The need was pressing at the start of this year. “Our Legal Affairs team was facing a capacity shortage,” Dorine recalls. “A large number of tasks were left undone, such as requests under the Open Government Act.” Dealing with these can be extremely time-consuming. That’s why I was looking for a specialist.”
Initially, we looked internally for potential candidates, but without success. “As we couldn’t resolve the urgent capacity issue internally, we had to find temporary additional support elsewhere.”
Previously, Dorine had handled such recruitment processes herself. “I would ring external agencies to request quotes. Moreover, such a recruitment process was always quite complex. As a supervisor, I invariably wondered whether I was in fact following the procedure correctly, in accordance with the guidelines.” That is why she turned to the hiring desk, which has been operational since 1 February. “I thought: there is a reason it was created. So you simply have to make use of it. What’s more, since 1 February, all requests for external staff from salary scale 10 upwards have to go through this channel.”
Nevertheless, her expectations weren’t particularly high at the start. “I thought beforehand: the process will probably take a while, but that turned out not to be the case.”
Fast-track procedure and suitable candidates
Through her HR advisor, Dorine came into contact with the hiring desk. “The initial email contact was followed by an introductory meeting. I then drew up a job description, which we discussed during an intake interview. Someone from Randstad Enterprise Talent Solutions was also present at that meeting.”
That meeting yielded immediate practical benefits. “They helped to make the job description more focused and attractive. They also explained what the next steps would look like. I appreciated that, as it took a lot of work off my hands.”
The support from the hiring desk went beyond just the job advertisement. “This included requesting quotes, contacting temporary employment agencies and self-employed professionals (zzp’ers), and checking that rates were in line with market conditions. The final cost was actually lower than I had initially expected.”
She was particularly surprised by the speed. “A week after the vacancy was posted, I received six CVs from suitable candidates. I found that really striking. So I didn’t have to ring all sorts of agencies myself or go through all the CVs in detail.” Ultimately, staff from Legal Affairs made the selection themselves and conducted the interviews. “As a supervisor, my main role was to set the process in motion. Ultimately, the team decided who they wanted to interview and which candidate was the best fit for us.”
Less of a hassle than expected
In addition to speed and suitable candidates, Dorine particularly appreciated the support regarding legislation and regulations. “We used to work with self-employed contractors a lot, but the legislation has changed. The hiring desk looked into which legally sound arrangement was possible. So they also took the legal hassle off my hands.”
Legal Affairs handled the onboarding of the new employee themselves. “That makes sense, because just like other teams, we too have our own specific processes within the university. But everything else was really taken off our hands.”
Dorine has now used the hiring desk three times. “They are extremely friendly and very customer-focused in their dealings. After that first positive experience, we asked for their support on two further occasions. Those experiences were positive too. It always seemed difficult at first to find suitable candidates, but in the end, we always ended up with a number of good CVs.”
According to her, the biggest benefit lies mainly in the time saved. “The collaboration has saved me a lot of time. But it also means less hassle, less confusion and less need to chase things up by phone. That allowed me to keep focusing on other important matters.”
Dorine can therefore wholeheartedly recommend the hiring desk’s services to fellow supervisors. “It saves a lot of research and hassle, and it delivers good candidates. This benefits not only your team or department, but ultimately the whole university. So the introduction of the hiring desk has been a good move.”
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