Adding value through close collaboration

Mercuri Urval’s decade-long collaboration with a major European industrial group illustrates how a professionally managed recruitment process can provide added value for any company.

It also demonstrates how Mercuri Urval offers much more than generic recruitment services by offering the sort of relevant business advice that contributes to a client’s long-term organisational stability.

The client concerned in this case study – a utility supplier* based in a European country – had developed a distinct culture over the course of its more than one hundred years of history. New staff members were recruited using a hands-on, pragmatic and practical approach, but that approach often failed to take into account “soft” behavioural skills and other useful criteria identified in current business methodology.

The first challenge was to discover what human resources skills the company already possessed and how they could best be used– but that was just the start of our involvement. We were then faced with the tricky task of finding and hiring new recruits who would effectively fit into the company’s culture and then sensitively managing staff in a region where cultural and linguistic differences played a significant role.

*For confidentiality reasons, Mercuri Urval cannot reveal the client’s identity.

Understanding a company’s identity

Mercuri Urval consultants brought in their additional expertise and managed significant parts of the recruitment process, without “competing” with the client’s own HR department.

Once we had gained a broad understanding of the organisation’s identity, we established a professional and thorough recruitment process. In doing so, it soon became obvious that the client’s job descriptions were focusing on technical aspects of the job, but were leaving out crucial behavioural skills.

By identifying and analysing the full range of the company’s needs, Mercuri Urval was able to develop a holistic company profile before searching for the right candidates, in terms of both technical and social skills, selecting those who would excel and progress in their new roles.

Benefits of a long-term relationship

The client soon realised the benefits of the professionally managed recruitment process we put in place, and established a close relationship with Mercuri Urval that has lasted for more than a decade.

Thanks to the quality of our work and our understanding of the company’s culture, challenges and vision, Mercuri Urval is now in charge of recruiting and assessing most of the client’s external and internal recruitment.

Experience counts

Mercuri Urval’s consultants know the client’s organisation and its people like the backs of their hands. Our experience, together with the suite of special tools we can call on, ensures that our consultants can swiftly and effectively locate and suggest candidates and operational teams to match the client’s needs – taking into account technical skills, personalities and culture. 

In one case, the company needed to establish a new production plant from scratch – Mercuri Urval was able to find the right people to staff it in just three months.

A trustworthy sounding-board

Mercuri Urval has also become a trustworthy sounding-board for ideas stemming from the company’s management, who value our input on operational issues in view of our thorough knowledge of its people and culture.

The client uses one European country as a training ground for high-potential employees destined to work at an international level, and so needs to regularly find new country managers, when previous post-holders move on. Mercuri Urval helps these new managers to hit the ground running, by offering appropriate advice on the company’s development and our extensive knowledge of the company’s human resources.

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