Sophie Reinhardt works at HSEQ Professional on & offshore GmbH as an in-house recruiter. She operates from our back office in Heinsberg and is responsible for applicants, job advertisements and interpersonal relationships within the team.
She recently embarked on her first business trip to our projects in the north to establish and maintain contacts and gather impressions and expertise on the construction sites. All of this is now available to her as background knowledge for new job advertisements and potential new applicants. Her most recent second business trip took her to the south of Germany. She visited the TransnetBW’s SuedLink project.
In this interview, she talks about her impressions and experiences of the construction sites and how travelling on business helps her in her job as a recruiter.
Dear Sophie, please start by telling us about the construction sites that you were able to visit during your second business trip to southern Germany?
On my second business trip, I was able to visit various construction sites along the power cable route to familiarize myself with the different construction methods. From the so-called HDD drilling and pressing to the open trench method, everything was actually there. Of course, I also visited a converter construction site this time and was overwhelmed by the dimensions!
What was the most exciting thing for you on the construction site?
On this business trip, I was actually most impressed by the shaft construction site, which is part of the mine on site.
How did the teams on the construction sites react to your visit?
Both our team and those from the other companies on site reacted very positively to my visit. I think it’s very important in my job to see the construction sites and activities by yourself. I received positive feedback from them in return.
To what extent were you able to provide interpersonal support on the construction sites?
Everyone has their own story and I was able to share one or two of them. The personal face-to-face conversations were really great and I was able to gain many impressions and experiences that would never have been possible in the office. The so-called stones in the way were easier to empathise with because you experienced everything yourself, even if only for a short period of time.
How do you process the information you gathered and how do these impressions benefit you as an in-house recruiter?
You get an incredible amount of input and have to sort it all out for yourself first. But once it has sunk in, it stays there. It’s now easier to exchange ideas with colleagues. The accumulated knowledge, impressions and information are incredibly helpful for me. It starts with the job advertisements. I can now define more clearly what is being done and who is being sought for what. It continues with the interviews: I can now ask specific questions, categorise information better and tell more about the projects.
What impressions will you bring back to our back office in Heinsberg?
I can only advise all my colleagues to go and see the construction sites for themselves. It’s incredibly exciting and informative.
What was the best moment of your business trip?
The best moment for me was our dinner with the whole team.
What happens now? Are there any more visits to project construction sites in the pipeline?
Of course! My next visit will be to my colleagues at the ISKE project in Bavaria. There I’ll be looking at the converter construction in Landshut.
All in all?
Every business trip is different, every team is different, every construction site is different. In future, I would like to go on these business trips regularly, not only to see the progress, but also to see my colleagues.
Thank you, Sophie!