Doriënne Plum - Recruiting driven and committed people
To identify what colleagues at our faculty have in common, you could ask the people involved in recruiting them. The corporate recruitment team within People & Development supports teams and departments throughout the selection process and helps them choose the right candidates. Doriënne Plum has been part of the corporate recruitment team for the past two years and has identified two characteristics that many colleagues share: they are driven and committed.
Doriënne has always worked in HR and recruitment. Before joining Maastricht University, she mainly worked for organisations in the construction and IT sectors. “Those are two commercial sectors, I admit. A curiosity to do more socially meaningful work led me to my first talk at UM. At a certain point in your career, you start reflecting on why you do the work you do, and I wanted to work somewhere where I felt my work had meaning.”
DOO Creations handbags
Doriënne is the contact person for our faculty and is often just a phone call away when colleagues need recruitment support. “Except when I’m in Bali for my own small business, DOO Creations handbags, which I design. I still use pen and paper to draw the bag designs, and a friend in Bali makes the bags in her leather shop. I really enjoy working at our socially engaged university, but this side business is also great fun. Occasionally, I even spot a colleague carrying one.”
The benefits of working at UM
“The university is definitely one of the more attractive employers in the region. We are also one of the largest employers in Limburg, which offers plenty of opportunities to move between roles or progress in your career. And, of course, the benefits the university offers are attractive and competitive.”
People moving from a commercial company to the university may, however, have to give up certain benefits. “For example, a company car isn’t part of the package here.” But for Doriënne, the advantages of working at a university outweigh those commercial benefits.
We use a methodology that helps us avoid relying on gut feeling when selecting the right candidate.
Find a match
“I admire the intelligence and commitment of the people who work here and the way their work impacts society. I know that by helping them with the selection process, I can free up time for their primary tasks: research, education or support.” Doriënne and the recruitment team support the selection process, from drafting the vacancy to selecting the right person for the team or department.
“We use a methodology that helps us avoid relying on gut feeling when selecting the right candidate. If none of the candidates feels like the right match, I would recommend not rushing the decision simply because we have received many applications. Finding the right person is more important than filling the position quickly. If needed, we can broaden the search. Sometimes, actively sourcing candidates via LinkedIn can be the best strategy for finding the right person for the job.”
Focus on research
One of the team’s improvement projects focuses on strengthening the recruitment of academic staff. “We hired someone who will focus specifically on recruiting PhD candidates and postdocs, as these roles require different selection processes and approaches. The personal guidance provided by our recruiters is important in every selection process, whether for academic or non-academic staff. Every recruitment process needs to be open and fair.”