“Bouwens& is a stubborn company – in the most positive sense of the word.”
At bouwens& they like to invest plenty of time in finding the right people. And they do so for a reason: the employees are the company’s main asset. COO Tessa de Grijff spoke with psychologist and advisor Guus Mannaerts. He’s been supporting bouwens&’s human resource department since forever and evaluates every interview candidate.
Top expert
When you decide to apply for a job at bouwens&, you have one certainty: you’ll be evaluated by Guus Mannaerts. The senior top expert in – among other things – assessments knows the organization inside out, allowing him to judge better than anyone if someone is a match with the company and its clients, and vice versa. “Every candidate takes an extensive online behavioural test”, Tessa explains. “The results of the future employee are evaluated with Guus. If the overall opinion is positive, the test results offers concrete tools for the new employee’s development potential.”
Personality versus behaviour
Guus works with an evaluation method that gives more importance to behaviour than to personality. “Behaviour is visible and noticeable”, he states. “Bouwens& is a hospitality and facility supplier, which means the main focus lies with someone’s attitude and behaviour. This is what determines how successful they’ll be. When I judge the assessments, I look at people’s behavioural preferences. In doing so, I try to make clear if someone’s behaviour fits in a specific environment and consequently if they’ll be a reinforcement for the client and for bouwens&. Bouwens& caters to clients in different industries, each with their own culture, norms, and preferences. If someone applies for a position in a hospital, I look at characteristics that fit well within that environment. For a corporate client, this is completely different. This client specific approach leads to better matches, and therefore to better services.”
Work enjoyment
Tessa: “With our thorough recruitment process we not only find the best colleagues, we also know that people end up in a place where they’ll be happy. An interview with our managers and the evaluation of the assessments by Guus always offers candidates something, whether they’re hired or not. It gives them a greater insight into the things they can or can’t excel at.” Guus adds: “Bouwens& is a stubborn company, in the most positive sense of the word. This is reflected in the people that work there. Due to the focus on delivering hospitality and facility services at the highest level, no concessions can be made when hiring new employees. When there’s any doubt, the deal is off. The standard is quite high.”
Assessments help build profiles
To find the best possible candidates for specific positions, bouwens& managers listen to clients and follow market trends. “Each position requires a carefully composed profile”, Tessa says. “If you don’t make sure these profiles grow and change with client or industry developments, you’ll pay the price sooner or later. You simply have to deliver the people that the client’s organization truly needs. But, in return we learn from what candidates tell us. What are they looking for? What do they want? The assessment’s results always provide us with valuable insights. These help us with our ambition to be regarded as Partner of Choice by clients, candidates, and employees.