Skills & training: Recruit for attitude, then train in skills

Global economic conditions, the diversification of Luxembourg, the fintech startup scene and Brexit are the principal reasons why employers in Luxembourg are finding it difficult to find the skills they need at this time, says Christopher Purdy, managing director of Greenfield Luxembourg, a recruitment and executive search company. Talent retention, as well as talent acquisition are key in his view.

“It is difficult for companies to hire the skills that they need, but with the funds and financial services area this is not because there are no people with the right skills, but that there are not enough people with the skills our clients require,” Purdy of Greenfield told Delano in a recent interview. “This is the result of a mixture of several factors including the general global economic condition, the diversification of Luxembourg, the fintech startup scene, and of course, Brexit.”

For Purdy:
“Recruiting the right person is never just a question of skills, but also about attitude, team fit, candidate expectation, client expectation and growth opportunities. For my own business, in an extremely busy market, we need to hire for attitude first and then train the in the skills we need.”

He believes that training is essential to companies. “If a company does not have a standard induction and training programme in place, then they are missing a great opportunity,” he said.

Companies also need to look at talent retention, not just talent acquisition, he stated:

“At Greenfield itself, for example, we work with a business coach for each member of the team, and we also have a robust competency review system that allows us to train and develop our team members in line with their specific needs. Internally we also organise training based around every single aspect of our process, and in terms of “softer” skills such as influence, sales, commerciality, team work, and NLP [neurolinguistic programming].”

His final word of advice to candidates themselves:
“In order to increase your employability, take qualifications, and any CPD [continued professional development] available, and move to Luxembourg.”

This article was first published on Delano