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Candidate Case Study: Escape to the Country

31 January 2019

by Megan Walsh

At Oliver James Associates, the satisfaction of our candidates is what matters most. From the initial point of contact, we keep in close contact to ensure our candidates feel fully supported through every stage of their recruitment journey. Each person has a different story, so we completely tailor our approach to the needs of the individual.  

Here we speak to the team who successfully managed to help a Senior Network Engineer from Madrid relocate and start a new career in Switzerland.

Not only did the team successfully place the candidate – they even managed to get his hiring company to secure a deposit for his new home! 

 

Firstly, tell us a bit about the candidate…

Our candidate had been at his previous company, a leading pharmaceutical firm, for almost 10 years. He joined the company straight after university, working his way up from Apprentice to Senior Network Engineer. 

 

How did you understand their motivations?

After establishing a connection we found out that, although he was content in Madrid and in his work, our candidate felt he was unable to reach his full potential. We also discovered he was recently married and his wife – who also works in the pharmaceutical industry – is fluent in French. As soon as he told us this, we knew a relocation to Switzerland would be an excellent career move.

 

How did the candidate feel about relocating to another country?

Although he’d never thought about a career in Switzerland before, our candidate had worked on many overseas projects, so we knew he was open to travel. But soon after chatting with him we discovered he was actively seeking an opportunity to explore nature. With this extra information we were able to find him a role located in a mountainous region of Switzerland we knew he’d enjoy.

 

How did you support the candidate in his decision to move to Switzerland?

Anyone can provide a career step but moving someone’s entire life from one country to another is completely different. You must take into consideration changes in culture - and not just from a work point of view.

Our candidate was moving from Madrid, a vibrant city full of hustle and bustle, to a much quieter mountainous region of Switzerland – so we provided constant advice and guidance to make sure that he and his wife would be able to integrate into Swiss society as smoothly as possible.

 

It does sound like a great move for the candidate – but what about his family situation?

Well, Basel is a major hub for the global pharmaceutical industry and just a short 30-minute train journey to the role we had found for our candidate. This puts his wife in an excellent position to develop her own career, especially as she is fluent in French.

 

After the candidate agreed to the possible relocation, what happened next?

This was one of his first ever interviews, so it was crucial for us to help him understand the nature and culture of Swiss companies, as well as the area he’d be living in, should he get the role.  We assisted and guided him through each step of the process. He passed the interview with flying colours and secured his new role as Senior Network Engineer.

 

How satisfied was your candidate?

Our candidate and his family were extremely happy with the outcome. The whole process took around 5 weeks to complete. We provided him with guides to the area, so he could decide where to live – and we even manged to get his hiring company agree to secure the deposit for his new home. We continue to keep in touch with the candidate and wish him a very happy career in Switzerland!

 

 

 

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