insights Why Jan finds recruiting engineers interesting

Tell us a little bit about your professional background?

I have worked in recruiting for more than 15 years, both as an in-house and agency recruiter, and I have always found working with engineers and other technical specialists interesting.

What inspired you to become a recruiter?

A bit of a coincidence, I was working in sales for an online job board, and when talking to hiring managers about their open positions, I was inspired to move on to working for a recruiting agency.

What do you prefer in your recruiter role? / What is the best thing about your job?

The best thing about being a recruiter is that you get to talk with a lot of different people. You talk to different hiring managers about their part of the business, and you talk to a lot of candidates with very different backgrounds. You really learn a lot from listening to these people.

What’s the moment you prefer in a job interview?

It is always exciting when you start an interview to find out if the candidate matches the impression you got from their resume. I love it when people relax and start to talk openly about themselves and you can feel their personality and passion.

What challenges do you face in your role?

Right now, the competition for engineers and other technical personnel is tough, so you must stand out among the other employers. You must be able to convey what is great about working at AtkinsRéalis and you must work with the hiring managers to make sure you get an offer through to the right candidates before someone else does.

What qualities are necessary to be a recruiter?

Curiosity and business understanding. You must be curios about other people, wanting to know who they are and what drives them. At the same time, you must know the business—knowing what makes the business successful and profitable is essential.

What does diversity mean to you?

Diverse teams perform better and the team members find their work more satisfying. As a recruiter, you have a great responsibility regarding diversity. You have to be aware of unconscious biases when screening candidates and in external communications like the job ads we post.

Why is AtkinsRéalis a great place to be?

AtkinsRéalis works on projects that affect us all and impact our daily lives, and I find that interesting. Also, you get to work with experts within their field who have a passion for what they do.

Tell us about your favorite hobby

Besides spending time with my family, I do have a passion for watching football (soccer). I have a season ticket for our local club here in Copenhagen where my friend and I have had the same seats for more than 15 years.