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Recruitment Insights: Pre-Brexit advice to candidates

Written by: Lucy Bennell
Published on: 4 Jun 2018

Lucy Bennell offers some pre-Brexit advice to candidates

BENNELL INSIGHTS

Pre-Brexit advice to candidates

If I carried out a survey of Bennell Associates’ contacts, I know I would find that the people I have worked with who have delivered the most, and who have developed in their careers most impressively have been those who have worked overseas or those who have come to work in the UK from other countries. Even in these days of remote working and collaborating virtually, a snapshot of my clients and candidates right now, (apart from a select few – you know who you are!) illustrates that those who have progressed fastest and who are the most high-profile are EU/global citizens or Brits who have worked abroad.  

So, as we leave the EU it is obvious that this experience and expertise is going to be more difficult to gain and that it is likely to have a negative knock-on effect to a talent pool that is already in demand.  

All my clients look for purchasing professionals who can engage with stakeholders and colleagues on a regional or global basis. Take McCormick, the global leader in herbs, spices and seasonings. The company’s ability to serve their customers through a global and regional supply chain has been a key enabler to growth - and procurement has been a major contributor to the company’s success.  

McCormick’s EMEA procurement team now spans 12 countries and serves customers in more than 25 markets across the region. Led by Toby Chapple, this team has members based across the UK, France and Poland.

“We favour procurement professionals who are comfortable working with customers internationally” says Toby.  “It is not only about developing regional purchasing plans – although these are important - we need people who understand the supply chain from farm to table. The purchasing team at McCormick is very customer-focused and we work hard to exceed their expectations. So, we need team members who can collaborate with a range of functions including; marketing, R&D and Technical, and of course, customers, across the region.”

Many articles and commentators believe that Brexit will be bad for the talent pool, but there is little granularity around what will happen. However, uncertainty around the final terms of Brexit may put pressure on the talent pool.

I wonder if, after Brexit, I will still be able to seek out and approach talented European citizens who want to come to work in global teams/EMEA teams in the UK? 

What will the much talked of points-based visa system look like? To be honest I’m not feeling at all confident about the Home Office’s ability to implement a visa system that will be effective and simple. It is highly likely that at the very least for the medium term after Brexit, we recruiters will be unable to consider EU nationals for roles in UK. This is going to be a major challenge for me and my clients.   

Roles like the ones in McCormick’s EMEA procurement team provide fantastic cross-functional exposure and first-hand experience of collaborating cross-culturally on customer-facing end-to-end projects.  But without a strong diverse and accessible candidate pool, will the talent be available to fulfil them? 

So, my advice to candidates? Explore opportunities across Europe RIGHT now, while relocating for work is still easy! Gain some experience of working in other countries, really immersing yourself in different cultures. This will give you a major career advantage in the future. And to all you talented mainland European purchasing professionals, come and get some UK experience while we are still able to welcome you visa-free! 

For roles with McCormick’s EMEA purchasing team click here