The Brief
We were approached by a high-quality Chinese manufacturer of robotics who had struggled to identify and attract a Sales Engineer and Channel Manager in Germany to aid their expansion into Europe.
Relying on their own efforts alongside working with another recruitment company they invested 6 months and hadn’t secured a suitable candidate. With Germany being known globally for their high precision manufacturing and having a culture of buying from their own, it was an extremely challenging assignment to find candidates who had the self-belief to take on the German market with a Chinese product.
The Process
We conducted a detailed discussion with their HR team in China, followed by a second meeting with their CEO to not only understand the requirements but also what made their products, business, and culture unique.
We understood the barriers we would face when presenting this opportunity to the market and wanted to ensure we could effectively present the role and overcome candidate objections.
By market mapping and identifying direct competitors and manufacturers of transferable technology, we were able to highlight and headhunt new business developers who could add real value and support our client’s growth objectives in Germany.
The Result
The Sales Engineer Role
For this role, we submitted 4 carefully selected CVs for the client’s consideration. After the initial review, 3 candidates were invited for first-stage interviews, with 2 progressing to the second stage. Ultimately, 1 candidate advanced to the third and final stage, securing an offer. The entire process took just under 5 weeks from start to finish.
The Channel Manager Role
We submitted 7 CVs that aligned to the client’s requirements. 5 of which were invited for first-stage interviews, with 3 moving forward to the second round. After a thorough selection process, 2 candidates reached the final stage, and 1 received a job offer. The entire hiring process was completed in just under 4 weeks
Even with the vast time difference between the UK and China, we were able to ensure the process ran smoothly and we made ourselves available out of hours when needed. The relentless approach to hunting out candidates, coupled with the vast amount of data gathered at the early stages of the process was instrumental in us successfully delivering both roles, a direct Sales Engineer and Channel Manager who are now at the forefront of the German sales team.
