Melanie Guivarch works as a Recruiter at Citec’s oil & gas engineering consultancy Akilea Engineering in Paris, France.
Why are listening skills so important for a recruiter?
First of all I need to listen and understand the recruitment needs of Citec, usually by talking to the sales team. Good listening skills are also needed when I do job interviews, as I need to find out the candidate’s personality. It’s hard to explain how I do it exactly; mostly it’s about asking the right questions in order to get the candidate to speak as much as possible.
How do you find the best candidates?
I start the work by looking for candidates in our database. I also use the web, usually Linkedin or Monster and sometimes even Google. When I have found good profiles that match the recruitment needs, I call them up and conduct the first interview. During the first interview it’s really important to understand the candidate’s expectations and expertise. That’s the base for a successful recruitment.
What are the factors that matter most in recruitment?
In most cases the work experience plays the biggest role. As we work in France, the right education is also important. In addition to experience and education, the personality matters quite a lot. Without a good first impression it will never work. Actually, the gut feeling you get when speaking with a candidate is often crucial. Luckily, most of the times my gut feeling has been right!
What do you do in your free time?
I’ve done sports since I was four years old. My favourite sport is basketball, because of its great team spirit. I’m interested in a lot of other things as well, like street art, fashion, movies and all the people around me.
Do your hobbies help you in your work in any way?
Actually they do. Basketball has taught me how to integrate new players to the team and get the best out of them. Team spirit and analytical skills are equally important in basketball and in my work. And to appreciate art and fashion you need to be sensitive; it’s my sensibility that gives me better knowledge of the human nature at work as well. How you speak on the phone, write the CV and use your voice are important little details that help me to identify a candidate’s personality.
