Ask the headhunter

J.F.K. asks:

As an R&D manager of a fast-growing high-tech company, I have daily video interviews with candidates and I see dozens of resumes. I’m looking for highly specialized engineers who, at the same time, are eager to learn and flexible, willing to work on other projects if necessary. As the local pool is small, I rely heavily on international candidates, from the EU or beyond. For many positions, most of the applicants come from India.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many prospects who make it through the selection process. Most just aren’t interesting enough to make an offer. I often receive extensive resumes, listing projects and responsibilities that are almost impossible for a single person to handle. I get candidates who say they have experience in a certain field but in a technical interview turn out to lack even the most basic knowledge. I see resumes of Indian applicants who have been working for a company in the Netherlands for less than a year and are already looking around – I’m not very keen on hiring job-hoppers like that.