Bertrand Champailler
Headhunting gets complicated
“We wonder if the executives are really looking for work”, annoys Bertrand Champailler, specialist in the recruitment of executives for the industry, for nearly 18 years. An observation that he shares with his colleagues at Axelyo, a generalist recruitment firm based in Lyon, “but we make the same observation for our missions outside the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region”he hastens to clarify.
As for vacancies, the forecasts are good and even very good for 2022. More than 3 million hiring projects have just been announced by Pôle emploi, an increase of 12% compared to last year. And executives in particular should also have a good vintage, according to Apec figures expected this week.
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“Our job is to move profiles in short supply, who do not consult the ads”, explains Bertrand Champailler. At the moment, he is mandated by industries of all sizes – large group, SME, ETI or start-up – in need of candidates for positions in production, maintenance, continuous improvement, but also for commercial and support functions. .
Candidates he usually contacts via his network, but also fairs, recommendations, etc. “The profession has not changed, it is the attitude of the candidates that complicates our task”he points.
Candidates obsessed with telework
“A large number of executives in office no longer want to move, watch the hunter. The Covid crisis has made them insecure and more demanding vis-à-vis their future employer. 10 years ago, their first question was about compensation, today it’s telework. »
The candidate’s first question is no longer the salary but “Is the company open to telecommuting?” »
The interest of the mission? Opportunities for advancement from their current position? The working atmosphere? “A lot of people don’t care. They stop the procedure if the company does not offer telework. For them, it has become non-negotiable. We have very little demand for full remote, the managers are quite reasonable. Most just want the ability to telecommute a few days a month. »
Are there positions for which teleworking is objectively impossible? “Not among the executives. Even a production manager can work from home a few days a month. He can also travel to visit trade fairs, visit customers, prospect for service providers. With the right communication tools, he can work remotely on an occasional basis. Provided you have the trust of the leader. »
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Employers entangled in old-fashioned management
Except that many small industrial companies, in the regions at least, do not trust and remain rather hostile to this organization. “These employers gave in to telework because of the confinement. Before 2020, few were those who considered it voluntarily. »
Traditional companies, shaped by the culture of presenteeism, whose leaders do not leave a great deal of operational autonomy to their executives.
“This type of ‘visual’ management has become a real problem for us recruiters. Telework granted “on an exceptional basis”, it complicates recruitment because we know that candidates flee this type of company. » No wonder the vacancies there remain vacant for a long time. “We miss very interesting profiles because of this criterion”.
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Employers who oppose teleworking and maintaining the collective
Nevertheless, Bertrand Champailler understands the other HR arguments of his clients: “Presence on site facilitates the creation and animation of the collective. I’m in contact with salespeople who haven’t seen their boss for a year and a half, except by video. They suffer from it. When they are deprived of relations between colleagues, the only interest of their work is money. Even for sales people, it’s far from enough. It’s one of the big failings that I see.”
Competition for self-employed status
Another form of competition, linked to the status of the worker, complicates the work of the French hunter “The fact of asking for 3 days of teleworking to be able to live at the other end of the region is not neutral. Taking on a new position and only coming to the site 2 days a week is a freelance attitude, not an employee,” argues Bertrand Champailler.
Moreover, the status of independent is no longer an exception, even in the industrial profiles that it hunts: “In research and development, in quality, in sales… more and more candidates prefer to work on their own. However, our clients prefer to recruit employees. It is also a change that complicates our task. »
New opportunities for seniors
Bertrand Champailler nevertheless sees a positive point in these behavioral revolutions: “Employers are becoming less reluctant to hire seniors, less demanding in terms of teleworking, especially when they no longer have family responsibilities and are less tempted by freelance status. »
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