A recruiter is part of a decision that can change someone’s life, enrich it.
Tara advises the Information Provision Department and recruits new colleagues, especially IT professionals, for this department. Just like the other recruitment and selection advisers, she works at the HR department of the IND. All advisors work for an own department, like Services or Legal Affairs.
‘I consciously chose recruitment with the Information Provision Department,’ Tara answers to the question how she ended up here. ‘I think ICT is a very interesting profession and the people in it are even more interesting. As a member of the ICT staff at the IND, you are given the opportunity to work on interesting and innovative projects with the newest systems and technologies. At the same time, you are helping a socially involved organisation, and by doing so, all applicants indirectly as well. The Information Provision Department is a crucial part of the IND. Without running systems, staff are unable to do their job and the organisation grinds to a halt. So, it is important to recruit the right people for this. That’s my job, among other things.’
‘Usually, my calendar is completely full. No work day is the same, so that’s a constant factor,’ Tara says, laughing. ‘What makes me so busy? I schedule job interviews, process new requests for vacancies and draft job listings. In addition, I am involved in letter and CV selection and conduct job interviews with applicants. I come up with recruitment strategies and regularly consult with the managers of the Information Provision Department, for example which vacancies are coming up and which are still unfilled. How do we make sure that the IND is an appealing employer and that we stand out? These are things I like working on.’
According to Tara, HR is the beating heart of the organisation. ‘This is how I see it because we are a kind of link between what the IND needs and who will come and work for us,’ she explains. ‘I am jointly responsible for having the right persons in the right place and at the right time. People are what makes an organisation run and it is important that these people are having a good time. I am very grateful for the times that I feel I can make a difference in someone’s life. People are usually not aware that as a recruiter you are part of a decision that can change a life, enrich it. After all, work is at the heart of someone’s life. I think it’s great that you can contribute to this.’
About this feeling of gratitude: ‘I had just started working for the IND and we were looking for an Apex developer. This is a vacancy that’s difficult to fill and had not been filled for a long time. Still, we found a suitable candidate: someone who was only a couple of months away from his pension. I was so happy that I could make him happy with a job at the IND at the end of his career. Very special too, because most people who are about to retire are unlikely to switch employers. I know how important it is to enjoy your job, and I want someone else to feel the same. In this case, I could really make a difference for someone.’
HR and recruitment are crucial components of most organisations. Why did Tara choose the IND specifically? ‘The social aspect of IND work attracted me,’ she begins ‘And in addition, I think migration policy is very interesting. The IND is close to people. Though I’m not part of the migration process myself, I do have the feeling I can add something to the greater whole through my work. If I recruit good IT staff, it benefits the systems which the organisation runs on, and hence it benefits our implementation. This way, my work eventually also affects applicants. I don’t have to look from the sideline to see how everything is going, but am part of an organisation that really matters in society.’
‘Add to this that I can completely relate to the values of the IND, especially where reliability is concerned. I’m a loyal person myself and I think it’s nice to work for an organisation that emanates reliability and that gives me the feeling that I can find my place here for the long term,’ Tara concludes. ‘Equality and self-development are very important with the IND. It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are or how long you have been working here: you count from the very first moment. I haven’t been here for a year yet, but I already know that I can continue to grow here. There are so many possibilities: I can have training, take courses and there are even training and development programmes. I haven’t encountered this anywhere else yet.’ She laughs and adds: ‘And isn’t it great that the Managing Director of the IND is a woman? It inspires me. The sky is the limit, so to speak.’
Tara is an active promotor of ICT vacancies on LinkedIn. Through her posts, she wants to show that the IND is a fun and innovative organisation to work for. So, are you looking for a challenging ICT job with the IND? Then follow her on LinkedIn.
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