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Meet the Recruiter - Maria Leisker
We have shared a lot with you about our company, our events, the Netherlands as a country and their traditions. We feel like it is high time you got acquainted with some of our colleagues. This blog will give you more insight into the life of a recruiter, the challenges they face, their most memorable moments and their guilty pleasures. This week we will introduce our recruiter from Eindhoven, Maria Leisker. Enjoy!
1. How did you end up at Undutchables?
Fun fact: I started out as a candidate myself at Undutchables. When I moved to the Netherlands, I faced several rejections from my own applications, mainly due to my limited Dutch language skills. That’s what encouraged me to give Undutchables a try. From the moment I registered, I felt seen and supported. Just three weeks later, I signed a contract to join Undutchables as a recruiter myself. The timing couldn’t have been better, especially since I already had corporate recruitment experience in Germany.
2. What are the most/least enjoyable aspects of your role?
I truly enjoy connecting with both our candidates and clients and being involved in the recruitment process from the very beginning. It’s incredibly rewarding to understand a client’s needs and successfully match them with the right candidate. When both parties are happy, I am too.
The difficult part of the job is delivering negative news. Even when I believe a candidate has the perfect skill set a client is looking for, the outcome isn’t always as positive as I thought. Sometimes the decision is influenced by factors such as salary expectations, availability, or simply the overall impression after an interview. As I’m usually not present during interviews, it can be difficult when a candidate feels confident about how it went, but the client decides not to move forward. In those situations, I can only share the client’s perspective and feedback, without being able to provide additional insights from my own observations. I prefer telling positive news over negatives, but that’s part of the job too.
3. What is the biggest challenge of the job?
Managing the expectations of all three parties is both a challenge and a motivation. I balance candidates’ ambitions, clients’ individual requirements, and my own high standards. My goal is to create a match that satisfies everyone involved.
4. What has been your most memorable moment in the job?
I would say that every placement is a memorable moment. Each one has its own unique story. It is always rewarding to see a client and candidate find the right match and begin a long term partnership together.
5. What do you think is key for a successful recruiting process?
Regular exchange with clients, candidates and my team, combined with a personal touch, is key for me. In a fast-paced world full of AI and change, I believe it’s essential to maintain human connection. I value sitting down in person or on a video call to discuss a role. While our busy schedules don’t always allow it as often as we would like, true connections are built this way. It’s always important to stay involved throughout the recruiting process, especially when changes or new requests arise. I appreciate transparency from all sides.
6. If you were to have a job outside an office environment, what would be your dream job?
Then I would have become a veterinarian. I grew up with farm animals and in nature. I can picture myself driving a big four-wheel drive to farms and helping out with my expertise. However, science was never my strongest subject in school haha.
7. What's your guilty pleasure?
There are so many! I love pindakaas (peanut butter), banana bread, and smoothies. I usually prefer going out for a smoothie bowl rather than something overly sweet.
Quickfire questions
Q: Coffee or tea
A: Coffee 😊
Q: Sun or snow?
A: Sun!!!
Q: Are you a morning or a night person?
A: I like the quiet in the morning before everyone else wakes up.
Q: If you could go any where in the world where would you go and why?
A: New Zealand or Switzerland, I love the mix of the lakes and mountains in both places.
"A great recruiter doesn’t fill requisitions. They build relationships."
Undutchables
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