Based in Luxembourg , the European Investment Bank ( EIB ) is the lending arm of the European Union ( EU ). During the pandemic , it faced increased hiring volumes at the same time as having to move all recruitment online . So how did senior recruiter Maria Cristina Cacciari and the recruitment team cope ?
Maria Cristina Cacciari , Senior Recruiter , European Investment Bank
The EIB partnered with AMS to support a requirement for a remote onboarding process throughout the COVID-19 pandemic . This meant altering the existing recruitment process to support its in-house team of more than 3,500 colleagues in Luxembourg to hire into niche roles , graduate roles and traineeships remotely .
The EIB is an international financial institution whose shareholders are the EU member states . Based in the heart of Luxembourg , it is the lending arm of the EU – the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world , and one of the largest providers of climate finance . Five years ago , AMS commenced its journey with this unique client , with all recruiters and administrative staff based on-site offering a hightouch hiring manager and candidate service .
AMS and EIB have worked together to help change the working narrative and culture surrounding remote working practices
The EIB was experiencing high demand and was looking to hire 300-400 hires a year into niche roles , traineeships and graduate roles . Due to the changing working circumstances caused by COVID-19 , AMS was engaged to help deliver a remote solution to minimise any impact on hiring volumes . And this needed to happen fast .
“ As a recruitment team , initially , we had a short delay while we gained the appropriate approvals for external recruitment consultants to have remote access to our systems and tools . However , after that first week , we were able to guarantee full business continuity and actually recruited in high numbers in 2020 ,” says senior recruiter Maria Cristina Cacciari .
The impact of COVID-19 on hiring
Over the years , AMS has worked with EIB with fluctuating volumes , depending on demand . As is the case with publicly-owned institutions , hiring volumes and demand often relate directly to political outcomes taking place across Europe . Recent examples include the Financial Crisis Response and COVID-19 .
During the past 12 months , AMS has deepened its partnership with EIB , pivoting its services to a high-touch remote service offering . A team of 15 on- and off-site recruiters , administrators and sourcing specialists currently work with EIB with an emphasis on diverse hiring . There are more women then men in niche and managerial roles and more men in support roles .
AMS and EIB have worked together to help change the working narrative and culture surrounding remote working practices . Over the year , EIB has pivoted and altered its recruitment processes and now offers a completely remote service for its 3,500 employees in Luxembourg .
“ We are an international financial institution and a long-term employer . Our attrition rates are very low and our mission to be the EU Climate Bank is attractive to candidates ,” says Cacciari .
“ Consequently , we are selective in who we hire . In our normal recruitment practices , the final stage of hiring – regardless of seniority – used to involve a face-to-face interview and assessment at our offices in Luxembourg ,” she adds . “ Instead , panel interviews are now done via video conferencing and professional assessments are done virtually with candidates supervised remotely by our colleagues .
Since altering its process , EIB has seen significant positive change , with 320 hires made remotely and no significant negative impact on hiring targets due to COVID-19 . EIB also saw a 42.5 % growth in longlist gender diversity for professional roles .
The view from AMS : Elena Williamson , Senior Operations Manager , AMS
The partnership with EIB and AMS is in its sixth year . We are extremely pleased to be able to partner with a multilateral organisation that supports COVID-19 financial recovery in Europe . Scalability , efficiency and transparency of our service have remained paramount when delivering end-to-end recruitment for the bank .