Meet the Sales & Recruitment Manager - Emmanuèle van Houdenhoven-Collard

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 an Undutchables team member, the challenges they face, their most memorable moments and their guilty pleasures. This week we will introduce our Sales & Recruitment Manager, Emmanuèle van Houdenhoven-Collard. Enjoy!

1. How did you end up at Undutchables?

Funny story in fact: I was originally an Undutchables’ candidate and while calling to enquire about job opportunities, ended up having an extensive & lively exchange about the job market in The Netherlands with a really nice guy…. He promised to put me in touch with a recruiter. The next day I got a call and came in to The Hague office for what turned out to be a 3-hour intake meeting with, not only 1 but 2 recruiters, as well as our South-Holland branch manager. I realized I was being interviewed both for external and internal positions … And that the guy I had spoken with was in fact our General Manager Nick van der Dussen! The rest is history…

2. What are the most enjoyable aspects of your role?

Undutchables has a very specific DNA: our team is diverse both in background and age but we always have fun together. And I am of course lucky to be in a “2-peas-in-a-pod” Sales Duo with my colleague Marjan.

3. What is the biggest challenge of the job?

Growth – Growth - Growth

4. What has been your most memorable moment in the job?

My initial contact with Undutchables has pretty much set the tone for many more memorable moments as a team: from my first bouquet of flowers for my first client/first placement, to our annual quarterly meeting on the beach in The Hague, to my splendid 5-years-at-Undutchables celebration, to our 25-year anniversary trip with the entire Undutchables team in Valencia, to our Eindhoven-team Sinterklaas celebration…. the list goes on.

5. What do you think is key for a successful recruiting process?

The higher the placement rate, the higher the client satisfaction, so bien sûr - having a (multilingual 😊) talent pool in adequation with our Dutch & international clients’ needs.

6. If you were to have a job outside an office environment, what would be your dream job?

Represent my country or grow truffles in my home Perigord-region.

7. What's your guilty pleasure?

Aha, so many I lost count 😉… eating Foie Gras with Sauternes, and spending hours at a dinner table discussing politics & society topics with family & friends.

Quickfire questions

Q: Coffee or tea

A: Black tea …Green Tea… Verveine Citronnelle & the occasional Almond Capuccino (another guilty pleasure!)

Q: Sun or snow?

A: Winter sun in Chicago, spring sun in the Netherlands, summer sun in Pèrigord, autumn sun in New England … Le Soleil toujours!!

Q: Are you a morning or a night person?

A: Late night …every night (and swearing to myself to become a morning person every morning! 😉)

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

A: Take a long sabbatical to go around the world in my Mini!