The world is shrinking!

Speaking to Philip de Belder, he is under no delusions that over the past decade or so, the metals industrial sector has been transformed into a truly global market place. “It’s incredible,” he says, “just how many organisations have successfully expanded their geographic areas of operation far beyond their own traditional countries and territories.” Philip’s own experiences have clearly shown how companies that were at one time seen as, say, essentially British, German, Indian or American concerns for instance, are now completely multi-national both in their culture and in their operation.

As a consequence, the skilled workforce and experienced managers within the various disciplines of the metals industries have also seen their own workplace and scope of opportunity expand on a staggeringly global scale.

In so many respects this internationalisation of the industry has been both welcomed and beneficial not only to the companies but also to those individuals who are willing to embrace the new opportunities it has brought. On the other hand, however, this global expansion of the workplace has created its own difficulties and among these is the massive growth of the recruitment search area. Now it is no longer local, regional or even national. Companies who are prepared to hire the best candidates available now have to set their sights across the entire world. Clearly, only a specialist recruitment operation whose own horizons match the international ambitions of their clients can provide the kind of global service that is now demanded. When you are launching your next recruitment campaign, or are looking for that ‘blue chip’ career opportunity, ensure that you contact a recruitment company whose vision is as wide as yours.

Most employers only tend to get involved in the recruitment process when they are looking for new personnel. Likewise, most people only begin studying the jobs market when they are looking for a new position. So I think it is quite fair to say that there is no way they can claim to be experts in this complex and often complicated field. On the other hand, as a long-established recruitment company working within the castings, forgings and metals industries every single day, I think it is also fair to say that we know the business inside out.

Whether you’re looking to source new personnel or whether you’re wanting to find that ‘dream job’ a specialist recruitment company can really make the difference between success and failure.

One of the pieces of advice I always offer to companies or candidates is to get to know the other people involved personally. Don’t make decisions on hearsay or for that matter on information you glean from the Internet.

Let me give you an example. We were recently commissioned to find an experienced industry specialist by a company that is located at the other side of the world. We found an excellent candidate and arranged a meeting when the client company came to Europe to conduct interviews.

In the meantime, however … our candidate decided to do some research of his own on the Internet, and from what he saw he decided he didn’t want to proceed with his application.

That was a big mistake! Whilst he got facts, he didn’t get any feeling. He couldn’t assess the personality of the company and its people. We, however, thanks to our own personal experience, were able to reassure him of their quality and reputation both as a company and as employers. Not only that, we were also able to inform him that they were sending two senior executives over to meet him – one a national of the country where the company is based, and the other being someone who had previously done exactly the journey they were asking our candidate to consider.

After listening to our advice our candidate changed his mind and has agreed to the meeting, to which incidentally his wife is also invited to attend, because everyone realises she should be part of any decision making. Not only will the meeting be able to discuss the job, the company and the career prospects; but they can also talk about the country, its lifestyle and all the other considerations of going to live on the other side of the world.

You can’t beat face-to-face
We would always advise employers and candidates to meet face-to-face before they make any decisions. They say body language tells you as much as the spoken word. And in our opinion that’s certainly true.

My best piece of advice? Whether you’re looking for a person or looking for a position, talk to de Belder associates and get a close and personal viewpoint on the best way forward.

Maybe you’ve been made redundant, or perhaps you’re looking to secure the next stage of your career. Either way, if you’re looking for a job, whether it’s in response to a ‘Sits Vac Ad’ or it’s a ‘cold’ enquiry, the first step is to write your CV. As someone who has read literally thousands of these documents I can tell you that there are good one and bad ones, and there is a right way and a wrong way to prepare them. Here are a few tips.

The first point to remember is that the purpose of your Curriculum Vitae is not to get you that job. It is a selling document designed to secure an interview, and as such it needs to be thoughtfully written and well presented. Never forget – you only get one opportunity to make a good first impression – and your CV is it!

The ground rules are easy. Your CV must be truthful, accurate, provide details of your career in a logical sequence and have no gaps in the chronological order of events. It must provide full details of your current or last position. But above all it must be concise!

Prospective employers may receive scores of hopeful CVs so they need to be able to assimilate the facts quickly before they decide ‘reject’ or ‘worth taking a closer look’.

Here is a list of the key points I would recommend you bear in mind when preparing your CV.

• Keep it concise. No more than two pages.
• The first section should contain your personal details so the recruitment consultant or
employer can contact you easily.
• Choose a format that is easy to read and that enables you to headline career achievements
and personal attributes.
• When listing your career history do it chronologically starting with your current or most
recent job and proceed backwards.
• Don’t ramble on. Achievements should be brief and to-the-point. Bullet points are good for this.
• If you have attributes that demonstrate your suitability for the position, highlight them early on to enhance your chances of being short-listed.
• Don’t be afraid to detail how you have met challenges and show how you did this.
• Be ruthless. Leave out information that is irrelevant or negative.
• List your qualifications, training and any professional memberships.
• If you are providing references, make sure they know about it before you put their name on your CV.

Your CV should always be accompanied by a letter. Keep it short on one page. If in doubt,
talk to a reputable, globally based search, selection and recruitment agency.

With all the problems that are presently affecting the world’s economy, plus the knock-on ‘jobs loss’ effect that this is having on industry, you could perhaps be forgiven for thinking that any company that is currently recruiting would have the pick of the crop and that finding the right personnel would be easier than ever.

Don’t be fooled. In any recession there are inevitably many thousands more candidates available to fill your vacant positions, but the difficulty is identifying out of all the applicants exactly who is best for the appointment you have in mind. Never forget, ‘in a field full of rocks, the diamonds are more difficult to spot!’

As a recruitment consultant who specialises in matching people to positions and companies to candidates within the pump, valve, foundry and engineering industries, I feel that I am sufficiently qualified to provide the right kind of advice that will help you select the best people for the appointments you wish to make.

Rule one – Define the appointment.
Be crystal clear about your objectives. Pinpoint the type or person you want to recruit. Identify the experience they should bring with them. Profile the personal qualities of the ideal candidate and consider how they will work with and impact on the rest of your team. Most importantly, define their role and identify the goals you expect them to achieve within the short, medium and long term.

Rule two – Plan your recruitment strategy.
Don’t just ‘phone an ad’ through to the local press or one or two of the trade journals. Consider carefully the type of applicant you want to attract. Match that profile with the readership profile of the various media. Consider online recruitment. Be prepared to widen your search area beyond your local region. Think whether you might already know the person you’re looking for.

Rule three – Allow sufficient time.
Finding the perfect employee takes time, especially in conditions like today when there are so many candidates on the market. Ensure you make time to meet everyone on your short list. Plan your interviews carefully, refine your questions and allow sufficient time to get to know each applicant. Plan in time to consider your findings and don’t hesitate to re-call strong candidates for a second or even a third meeting.

Rule four – Check that what they tell you is true.
Don’t take them at their word, but investigate their qualifications and experience, and confirm their references.

Alternatively, in place of all this time, effort and expense on your part, you could simply pass on the project to de Belder Associates Ltd.

Full page magazine advert

Permanent and interim directors and managers; supervisory, operational, production, technical, engineering, sales and financial personnel.With an impressive portfolio and a global recruitment network embracing Europe, India, China and the Middle East, we are perfectly positioned to fill all those key roles.

This decline has been mirrored by the drop in students enrolling on engineering and manufacturing related courses and the foundry industry is no exception. This is also coupled by a high number of qualified and experienced foundry personnel leaving the profession for careers in more lucrative areas.

Consequently, skill sets such as metallurgists are in great demand as reported to us by our UK clients. There are other shortages of personnel for the industry and as a result the market is now very much candidate led.

Companies need to work harder than in any other sector to attract quality recruits with the right skills. This is particularly accurate as during recent months, we have found an increasing number of foundries and metal related companies have approached us to recruit for a wide variety of roles at all levels including graduates.

Overall there appears to have been an upturn in business opportunities and foundries have informed us of an encouraging level of business, with good forward orders and a somewhat upbeat attitude towards the future, provided they can source the correct number and type of personnel.

We started our company in 1998, and have remained active in the search and selection of candidates for our clients and during recent years expanded our client and candidate portfolio within Europe, Middle East and Far East. With recent visits this year to India, China and Europe, we are helping companies with their recruitment requirements truly far and wide. However, the location of our clients and candidates in their respective time zones can result in some of my working days feeling longer than a 24hr day.

As a specialist recruitment company with ambitions for future growth, I have to perform a dual role of working ‘in’ the business and working ‘on’ the business as a director. The consultancy element of my role is usually time managed to fit into a typical working day whereas the strategic elements required for growing the business is often conducted after normal office hours.

I always try to be at my desk by 08.00hrs with a strong cup of coffee and respond to the emails, telephone messages and any other outstanding correspondence. A lot of my time is spent on the telephone speaking with new candidates, completing reports, writing appointment specifications, completing candidate interviews, and having meetings with existing and new clients. During the morning, I will usually consult with my research assistant team to check the progress of our searches, contacts with candidates and the follow ups with candidates who have expressed an interest in any of our advertised appointments. I try to keep the afternoons free for face-to-face meetings with either candidates or clients. More than often, I have to travel to Germany or France to interview candidates and if arranged correctly, can be completed in a day before returning to the UK.

Each day can be different and quite diverse particularly as our business has grown to these newer market areas and countries. We do predominantly concentrate on the foundry, casting and metals industry but we have found that we have attracted clients and candidates who are affiliated to this main market such as the refractory, consumables and equipment producers. The different challenges presented make each of our assignments most interesting and perhaps this is why I enjoy what I do.

Early this afternoon I have to interview a candidate who is seeking a career change and is also willing to relocate outside the UK. The candidate seems to be favourable, as his experience, qualifications and knowledge appear to meet our client’s requirements for this particular appointment. The usual checks will be performed and if the interview is successful then we would probably submit his details to our clients with our report and recommendations.

I enjoy meeting new clients and discussing their individual recruitment problems and consider it to be most important to visit and meet them personally. After the interview session today, I have to meet a new client who has asked us to help to find a manager for a senior executive role. This should be an interesting assignment for us as the company has a facility outside the UK and requires a suitable candidate to take full responsibility for the management of their new venture. I will discuss with the client the key tasks, duties, objectives and responsibilities for the role to enable me to produce an Appointment Specification. This essential document will be presented to the client and will ensure all main areas including the terms and conditions of the appointment are clearly identified before commencement.

We find confidentiality is the most crucial aspect to our service and are often asked for our opinion relating to other areas other than recruitment issues. We may not be in a position to answer on certain key points but we would certainly know of someone who could.

The drive back to Manchester is surprisingly quicker than expected. I return in time to respond to a few emails and messages from candidates. The Appointment Specification is completed and a proposal letter confirming all the points discussed with the client this afternoon is soon emailed so that a decision to proceed with the assignment can be made. A couple more phone calls to the USA and Brazil and the day is almost complete.

I play trumpet with an amateur Glen Miller style swing band and it’s the last rehearsal before several wedding and dance gigs this month. It’s now time to switch off, relax and play a bit of boogie.

de Belder Associates Ltd is a executive search and selection recruitment company specialising in the global recruitment of all levels of personnel for the foundry, castings, metals and associated industries.

In the majority of organisations whether they are large, small, public or private, a subsidiary or a group there are occasions when changes have to be made to the company structure in response to market and customer conditions.

Recent joint ventures, manufacture under license agreements, company acquisitions have brought an awareness that organisations are ever changing bodies, constantly in need of examination and review to meet the present and future business demands.

The strength of most companies lies in the people and management team within the company and consequently the recruitment of replacement or additional management must be considered most carefully. It is not just a question of placing an advertisement in the media but careful analysis, timing and preparation of all stages of the recruitment exercise will ensure a high level of success rate. If not dealt with in a professional and efficient manner any recruitment requirement can prove to be extremely expensive.

Communications have improved dramatically over the past years and the realisation that better appointments are available in other parts of the industry, whether in Europe or elsewhere in the world, can prompt the most talented of engineers, technicians or managers to make a change. There are even demands for short term or interim managerial or technical roles.

The mobility of management is becoming an accepted arrangement of the industry. It is not uncommon to find managers, technicians and engineers changing jobs on several occasions within their careers.

In considering the requirement for recruiting a new manager, the first task is to identify the circumstances leading up to the present vacancy and what objectives need to be achieved during the next 12 months. An Appointment Specification where clear definitions of the major areas of responsibilities including key tasks, responsibilities, duties, knowledge and experience, essential and desirable qualities and personal characteristics is then written and agreed.

With the Appointment Specification now completed it can be decided which approach is most suitable to find the best candidate. Advertising in relevant trade and website media could bring results. However, in some cases it may be more appropriate to use an experienced Executive Search and Selection company who is familiar with the market and can bring a structure approach to the recruitment issue.

As the foundry, castings and metals industries continue to change and reflect the ever-changing global market, we can foresee a demand for experienced and knowledgeable personnel. Certain specific roles such as experts in foundry inoculants (FeSi), production managers for automated moulding and casting production lines, advisors and consultants with heavy forging experience and graduates with new ideas and vision.

de Belder Associates Ltd is able to offer a recruitment service with regard to the recruitment of personnel at all levels and we have a large portfolio of clients and candidates from around the world. With many years experience of recruitment within the industry we are ideally suited to understand our client’s business activities, recruitment requirements and future plans.

It is this changing pattern of market demand that is now being experienced by many of the foundries in Far East and other parts of the world that has led to a demand for highly skilled Technical/Production/Engineering Managers. These Managers can advice and implement current ‘high quality’ practises to the foundry that requires this knowledge.

Not only is this demand required in the field of castings production but also it is now evident that the foundry suppliers of consumables etc also want to improve their technical know-how and production technology. The size of market value now appearing in the growing market areas, especially in the Far East is beginning to lead in a demand for highly competent experts.

During 2006 we have been asked by several clients to help and assist in locating suitably qualified personnel who have the ability to bring technical excellence and communication skills to the workplace.

These new and challenging opportunities have also indicated that there could be two routes that will satisfy our clients.

Initial thoughts have often been for a person to be employed on a long-term permanent role that will bring long- term benefits. This route is, of course, dependant on the candidate deciding to make the decision to undertake a long-term expatriate role.

However, we have also found that clients can also benefit from having an Interim Manager who can undertake a short term contract, view the initial problems, develop solutions and then begin the first phase of implementation and education of local personnel. This may, in due course, lead to a permanent appointment but it can also lead to an internal appointment from a local candidate who would then undertake the long-term role having benefited from the advice and guidance of the Interim Manager.

Whether the appointment is permanent or interim, the fundamental structure for a successful recruitment campaign remains the same. A detailed revue of the client’s business requirements have to be made and then there must be a clarification of the objectives required to be achieved with a clear understanding of the technical abilities and experience of the person to be appointed.

It is this detailed analysis at the early stages of a recruitment assignment that leads to success. In all cases we have been able to indicate to candidates the full requirement and responsibilities of the appointment. Furthermore an appreciation of the client’s management style and philosophy will also give the candidate a vital understanding of the job to be undertaken.

In the foundry market there is a wealth of talent and ability amongst management throughout the whole range of the casting world. It is this knowledge and expertise that makes these candidates appreciated by many foundries and associated manufacturers throughout the world.

Those with many years experience – the senior ambassadors of the industry- can be of special benefit to many of our clients, especially in the Middle and Far East.

In 2006 we concluded recruitment assignments in China, the Middle East and are currently in discussions with clients in India and Pakistan. There are still interesting appointments in Europe and the demand covers the whole range of technical, production, sales and marketing experts.

To those managers affected by closures and company reorganisations, especially in Europe, we ask them to look at the world market, at the opportunities which are now arising and where their knowledge and expertise is valued. The Interim or Permanent appointments are always given with excellent terms of contract, always reflecting the professional level of the appointment.

In 2007, we see the demand growing and hence we shall continue to develop further our global presence to assist clients and candidates in their search for improvement at all levels.