All the stops with a recruitment campaign for suitable new talent at Burggraaf Zeilmakerij.
What do you do when traditional recruiters give up yourself because you are looking for specific staff? Bart Burggraaf joined forces with Dirk van Esdoorn de Vries, and successfully: thanks to his committed and personal approach, Bart welcomed two new colleagues in the autumn of 2023. How that went and why Esdoorn de Vries' approach proved effective for his company? That's what Bart tells you in this interview.
Bee Viscount Sailmaker truck sails, trailer sails, container nets, covers for machines, loading systems and tarpaulins for auction carts are made, among other things. For almost 100 years! “I'm the fourth generation in the company,” says Bart, who certainly sees this as special. “The fact that we've been around for so long is not nothing. My ancestors started trading in jute sacks. Cotton towels have been added since the 1960s. Now we almost only do PWC. We move with the times, and we have to.”
As the owner of the craft company Burggraaf Zeilmakerij, Bart knows how difficult it is to find the right people for technical production work. “When regular mediators threw in the towel, I had to try to find new employees in a different way. Fortunately, I found Esdoorn de Vries.”
How did Bart end up at Esdoorn de Vries? “Almost a year ago, I met Esdoorn de Vries via common connections on LinkedIn. I had had a bit of a time with other agencies, who, for example, stopped the campaign after six months because I'm in such a specific field and they couldn't match the right people to us. With Esdoorn de Vries, it was a world of difference from the first contact,” says Bart.
“That's mainly due to the openness. The transparency I get about what they do and when they do it, but also the constant feedback. Overviews that I received every week contained exactly who they had approached and, for example, why a certain candidate had not become the one. The contact was easy and clear from the start, which felt really good to me.”
All Esdoorn de Vries campaigns are preceded by a strategic session. Dirk became Bart.'s contact person. “I noticed right away that Dirk's interest in my company was serious: a lot of questions were asked about what we did and what I was looking for. It is not an average production employee role. For example, you need to be able to read drawings that require technical insight, and you spend a lot of time on your knees. Those kinds of things were well mapped out beforehand,” explains Bart.
He also had Dirk's personal approach to Burggraaf Zeilmakerij and Bart to the candidates. “He didn't treat them like numbers. That was very characteristic, and it undoubtedly had a positive impact.”
“In total, I came into contact with 30-35 candidates through the campaign. When there was still no match after the first 8-9 candidates, Dirk spoke to me about how the job interviews went,” says Bart.
“Dirk helped me improve the job interviews. For example, he drew up a guide with a format for the conversation and gave tips on how to make it a more personal conversation. In consultation, Dirk even attended a number of second meetings.” The result: in the autumn of 2023, Bart hired two new colleagues who are still part of the team today.
Next year, we may refer to Viscount Zeilmakerij as a 'Royal' Viscount Zeilmakerij. And even after that, Bart and his team won't sit back. “We may have been around for almost 100 years, but for every customer, we will continue to fight to make it happen again. We are also keeping up with the times for the team: with new machines to facilitate production and to improve ergonomically, for example.” This is how Bart ensures that he is a forerunner in his craft.
