Hey, so you’d like to know more about recruitment and, more specifically, embedded recruitment at WeAreKeen? Eager to hear how we do things the Keen way? Well, let’s start with the basics.

 

What is Embedded Recruitment? 

A dedicated WeAreKeen team or single person will be embedded into one of our partners, so they can best represent them to potential candidates. These embedded recruiters are experienced and are equipped with all the ins and outs of the partner they work at and how to find the right people. For the candidates, the embedded recruiter serves as a representative of the company they are hiring for and not of WeAreKeen.

 

What does it mean to be an Embedded recruiter at WeAreKeen? 

You are part of WeAreKeen and part of the company you are recruiting for. You represent both companies in one role. Basically, you get the best of both worlds. It gives you the responsibility and objectivity to be a good consultant. You get to work as an advisor/consultant and be a 360 recruiter who supports the company in overcoming its hiring needs. As an embedded recruiter, you work as an internal recruiter and are part of the company’s Talent Acquisition team. 

 

What is the difference between an Embedded recruiter and an in-house recruiter?

An Embedded recruiter works as an advisor and not just a recruiter. What differs from an internal role is your position and perspective. You can have a natural outside view that recruiters in the organisation don’t have. 

 

An embedded recruiter helps a company (startup or scale-up) scale its team as part of its internal recruitment team. It's a 360-recruitment position. Practically speaking, there’s not much difference between an embedded recruiter and an in-house recruiter. You are officially under contract with WeAreKeen, but you work at (are embedded) one of our partners. As an Embedded Recruiter, your access to documents and the types of partners and clients you support can differ. Obviously, Embedded Recruiters will be treated the same way as in-house recruiters. WeAreKeen gives everyone access to internal earning tools and other resources to make our job easier and more efficient.

 

What are the benefits as a recruiter to join an embedded agency? 

There’s no choosing involved as you work for the partner and WeAreKeen. Again, you get the best of both worlds! 

At Keen, you get to learn from your colleagues and participate in our in-house training via the Keen Academy. 

At our partners, you get exposed to their business models, roles, markets, and challenges, which is great to learn from and get more different perspectives and experiences.

 

How does the selection process go per partner? In other words, how do you get chosen for an assignment?

We assess your skills, ambitions, and the roles you have hiring experience in during our interview process. Based on your profile, we view which projects would suit you best. We discuss your options and what you would do at each place. Next, we meet with the company to see if there is a fit and agree that you are suitable for this role. Once there’s a thumbs-up from both sides, you are on board! 

 

Who could you work for? 

We work with the fastest-growing tech companies in Europe like Mollie, Miro, Backbase, Adyen, OLX, Felmo, Box, Just Eat takeaway.com, Rabobank, deliverect, choco and many more. We work with different sized companies at various business stages – from start-ups to enterprise level. 

 

How does WeAreKeen get partners, and what services do you offer?

We have companies that come to us and ask for our help to overcome their recruitment challenges. We primarily work with scale-ups; it is most often to help them grow their teams quickly. Our co-founders start with an initial meeting with the companies to see what they need and support. We set expectations and see if someone in our company could fit the recruiter’s profile for this new partner. There’s complete transparency with the companies we partner with, so you also get to have a say in which company you might want to work with. You have one or two interviews with the partner to see if there’s a fit. Once you get the green light, you are ready to go. 

 

How long is the project/assignment for?

Projects can differ in their duration. It can be from 3 months up to a full year.  It depends on many factors, like the hiring needs, filling positions, and connection with the company. 



What do the KPI’s look like at Keen or a Partner?  

It all depends on the partner. Some partners want to see the usual hires, conversion rates, and reach-outs with response rates. For others, it’s less about quantitative KPIs and more about the quality of hires and how we can best advise them, which is much harder to measure and pack into a KPI.

 

What happens if my assignment is cut short? Do I go back to Keen? 

Yes, we have your back.  If an assignment is cut short and we have other projects to fulfil, you will be able to move directly to another project with a new partner. If there is no project to go to, you can return to Keen. The project length for partners doesn’t determine your stay at the partners, but your contract with Keen. For example, if your contract is seven months and your assignment is cut short at four months, you are still employed with Keen for the length of your contract. 

 

How do I stay connected while on an assignment? 

We are focused on making all our employees feel connected and have face-to-face online training through our Keen Academy. We also organise fun, social, and active quarterly events – when we reach our targets – and we’ve been mountain biking, surfing, paddleboarding, and dining together in the past. 

  • Keen Academy: monthly training for further development
  • Quarterly outings: beach, mountain biking, dinner parties, drinks 
  • Christmas and Summer parties
  • Workation: a sunny all-hands workation in a villa in Europe
  • WhatsApp group to share our successes, fun stuff and pictures  
  • Slack channel to share articles, candidates, and learnings
  • Monthly internal newsletter 

Look at our Instagram to see how we stay connected at WeAreKeen.

 

What does my day-to-day look like as an embedded recruiter? 

To kick-start your morning, you get a cup of coffee and open your laptop to scan your emails. You schedule your day by checking the calendar to see what other appointments and tasks await you during the rest of the day. You have a quick call with a candidate that applied for one of the positions you need to fill. Next is a call with your hiring manager to discuss the current challenges and further align on the following steps— then it’s time for a healthy break. 

 

At lunchtime in the Keen office, you have a good laugh with the team and maybe a stroll along the canals with Freddie, the office dog, to get some fresh air. 

 

After lunch, you have a quick weekly check-in with your team lead so that you can share your progress so far. It is mid-afternoon already, so it’s time to do a few hours of sourcing. Good news! An excellent offer for one of your candidates came and is ready to send. In no time, the candidate accepts it, and the contract is almost good to go. You want to double-check the agreement with the hiring manager first, so you set up a call for tomorrow first thing. Time flies, and before you know it, it is time to pack your stuff and go home. 

 

What is the difference between the Amsterdam and Berlin office?

 

Our Amsterdam HQ is in the heart of the historical Jordaan on the canals - it's breathtaking, and we have so much space, sometimes a furry friend and phone booths to make calls without any distractions. Due to the pandemic, only a small group of people work in the office simultaneously. Read more about it here.

 

Our Berlin office is our first satellite office. It’s located in the Ahoy co-working space, just steps from Berlin’s Mitte. If you work from the Berlin office, you can travel to Amsterdam for training and other important events. Read more about our first office outside Amsterdam here. 




Keen to become one? Check our career page