1. Having worked in HR across different countries, what are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in adapting talent acquisition strategies to diverse cultural contexts?
Candidates are actually very similar across different countries and regions. I observed only different nuances. The challenge is that discussing a new career is a highly sensitive and emotional topic, it impacts our identity, our status, loved ones, and financial situation. So, nuances matter. A lot.
I observed two main factors to consider, one is the context in which the candidate “operates” – eg. overall economic situation, inflation, and unemployment in that market. Is the country/industry/function candidate-led? The second is cultural and related to dominant country practices that the candidates consider standard. Some countries require a high level of detail at an earlier stage of the process or a different level of proximity/informality in the process. In some country is normal practice to show proof of current salary level so that would be at best inappropriate if not illegal. Strong recruiters can adapt their style to the country in which they are operating and, as importantly, to the individuals they are talking to.
2. With over ten years of experience in HR, what key trends have you observed in talent acquisition that have significantly impacted how you approach your role today?
Despite changes in the market—whether it’s generational shifts, EU free movement, or demographic evolution—I still believe the number one change factor is technology and how it’s transforming candidates’ expectations and recruiters’ capabilities. TA, in particular, together with TD—though to a lesser extent—has changed enormously, starting with the internet, then social media, and now AI. Hiring a worker or a clerk in the early 1900s was strikingly similar to the process we had even a century later. But that’s all gone now.
I remember my early days as a TA professional, where opening envelopes with CVs was part of the routine. The changes since then have been monumental. Now, with AI, the sky is truly the limit. The question is, how ready are our organizations to maximize this potential for productivity, worker well-being, and the candidate experience? I’m not sure we’re quite there yet, but I remain hopeful.
3. What strategies do you find most effective in identifying and attracting top talent in a fast-paced industry?
We are becoming closer and closer to an e-commerce trading function and making “transaction” spotless, quick, easy, mobile friendly, etc. The risk is to make it too dry and lose the potential for a stronger connection-building phase with the majority of the candidates. I believe any strategy that anticipates in the funnel meaningful interactions, exploration, and discoveries is a winning one.
4. Given your experience with unique and strong brand identities, how do you leverage a brand’s story to enhance your talent acquisition efforts?
Brand and corporate identities are crucial for building awareness and sparking initial interest from candidates. A company’s reputation is a conditio sine qua non for effectively communicating a strong and inspiring EVP. However, most candidates don’t focus heavily on the EVP, or at least they’re wary of overselling and ‘pink,’ ‘rainbow,’ or ‘green’ washing. What your business does in reality matters far more—it’s clear, tangible, and especially significant if you’re consumer-facing. I remember during my days at L’Oréal, we put a lot of energy into persuading men to join. Would it have been different if we were an engineering company?
To really see how powerful brands are, just ask your friends which company they would never work for, even if offered a more senior role. Our goal is to build a similar but reverse feeling. Most brands and organization are in potential eternal friends zone, we must make them fall in love! The challenge is that too often people’s content and the employer’s value proposition are too similar. Repetitive. And often end up not being trusted by candidates – that’s why powerful brand identities need to be “beefed” up but memorable human interactions confirm those stories as genuine. Candidate experience is the graveyard of any shiny (too shiny??) EVP.
5. With a passion for working across cultures, how do you foster a recruitment process that is inclusive and respectful of cultural differences?
Inclusivity is a mindset more than anything, so we focus a lot of attention on training and workshops with partners such as Social Talent, bringing fresh and new insights on how diversity can drive stronger sourcing and boost TA performance. We expose our recruiters to external IDEA partners, such as myGwork, Omek, and Black Young Professionals, to name a few. Finally, I believe it is important to build teams that can empathize with our target audience due to their sensitivity or lived experience. Equally important is ensuring the same is true of the hiring community—for example, by building diverse interview teams and ensuring all players are committed to maintaining fairness and limiting, if not eliminating bias.
6. What strategies do you use to maintain a high level of engagement with candidates throughout the recruitment process, particularly in a competitive market?
Our first strategy is to always keep in mind our own feelings and needs when we are the candidates. Recruiters are candidates too. We are not different; if we remember that, it will be easier to show more empathy, and availability, and ultimately drive candidate experience. To give you a tangible example, we just conducted a workshop on managing candidates’ feedback, leveraging Social Talent to trigger an honest conversation with the team, and agreeing on a commitment to provide detailed feedback to candidates when feasible.
Quality of interactions and speed are the two main ingredients of candidate experience. Unfortunately, recruiters don’t always have full control over these factors—we can influence, advise, and push, but we can’t make unilateral decisions. The message to our Talent Acquisition team is to focus on what you can control first—which for us means having regular updates with candidates and offering a factual ‘open door’ policy. For this reason, I encourage all my candidates to reach out on WhatsApp anytime if they need an update or are just curious. That medium is a true game changer, as nearly all candidates are much more comfortable sending a short chat than a more formal email asking for information. It is a fine balance of education and assertiveness toward your internal stakeholders and availability and transparency toward your candidates.
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