The ROI story of Alprokon
You started your business once at the kitchen table. From a dream. With goals you want to achieve and ambitions you want to realize. Together with your employees, you work hard on this every day. Each from their own intrinsic motivation.
So does our client Alprokon. This family business with 27 employees has been developing and manufacturing aluminum solutions that promote the safety of people and buildings for over 50 years. Velde has selected a Deputy Director who contributes to the ambition: ‘Alprokon as the first choice for all European customers!’
A concrete mission
To recruit the right candidate for this management role, client Petra van Herpen, Managing Director and daughter of the founder, made a conscious decision to choose a specialist.
Someone who takes into account the sensitivity of the process and looks beyond the short term. Someone who knows what it means to transfer part of the daily management on the basis of trust and the right click. And above all, someone who takes an objective and expert view of the process and keeps it on track.
Impact on the organization
The recruitment process surrounding the new executive member of the Alprokon family is a process that impacts the entire organization. Are the feelings of the company’s employees taken into account by those involved? Does the candidate sense the history? And does he/she fit the culture of an SME family business?
You notice the family feeling as soon as you step inside Alprokon. Upon arrival, you literally take a look at the shop floor. Here you see how the products are made and the different generations at work. The employees are proud of their company and the quality they deliver together. They feel at home.
– Yolanda Marijnen
Ambition and mission
For these reasons, we always start our recruitment and selection process from the specific ambition of your organization. Where do you want to be in five years and what qualities should your new colleague possess to contribute to this?
To make it clear to candidates how they can contribute to Alprokon’s ambition, Yolanda Marijnen, Senior Consultant at Velde, together with Petra van Herpen, formulated a concrete assignment for this position:
Together with the management team, you will give the organization new energy and flair through the transformation from product orientation to customer orientation. You will set up sales, bring structure and be the face of Alprokon to the market. The goal? Doubling sales within five years.
Confidentiality
Yolanda: “When recruiting a board member within a family business, it is not only about the candidate himself, but precisely also about the feelings at play within the organization. Building a relationship of trust between the consultant and the client is very important in this situation. You have to be able to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.”
Petra adds: “At Alprokon, employees are long-serving. It is important that all stakeholders are heard. I know the organization like the back of my hand and know what qualities are present. Yolanda monitors the process from her role and gives well-considered advice. Where I rely on my intuition, Yolanda looks at the big picture of ambition, personality and motivation.”
Contribution from one's own motivation
All the candidates we selected with our personal approach for Alprokon have the ability to contribute to the ambition of the organization. Each from their own intrinsic motivation. This goes beyond CV or experience. It is precisely the personality during an introductory interview that adds flavor. This brings candidates to the client’s table who, on paper, do not immediately appear to be the perfect match.
As soon as the first candidate sat down with Petra, the process became tangible: Is there a click between Petra and future director? Does the candidate understand and energize the organization? And above all, does the candidate give confidence that he/she can contribute to the realization of the ambition?
Standing in front of the troops
Through the booklet Omdenken by Berthold Gunster, candidate Richard Snel immediately gave a fun twist to the conversation with Petra. This gave rise to the right vibes.
In the interview, Richard remained himself, gave a comfortable impression and stood firm. That says a lot during an executive-level recruitment and selection process. Petra’s desire was for a candidate who is ahead of the troops, a market trader with farm sense. Someone who doesn’t misuse his knowledge but uses it.
Richard comments: “After working as a consultant for ten years, I was looking for a permanent position with an organization where I can build. A company where I can add something. With a real entrepreneur with whom I can realize my ambition.”
Win-win situation
At Alprokon, this is clearly the case. Richard is full of energy about the direction being taken and the challenges he faces daily. You feel the trust between Richard and Petra. But the initial assignment is also given concrete substance. New contacts are made, existing relationships are renewed, competitors are mapped out and the customer is put first. Employees know where to find Richard and together they continue to work on the ambition of Alprokon on a daily basis.
At Velde, we believe in Matching Great Ambitions. The better the ambitions of our candidates and clients match, the more benefit and job satisfaction both experience.
Want to know more about executive level recruitment and selection? Then contact Yolanda Marijnen.
Contact Yolanda
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