"Netherlands: "Matching is the most fun and difficult thing there is"

"For me, two points are important: being straight and honest and keeping your promises," says Rob Bruins from recruiting, assessment and career consultancy Bruins. This company is specialized in the recruitment of managers and sales staff in the food and agri sector - especially horticulture - and is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year.

Rob Bruins

"The most fun but at the same time the most difficult thing about matching is finding the right person for the right position," said Bruins. We extensively test candidates before they go on a job interview and offer counseling to customers up to six months after placement, this is because of the many factors they have to comply to. We determine after three months if the person is a keeper or not. They tell us themselves how they feel about the job, if they like it or they're still unsure about it."

Tougher management
For the record, Bruins is not available for a summer job picking tomatoes. The focus is management and business functions, permanent employment. "An absolute prerequisite in matching is knowing your client. 80% of the success rate of a new person in the workplace depends on the corporate culture. That's why we maintain a comprehensive client database, we have been doing this for a while now and have been cooperating with many clients over the years, so we have a large client history."

Looking next door
Beside recruiting, Bruins gives together with four other staff members advice to organizations in the field of organizational development. "Something that is very educational and at the same time is not done often enough, is to look beyond the boundaries of the company's own sector. We can learn so much from that. You can see struggles in other sectors and how they deal with them. "In Horticulture it is perhaps the most difficult," continues Bruins. "You have to build a brand, and that's not easy with horticulture products. On the other hand Dutch horticulture is great in terms of knowledge and innovation. We have a lot of opportunities in many fields."

For more information:
Bruins
Rob Bruins
Hoofdstraat 275
2171 BE Sassenheim
T: +31 (0)252 - 240 040
M: +31 (0)6 51 396 718
F: +31 (0)252 - 217 714
E: rob.bruins@bruins.nl
www.bruins.nl