A recruiter for European firms targeting Latin America

Always living between São Paulo and Paris, Raquel Busnello is a recruiter for European companies targeting Latin America. In a interview with France Alumni, she talks about the specificities of international recruitment.

The recruitment firm RH Busnello’s Solutions works simultaneously in Brazil and France. Who are your clients?

For now, our clients are mainly French companies already implemented or wishing to develop their business in Brazil and Latin America. They belong to highly diverse sectors, from food industry to cosmetics and finance. They are looking for profiles with high added value for decision-taking jobs, figures who like the international aspect of their mission.

What type of profile of applicant do you submit to companies?

Whether they are French who love Brazil or Brazilians trained in France, what matters is that they need to fully understand intercultural stakes. All applicants that RH’s Busnello Solutions presents are fluent in at least two languages, including English. They know the market the company wishes to penetrate or are capable, through actual cognitive flexibility, to quickly understand the stakes of the market.

How do you identify profiles that look interesting?

I rely on my network: chambers of commerce in São Paulo and Île-de-France are very useful talent pools. In general, they are top managers. For junior profiles, I am in permanent contact with higher education institutions. I also rely heavily on various social media such as LinkedIn or Viadeo. I use them to find highly targeted profiles.

On the other hand, there is no standard profile. Not everything is about skills described in the resume. You need to be able to listen to what a potential applicant wants and needs. Working in an international environment is not easy: even when you achieved excellent studies, you may face difficulties in an environment for which you don't understand the rules.

What are the characteristics of labour market in Brazil?

In Brazilian companies, experience acquired on the field is more important than the name of the institution or university you studied in. A French training grants strong analytic skills: you need to complement those skills by multiplying internships in a professional environment.

In addition, labour market in Brazil is characterised by a high flexibility. You find that at legal level: a trial period only lasts three months, for example. You can also identify this in people's mind: they don't hesitate to change jobs, without regret, even in times of crisis. If a manager who has just started pushes his collaborators, he may end up with many resignations in his team!

Social interaction is also an important aspect.

Indeed it is! Brazilians spend a lot of time at work and invest a lot of emotion in it. They can easily feel hurt. You need to be tactful and use diplomacy.

Both the company and the recruited manager need to identify these specificities. My job is to help them achieve that!