Sterksen is McCoy's extension, even in times of scarcity

Despite the scarcity in the labour market, SAP service provider McCoy & Partners, in partnership with Sterksen, is managing remarkably well to retain their consultants. How do they do it?

“To win over talent to come and work for us, we show sincere interest in them, and we keep doing that,” explains Joost Hinderdael, Recruitment Consultant at Sterksen. Interestingly, he talks about ‘we’ and ‘us’. Because Joost may be on the payroll at Sterksen, he feels just as much a part of McCoy. Sterksen – in the person of Joost – linked up with the McCoy team seven years ago to help recruit IT staff. Joost was then asked to also help professionalise the recruitment process itself.

Sterksen extension of McCoy

“Over the years, Joost has become an extension of McCoy,” says Frank van Dooremolen, partner at McCoy. “He has a thorough understanding of the organisation and therefore knows the type of DNA that fits well with our organisation. That’s extremely important, because we are constantly looking for new talent.” The results are impressive. When the partnership first started, McCoy had a team of about forty. Now, it employs more than 220 professionals.

Growth also brings about new issues, Frank continues. “The biggest challenge is to maintain our ‘own’ culture. This includes placing talent above structure, giving people room to be successful, avoiding hierarchy, always putting the customer first, and valuing success more highly than profit. Our team is close-knit, and we’re constantly challenging and learning from each other. Each talent is unique. Of course, you have peers, but you’re developing your own path. We value initiative, even if it’s unconventional. And we love celebrating success.”

Staying ahead with employer brand

So why is taking a sincere and ongoing interest in people so important? “That’s because we’re looking for the real cream of the crop,” says Joost. “You don’t win them over in a week. It’s about finding the right balance between giving space and keeping a connection. I really appreciate how McCoy trusts me as a recruiter to take time to build relationships.”

“McCoy has long been able to reap the benefits of its innovative employer branding strategy,” adds Frank. “But now we are no longer unique. So we need to remain vigilant and stick to our concept.” Sterksen is therefore using recruitment marketing to give even more substance to McCoy’s employer brand, with the aim of further lowering the threshold for a first interview.

Because McCoy reflects on its HR policy in good time, Joost looks to the future with confidence. “I have the peace of mind to focus on the market and put the candidate first. Recruitment is also about networking. By being able to dig into my own pool, I can offer direct added value to McCoy: deploying the best talent within this ‘Great Place to Work’.”

Public affairs agenda

The constantly changing labour market legislation affects our organisation, but above all our customers: clients, suppliers and independent professionals alike. That is why we make significant investments to ensure elected representatives and policymakers in The Hague and Brussels have the know-how to make the right choices necessary for a balanced, fair labour market with sufficient room for entrepreneurs who want to be free to choose the way they add value to the European economy. To make a positive constructive contribution to this, we have a public affairs agenda with these clear messages:

Flexibilisation trend

The trend of scarcity and entrepreneurship in the labour market is a global, ongoing trend.

Basic social system

In the Netherlands, we need to create a basic social system for all workers, regardless of contract form or legal form. Social security should be provided at the level of the individual.

Customisation

Laws and regulations to solve problems with freelancers at the lower end of the market should not have a negative impact on the top segment of the market: provide tailor-made legislation and keep in mind the diversity of the freelance population.

Proper regulation

Intermediaries and MSPs play a crucial role in connecting supply and demand and organising flexible labour in a well-regulated way.

Sustainable employability

The knowledge and content of work is changing rapidly. Investing in education and training is important to guide workers – especially flexible workers – from job to job or from assignment to assignment.