Target Recruitment & HR Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the administrative office manager for the Harvard Business School (HBS) MENA Research Center based in Istanbul, Turkey. The headquarters are in Boston, but we also have offices in Cairo and Dubai.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Target Recruitment & HR Solutions?

They’re helping us with recruitment and onboarding for our center.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Target Recruitment & HR Solutions essentially provides us with recruitment services. At the beginning of our relationship, we discussed things with our HR team in Boston to define salaries, coverage for health insurance, or any insurance we have to pay for our employees. When we find a candidate, we inform Target about our new employee, and they go on with the onboarding and paperwork. We sign an agreement between the HBS and Target, as well as another one with the employee. On paper, the employee is a Target employee, but the regulation and coverage are taken care of by HBS HR.

We started working with them before the pandemic. We have a Regus office in Cairo for our employees; they also add the Regus cost into the invoice as Target has signed an agreement with Regus on our behalf. 

During recruitment, we have a job description; we inform Target of all the details, including the descriptions, regulations, and working conditions defined by HBS, which are also aligned with the Egyptian working laws. They take care of all the paperwork there.

Additionally, we have an entity in Turkey, regulated by the Turkish working laws. We pay taxes to the Turkish government, although we aren’t usually selling anything or having any commercial relationship with the companies. We basically write case studies with companies for educational purposes in MBA or executive education classes. HBS covers all the expenses, and Harvard University covers the bigger picture. They don’t have any connection with vendors or commercial contacts.

Target has helped us with onboarding, but we also have a legal counselor in Turkey who deals internationally. They’ve prepared draft agreements between Target and HBS and the employee and Target. We send the initial step to Target, and they review it. If there are any notes regarding taxation, regulations, or local requirements, they examine them, and then we finalize the agreements.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been in contact with one of the partners and the senior manager. On a daily basis, we interact with one person.

How did you come to work with Target Recruitment & HR Solutions?

It was by chance. We started researching online, and one of our employees was an HR person in her previous job. She had a network of HR people, so she checked with them. We realized that Target was already working with international companies that found them very reliable and trustworthy, so we contacted them through an initial email.

How much have you invested in them?

We spend between $6,000–$8,000 per month. So far, the total cost is close to $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018 and are still engaged with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Sometimes with a high-quality benefits package is challenging to find local regulations. Still, they try to deal with their vendors regarding health and pension companies and find the most suitable programs for us.

About six months ago, our employee in Egypt decided to leave our company, so we needed to find a new person and figure out the process. I sent them an email to arrange an urgent Zoom call. Since there’s a one-hour difference between Cairo and Istanbul, they were very kind and accepted my call. We verbally reviewed things and started the paperwork. We had excellent correspondence in a short amount of time.

Overall, it was the first time we dealt with an outsourcing company; there were some miscalculations in the first three months, but we fixed them. 

How did Target Recruitment & HR Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a hardworking team, and we’re happy to work with them. They catch everything and inform us if there are any changes in the country. Also, they take the initiative and notify us about revisions and changes around taxation and other things so we can deal with our financial and legal counselors. It’s a smooth operation.

They keep to the deadlines and always deliver in advance. We’ve created a timeline because bank transfers usually take longer, but we send a wire transfer when they issue an invoice. We communicate via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The manager is always copied on the emails. I’m curious about how he can follow up on everything, but when he needs to interfere, he can add comments. Overall, they’ve been a good partner. They’re very efficient, and we’ve had a good relationship for over three years.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. They’ve done a great job so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They also know their way around the regulations in the UAE, so I strongly advise anyone to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate VP in the enterprise team of TASC Outsourcing, a company in the staffing and recruitment space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Target Recruitment & HR Solutions?

Target is our HR management partner in the Egyptian region.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Target provides us with payroll services and handles all the paperwork related to the employees we hire for our clients. Whenever we need to hire someone in Egypt, they take care of the taxation part of hiring that resource, their social security, and other government-related paperwork. Then, they deliver it to us within the agreed timeline.

Occasionally, we reach out to Target for recruitment services, and they help us with the visa process of expatriates working in Egypt. On the few occasions on which we use Target for recruiting, they’re in charge of prescreening and shortlisting candidates, and they handle the onboarding process as well.

What is the team composition?

We work with around 20 associates from Target who work for us in Egypt.

How did you come to work with Target Recruitment & HR Solutions?

Target originally came as a referral from one of my colleagues. This person gave me the number of their owner, and I got in touch with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay Target around $20,000 per month, but that money also goes to salary, income taxes, and social security. Their fee is included within those invoices, but we don’t know it.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around the first quarter of 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’ve found many instances of success while working with Target. A recent success story was related to one of our clients in Dubai. They needed to hire and incorporate four people within four business days, which included registering them, getting the taxation authorization, and getting their social security numbers. Target was able to incorporate those resources within 2–3 business days, which was outstanding. In more general terms, having regional partners like Target in Egypt has helped me grow my business and get more clients.

How did Target Recruitment & HR Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Target is very supportive and very good at meeting deadlines; I don’t remember a single instance in which they didn’t release the salary payments to our staff in Egypt on time. We keep track of NPS scores so that we can send them to our clients and staff and get their feedback. Additionally, we launch a bi-annual survey across the company and get some random feedback on a monthly basis as well. So far, I would rate their performance 10/10. We usually communicate via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Target’s dedication to their work and their knowledge of the Egyptian HR market are their two main strengths.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if Target had more automated processes. However, the way the local government offices work makes it challenging for them to create more automated processes. Still, if they could manage to do that, they would ease the collaboration between them and their clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Always keep in touch with their team because local markets always have updates, and Target will be fully aware of the updates in the Egyptian market. Additionally, allow them to share monthly news about what’s happening in Egypt; it will be very helpful for your business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a globally recognized manufacturer of sanitary ware and ceramic tiles with presence in more than 50 countries. Our workforce is composed of more than 8,000 employees. I am the HR Director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Target Recruitment & HR Solutions?

We are dealing with Target in 3 areas of the HR:

1. Recruitment & Selection to fill many managerial and white collars' vacancies.
2. HR consultancy projects and training & development of our staff.
3. Outsourcing for may of the blue collars' jobs. We have more than 300 contractors from Target.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

Through referrals from trusted colleagues who used Target's services and recommend it to us.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

1. Many managerial vacancies were filled by Target. The candidates match the set criteria accurately. The process is fast and efficient.
2. We conducted together many HR consultancy projects that helped the company implement the needed changes properly. Those projects included training and developing our staff to be capable to manage the change.
3. When it comes to overcoming the shortage in blue collars, Target is always resourceful and capable to bring us the needed laborers.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

More than 15 over the course of 12 years in addition to the hundreds of the outsourced blue collars.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

I believe my answers to the previous questions provide the needed data, yet I would like to add that the level of commitment, dedication and fast pace that I found in Target is very tough to be found in Egypt.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective because Target's team is quite professional and very well trained.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I am impressed with their speed, commitment, accuracy, and quality of service.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

To add more services to cover all the other HR services that they don't cover now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

International company manufacturing plastic packaging for FMCG Clients. I am the Global Attraction & Recruitment Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Target Recruitment & HR Solutions?

Staffing needs, specifically for a managerial role

SOLUTION

How did you select this agency and what were the deciding factors?

worked in the past with good results

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

confidential

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

Candidates presented were interviewed in 3 or 4 steps

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

It was a success

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Could be a little more faster

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We were impressed with their ability to present candidates coming from the manufacturing world.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

for a confidential search I think the service was very good. Only one issue that could be improved is that sometimes the candidates live to far away from our plant and this means that their economical expectations increase too much. We have really rigid salary bands we must respect

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Senior Marketing Manager responsible for brand activation

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Target Recruitment & HR Solutions?

We are expanding our market coverage and we needed local PIC target to facilitate the salary.

SOLUTION

How did you select Target Recruitment & HR Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

Recommendation from other staff and services under the folio

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

facilitate monthly payment

How many resources from the Target Recruitment & HR Solutions team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

Efficient execution of the activities

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are accommodating in the workflow.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

being able to accommodate our request despite that of miscoomunication from the previous PIC

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

NA