AGEFI Profile of Greenfield

Coupled with this we at Greenfield believe that the high level positions that we have to offer requires our candidates to have much more than experience and a professional certificate of qualification for them to be fully effective within a clients company.

That’s why the Greenfield team works very closely with its clients and goes to great lengths to build a personal awareness of their companies structure, work environment and corporate culture so that we are sure to match the needs of both parties in every department including social / workplace integration. We are able to do this to great effect due to our collective experience and our knowledge and understanding of the technical and professional demands of the domains we service.

This adopted approach along with Greenfield’s ability to react and adapt to the ever shifting sands and demands of Luxembourg’s employment trends has been fundamental to the company’s success and continued growth in the recruitment arena, and its contribution towards Greenfield being recognised as one of Luxembourg’s leading HR agencies cannot be underestimated nor over lauded.

- How would you analyze the current market for jobs in Luxembourg?

From a Greenfield perspective the Luxembourg job market is in extremely healthy shape with employment opportunities continuing to open up across a wide range of sectors most particularly in the private equity, asset management, real estate and corporate service areas, so much so in fact there is even some concern in the industry that soon we may not be able to meet the numerical demands of the market at its current rate of expansion.

This expansion is in line with figures revealed in the recently published ‘State Of The Industry’ which placed Luxembourg clearly at the top of the growth charts markedly ahead of Merkel’s Germany (its nearest European competitor), recording a whopping 32% increase above the European average The report went on to state that in a recent survey of Luxembourg businesses all of those surveyed with a turnover above 500.000 predict substantial growth over the next six months based on the previous six (and those below predict stability), adding further fuel to the demands of Luxembourg’s HR and recruitment market.

These predictions are already becoming a reality, this we can gauge from the high level of activity within the Greenfield offices where we are witnessing a steady and notable expansion of our client base with a particularly strong increase in our overseas clients lending great weight to the claim that in the wise eyes of the wider business world Luxembourg is clearly seen as the smartest and most dynamic place to lay out a stall in the European market.

Luxembourg is steadily attracting a wealth of overseas investment from international companies and corporations new and old seeking a European base for their commercial activities across a wide range of industries and technologies. This latest employment wave offers wonderful career opportunities for those candidates of the highest level and it is now up to companies like Greenfield to bring those candidates to the fore.

This upward trend can only continue if Luxembourg’s HR industry continues to source and attract sufficient candidates of quality to fulfil the requirements and fill the key positions that these companies have to offer both now and in the future and this is what Greenfield sees as its greatest challenge.

However it is imperative that there is no slackening of the industries standards merely to make up the numbers in the market place as we have sometimes seen in the past and we at Greenfield ensure that by being members of the LPRA (Luxembourg Professional Recruiters Association) whose strict code of standard industry conduct we happily and proudly adhere to and promote.

The LPRA is widely recognised as Luxembourg’s gold seal of industry practice and approval and the rewards of this affiliation are clearly evident in the level of client and candidate that Greenfield has continually been able to attract and provide for with many of Luxembourg’s most attractive companies and future investors accepting and expecting nothing less.

- What are the profiles most wanted at this time in Luxembourg?

At this present time in the specialist sectors of accounting & finance and legal, the job market heavily favours mother tongue English speakers or those that have equivalent fluency as across more and more within these sectors English is almost becoming a standard requirement and a business necessity in order for companies and organisations to communicate clearly with the home office and maintain relationships with core overseas clients.

The requirements within the paralegal and legal sectors of Luxembourg make it essential that employees have a clear understanding of the nuances of the English language and many employers are now asking for ICSA (Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators) certification too.

Consequently with the employment market so favouring the English mother tongue it has become essential for HR and recruitment agencies to be able to accurately assess a potential candidates strength in this department and to assist them however possible and wherever applicable. Greenfield boasts several certified English teachers amongst its consultancy team who are confident and fully able to test non native English speakers to evaluate their standards and performance, a practice that the company has carried out from its very beginning to great success.

- Staff turnover is very important in Luxembourg. How can we keep employees?

It is no secret that Luxembourg has a very attractive salary scale across almost all professions and though it is of great importance it is not of most importance to the career minded and those motivated within their field and within themselves and these are the people of most value to Greenfield and its clients.

In Greenfield’s view it is therefore essential that we offer our potential candidates and clients a full overview of Luxembourg and not just its market place as we believe it is our role and to everyone’ s benefit to integrate and install our candidates as quickly and as seamlessly as possible.

This we do by interviewing and introducing our clients and candidates in advance to Luxembourg’s social, educational and geographical advantages as well as by highlighting its cultural diversities and its opportunities for advancement on all levels from the boardroom to their children’s classroom. Greenfield is fully aware that for any successful candidate relocation will require an enormous amount of concentration and contemplation on their part as it will affect almost every aspect of their daily life and the major players in it.

This is why Greenfield designed a modular service structure that enables us to work differently and individually with each of our clients and candidates. Through this structure we are able to assess and tailor to specific needs and up or downsize the role we play in each recruitment project accordingly. Our overseas clients for instance generally require nothing less than a fully integrated approach where we prepare detailed job descriptions, produce advertisements and specialist reports to provide them with a first-hand insight into the local market.

We also act as consultants all the way through the process and where necessary organise personality and psychometric tests for candidates who are then placed on a short-list for the clients own evaluation. We will also perform as a human resources department for those clients that are not yet operational in Luxembourg but need to recruit staff, all of which places an even greater emphasis on the role that HR companies like Greenfield have in attracting, selecting, connecting and installing the premier candidates in the prime positions our clients are aiming to fill.

Once again this is a facet of Greenfield that was designed into its business model from the outset and not a merely reaction to a market swing or fashion and that is why we believe Greenfield has the edge necessary to help fledgling and veteran businesses alike cut through Luxembourg’s logistical and legislative process enabling them to get on with the work of doing successful business in the easiest and most effective manner in the business world’s most vibrant and virile market place.