At the beginning of August, Ewoud Opdekamp started as Commercial Controller in the team of Toon Schelfhout, Finance Manager ARA at LBC Tank Terminals. In this new role, he will report to Toon and work closely together with the Financial Controller and Accounts Payable/General Ledger.
Toon chose to partner up with TriFinance in their search for a new colleague. “The benefit of working with TriFinance is the combination of both consultancy and recruitment & selection. Sander (Project Consultant) supported our team during the search, and will now provide a qualitative handover to Ewoud. This way, business continuity was ensured.”, explains Toon. “Next to this, I appreciated the personal approach and the drive of both Cleo (Business Manager) and Ineke (Business Consultant).”
We are also happy with the cooperation. “LBC was a fast decision maker. That really makes the difference in this competitive labor market”, says Cleo Marteleur, Business Manager at Transition & Support Antwerp.
We have some tips & tricks for successful recruitment & selection and discussed these with Toon Schelfhout.
6 tips for a successful search
Tip 1: Good candidates are scarce, and others know that as well. Fast decision making is crucial.
“Ewoud was a strong candidate, and I knew that he was actively looking for a new job, so I had to decide quickly. Moreover, I think it is a sign of respect and trust towards a candidate to provide feedback quickly.”
Tip 2: The first candidate can be the most suitable.
“In total, TriFinance presented 3 strong candidates, of which Ewoud was the first. When I saw Ewoud’s resume, I immediately thought he would be a suitable candidate for the job, and this was confirmed in the first interview. His competencies matched the job requirements, and we ‘clicked’ immediately, so why hesitate?”
Tip 3: Get to know the candidate - tell a little about your company.
“Ewoud came across as very mature and sincere. He thought about strategy and asked critical questions. This is important in a role as Commercial Controller, because you will need to challenge the sales team. I feel that his personality is complementary to the current team members, which is also very important.”
If the first candidate is the right match, why hesitate?
Tip 4: Hire for personality & motivation, train for skills.
“I fully agree: motivation and personality are important. Better an ‘unfinished product’ and train for specific skills. Although, I believe that the basis must be present in a finance position. Ewoud has both the will to learn, and also the necessary experience to get started right away.”
Tip 5: Focus on 3 must haves, think about nice to haves.
“The ideal candidate does not exist, and as I stated earlier, that’s not necessary. For this position, I suggested the following must haves:
Experience in compliance
Strong analytical skills
Continuous drive for improvement and optimization"
Tip 6: Enthusiasm the candidate. What makes you a great employer?
“LBC Tank Terminals is in full transformation. We have great ambitions within the European region, and are taking several steps towards automation (‘terminal of the future’). So there are plenty of opportunities for those who want to learn and take initiative.”
A new job in two weeks is not standard! It was a pleasant, efficient and professional experience that I recommend to any finance professional looking for a new opportunity.
