International Confex 2023

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A PERSONALISED APPROACH Louisa Daley chats to ESMOS recruitment to understand how the recruitment landscape is changing

Recruitment has always been important to the events industry, after all, we want to attract and retain the best possible talent to help make the best possible experiences. However, what employers and employees are now looking for has changed dramatically post-pandemic.

I spoke to Mark Benaicha, managing director of ESMOS recruitment, to find out how this is impacting the recruitment process and how the company is revolutionising recruitment.

Client-candidate relationships

“Since its launch in March 2021, ESMOS recruitment has been the ‘go to’ recruitment specialists for the events industry in Dubai and the UAE,” says Benaicha.

“I set up ESMOS recruitment because there was a gap in the market and there a was high demand for eventprof talent. As someone who has previously worked in recruitment and events, I was able to go out there and source that talent. I’ve been here for 16 years and have all the right connections with CEOs, presidents MDs and so forth, so I just developed my network and put everything together,” he adds.

But with ESMOS recruitment, Benaicha wanted to do something different and lead with a more personalised approach. “One pet peeve I always had was that the recruitment process was very transactional. You hear from a recruiter, you send a CV, you might (or might not) hear back from them.

“This isn’t the case with us. We get to know our candidates; we really know our clients personally and their businesses. It’s all about relationship building because no people are the same. We advise both our candidates and our clients, taking into account their personal situation and the opportunities that are most appropriate for them.”

What’s new?

But what do these clients and candidates want in 2023, and how has these expectations changed?

“Pre-pandemic, it was all about having the right experience. Employers wanted someone who is going to come in and hit the ground running and get the job done. Now, they want someone who will fit into their company culture, someone who will get along with the rest of the team,” he reveals.

Potential employees also are looking for something less ‘traditional’. “Our recent salary survey found that individuals look for a new job because for better career growth and a greater work/ life balance,” says Benaicha.

Therefore, heading into 2023, salary will play a less vital role in a candidate’s decision-making process. “At this side of the Atlantic, it’s very much, go to work, go home, with very little added demand. But in the UK, it’s a very different market. We’ve had candidates turn down vacancies paying them a lot more than they are currently on because they wanted that work/life flexibility.”

With the events industry bouncing back stronger than ever, Benaicha sees it as the ideal time to expand into the UK market and “humanise recruitment again.” ESMOS recruitment will be expanding into the UK on 1 March to mark its second year anniversary, and its partnership with International Confex 2023.

Mark Benaicha

www.international-confex.com