How Sterksen uses LinkedIn data to enhance talent searches and empowers clients to make the right moves based on market insight
SUCCESS STORY
Regardless of sector or industry, there will always be businesses and organisations that will go the extra mile to highlight their value and what makes them stand out. Sterksen, the IT and technology recruitment specialist, is one such organisation; it’s hungry to set itself apart from its competitors and believes that quality over quantity is the key to distinction.
In Sterksen’s case, quality means it’s ability to source the best talent in the market for high-performing clients. And sometimes, that means letting some people down, as it is not willing to accept every assignment or brief.
“Once we take on an assignment, we give it our all,” explains Guido de Regt, former Head of Total Talent Management at Sterksen. “We provide our clients with sourcing power, while keeping a strong focus on quality. This results in high success rates, clients that can keep growing and amazing talent in the right jobs.”
But how does Sterksen find amazing talent in a changing and challenging marketplace, and faster than any of its competitors?
THE CHALLENGE
Creating a visual picture of the marketplace
“We live and breathe recruitment but it’s one tiny aspect of what we do,” says Guido. “We also have to be storytellers and paint a picture of the marketplace that our clients will understand.
“It can be hard for business to demonstrate their knowledge of a market to a client,” Guido continues. “You can’t just say ‘we know so’ and give your client a few anecdotes. That’s where our experience coupled with LinkedIn Talent Insights comes into play. Data helps us to visualise the marketplace and bring new perspectives in. We must paint our client a picture that they can clearly see. LinkedIn data helps us to do that.”
THE SOLUTION
Data provides a clear direction
Sterksen engaged LinkedIn and now uses LinkedIn Talent Insights, Recruiter, Job Slots, and Career Page to source top talent and stand out in a competitive marketplace. Comprehensive data helps the recruitment team to analyse the market so that they can advise clients on strategy and next steps.
Steven Droppert, Recruitment Consultant IT at Sterksen, comments: “We have clients in the Eindhoven region that have specific business requirements. They were looking for talent with a background in embedded engineering but who would like to leave that behind to become a software engineer. By using LinkedIn Talent Insights, we were able to talk to our client and tell them that no one has made that step yet.”
Steven adds: “Some clients have a vision for what they need but the in the market and current environment it is not always possible, by using LinkedIn Talent Insights we can help tell this story but also find an alternate option which still helps meet their recruitment goals.”
The data doesn’t lie
According to both Steven and Guido, it can take up to three months to finalise new search requirements if an original search has been unsuccessful. And the client could ask for that same process to be repeated three or four times. Now, with the benefit of LinkedIn Talent Insights, new searches can take just one week to redesign and finalise.
Guido adds: “In the Netherlands, a high percentage of people in IT or senior positions have a LinkedIn profile. So, if LinkedIn says that specific talent and skills are hard to find then they are. The data tells the truth, and everyone believes the data from LinkedIn.
Guido is steadfast in his opinion of LinkedIn; he can see the platform’s value and benefits. For example, if you are searching for new talent and have decided on your requirements, two weeks of search, one week of chasing, and one week waiting for the client to come back to you equals one month with no positive results. If you must start the process again and times that by 200 roles, you have an issue. LinkedIn Talent Insights puts an end to negative and endless conversations and enables Sterksen to respectfully challenge clients.
Guido explains: “The data does not lie. It enables you to prove facts so that you remain productive and do not waste precious time and resources.”
The right tool to use
Sterksen’s honest and transparent approach has resulted in high hire rates. Initial sprints – that could be repeated two or three times before requirements were narrowed down – could take six to ten weeks. By using LinkedIn Talent Insights, the business has been able to slash initial search requirements and results down from a maximum of 30 weeks to a maximum of six weeks. LinkedIn data enables Sterksen to have a workable profile and search requirements in a fraction of that time.
Steven says: “We have invested a lot of time in training people how to use LinkedIn tools. Everyone is convinced of the value of the data and that it will help them in their day-to-day work.”
However, it has taken some time for recruiters to unlearn old habits and use the platform and reap the advantages.
Guido concludes: “The value and benefits are easy to explain, and people didn’t need much convincing that LinkedIn is the right tool to use. We look forward to continuing our relationship with LinkedIn and to sourcing even more highly-skilled talent for our clients.”
Main products used:
THE RESULTS
1,000 reports viewed
Almost 1,000 reports viewed since January last year showed quick adaption over the whole team (now 25 consultants)
Reduced time to hire
With the right tools and data, recruiters can change search criteria quickly, drastically reducing time to hire by an average of 40%
The right candidates
By using LinkedIn’s full suite of products, Sterksen benefited from increased inflow of quality candidates. The success rate of hard to fill roles increased with more than 20 base points
In their own words
"LinkedIn is the most important tool we use to find the best talent and to advise our clients on hiring top talent in this very hard-to-hire labour market. LinkedIn Talent Insights is a very effective tool to give the Hiring Managers insights into the factual numbers of the labour market and to effectively challenge the given job requirements."
"LinkedIn Talent Insights helps recruitment and talent acquisition teams to bring the outside world – in bite-size pieces – to the front door of the business."
ABOUT STERKSEN
Based in the Netherlands, Sterksen has been a trailblazer in innovative recruitment services since 2002 and is the market leader in IT & Technology recruitment. Sterksen targets the Dutch and the international markets, with a large focus on North-West Europe. Besides IT and technology-searches, Sterksen also provides broader talent sourcing and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and is a Managed Services Provider (MSP). Clients can also consult Sterksen for Executive Search services and sourcing projects. In short, in their 20 years of existence Sterksen has become a full-service recruitment agency and keeps trying to improve their position in the staffing and recruitment industry.
INDUSTRY:
Staffing & Recruiting
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
51-200
HEADQUARTERS
Breda, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands