The labor market in Poland is quite exploited in terms of employees fluent in languages that are less common in our country. There are relatively few people with such skills already living here, which is becoming an increasing challenge for companies (Polish and foreign) that, due to favorable geographic and financial conditions, decide to locate their European headquarters here. They are looking for candidates who speak fluently the languages of the markets to which the company’s operations are directed, but they don’t know how to attract them.
Where, then, to find such workers?
Zdeno Fedeš, founder and CEO of Ahoy Career, noticed this problem already in 2019 and came to the conclusion that it would be much more effective to look for them directly abroad. This led to the creation of an agency with an operating model that clearly differs from other companies on the market – instead of sourcing candidates only locally, in Poland, it primarily reaches out to people living in their home countries. The target group here is young people, speaking languages that are not very popular in Poland (currently the offer includes Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, German and Dutch), who already have their first work experience, but are open to adventure, such as changing their country of residence. Ahoy Career has its own methods for finding interested people (more on that later in the article) and an extensive database, which connects clients and candidates in an optimal way through 360° recruitment.
How to encourage recruited workers to come to Poland?
It is no surprise that, compared to other Western countries, Poland is not associated by foreigners with a particularly attractive place to live and develop professionally. Mr. Fedeš, as a Slovak living in Poland, came up with an idea through his own experience, which quickly turned out to be a hit. Ahoy Career began conducting extensive employer branding activities not for individual clients, but for the entire Polish labor market, resulting in a gradual increase in foreigners’ interest in coming to Poland. This activity now includes several elements – these are primarily native content (curiosities, articles, interviews) regularly published on portals known in the countries from which candidates are attracted. They describe life in Poland, the labor market, current recruitments and other topics that directly or indirectly affect the perception of our country. Ahoy Career also cooperates with embassies, co-organizing various events that attract the attention of those targeted by the agency.
– Our data clearly shows that more and more companies are struggling to find employees to operate their European branches. A challenge of this magnitude requires going beyond standard recruitment tools, so we are constantly analyzing the environment and looking for new solutions. One of them is to promote the Polish labor market through a kind of employer branding activities. which, in the long term, increase awareness in Europe of what advantages living and working in Poland entails – says Zdeno Fedeš, founder and CEO of Ahoy Career.
Sourcing of candidates
EB activities promoting Poland, however, are not the only innovative tool Ahoy Career uses to successfully attract foreign-language employees. The methods of searching for candidates themselves are also different from common practices in the market. Ahoy Career uses popular online portals, because that’s where it’s much more effective to locate people who speak the languages desired by companies in Poland. The targeting algorithms of these portals are a solution that additionally takes into account many other variables when searching, such as the preferences and skills of candidates, which, when properly analyzed, yields valuable results.
Who is the offer aimed at?
The companies that are most likely to use such services are brands with different profiles – from retail, financial or apparel, to technology. What they have in common is the need to hire employees who speak European languages, which is why Ahoy Career’s offer currently includes sourcing candidates who speak Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, German and Dutch. Several years of practice in the market shows that the most common recruitments are in departments such as customer service, marketing, sales and accounting. These processes are highly successful thanks to the agency’s experience, its way of working and its settlement on a success fee basis.
If you are interested in Ahoy Career’s activities and would like to learn more about the offer – follow the link below and contact the agency: https://ahoy.career/en/for-employers/