we have an honest discussion about the expectations of both parties, we look for common denominators and present development opportunities. It is a priority for our managers in the field of team management to foster the success of our employees. The exchange of information and the enforcement of the employee’s career development plan are guaranteed by an increased frequency of meetings between employees and their superiors. Working with millennials means clearly set tasks, ongoing talent training, and building relationships. There are a lot of job offers out there on the market today, so the relationship between the employee on one hand and the manager and organisation on the other has a decisive influence on how long the employee decides to continue on their career path with us.
In our methods of searching for talents we follow trends, we change our tactics and adapt both our external and internal employer branding to the rushing world that is stock full of information. However, we do not modify our strategy. It is irrevocably centred on the people, that is primarily on the candidates, both those recommended to our clients and those applying for a job with us. We find that traditional methods, such as ordinary interviews or meetings, are still effective, but increasingly often we turn to the social media for help. We have been investing in digital marketing for many years now, testing innovations that candidates expect. We do not forget about CSR campaigns either: we take part in charity runs every year and help those less fortunate during the holiday season. Given the number of comments in the social media in that respect and the time the millennials spend online, it seems to me that this particular issue is not generation-dependent but we still try to let them know we do get involved socially.
Gi Group stresses its “use of innovative solutions dedicated to clients and employees alike.” Can you remember any particularly atypical and innovative recruitment campaign that you conducted at a special request of your client?
We offer our clients solutions that are tailored to their needs. We have our standards and always try to meet the expectations of our clients and candidates. We have been pursuing the Mobile Office project (CV BUS) for several years now because it helps us reach candidates in remote localities. We can conduct interviews directly at the candidate’s place of residence. We support our clients in selecting candidates through our Assessment Center and Development Center. We also offer consulting services and “Project Foreigner” trainings, focusing on the specificity of hiring talents from outside Poland.
We would imagine that a recruiterneeds a whole range of different skills. What competences and features I would need to have if I wanted to become a recruiter today?
A recruitment consultant is characterised by highly developed communication skills, the ability to listen and establish contact easily, by flexibility and empathy. But, first and foremost, future recruiters must derive joy from contacts with others. They should communicate at the highest level, think critically, connect the dots, be empathetic, and take decisions quickly. They also need to know the industry in which our clients operate. For example, you cannot be an efficient recruiter of programmers if you are not familiar with the specificity of the IT industry.
We live in an age of change. Robotisation and artificial intelligence have a great impact on organisations, professions, the roles played by employees, leaders and the management… What business trainings do organisations and their employees use the most?
The trainings we offer primarily focus on soft skills that are independent of the robotization or artificial intelligence trends. Trainings for managers devoted to strengthening soft skills and competences connected with HR management are highly popular. The same goes for trainings in customer relationship management or improving training skills. We also expanded our offer by tests of natural talents, behavioural styles, and emotional intelligence analysis.
As a summary let us move forward a bit. What do you think recruitment will look like 10 years from now?
Recruitment will be more automated in 10 years. The robotization of recruitment processes already exists today at the level of ATS or ERP systems and chatbots. I can see room for numerous improvements with respect to internal human resources management, information circulation, and streamlining in the field of personnel and payroll services. On the other hand, I cannot imagine using artificial intelligence in analysing candidate profiles because soft skills play a significant role there. In my opinion, technology will never replace human beings in the recruitment process because it is unable to perform a fully correct analysis independently. However, I expect it to contribute to a significant increase in efficiency in terms of candidate assessment and the daily work of HR departments.
