BigWig Headhunters are making their mark on the local recruitment scene. SiGMA News sat down with Co Founder and COO David Borg,? to look at why giving the best quality of service to their clients is at the heart of their businesses philosophy

For readers not yet familiar with BigWig, what are the top three things they should know about the company?

Well, good question. Thing number one thing would be that two of the three founding partners have 20 years of experience, each at the highest level of international recruitment – we know our stuff. Our third founder is a very well respected entrepreneur. Second would be our main ethos and the main driver behind our business strategy: QUALITY OF SERVICE.

In an industry that has very much lacked QOS over the years, we believe this will be what makes us different. And finally number three; work to live, don’t live to work. We have fun at work, we enjoy what we do and we try to create a light atmosphere – both internally in our culture, but also in the way we are perceived in the market. You can still obtain the highest levels of professionalism while having a little fun along the way.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the strategy shaping your role and how you got started in this industry?

Well, for me personally, as Co Founder and COO of the two brands we have, BigWig Headhunters & WigWam Recruitment, the strategy I bring to the table is to make sure the operations within the company, as well as the level of services offered to clientele, remain at a consistently high level.

My role is twofold. First and foremost to take care of the day-to-day running of the business and secondly to be the main point of contact with clients, both in terms of engagement and maintenance of relationship. We believe very much in long-term relationships. In terms of how I got started, well it was back in 2001 approximately, my close friend (and our CEO) was working as a headhunter and roped me in to working with him. It turned out that I would spend 17 years as a headhunter covering Investment Banking Equities in the UK, Germany, France, and Italy. It was a very good ride.

What key attributes are helping BigWig stand out from the global recruitment crowd?

I will always keep going back to quality of service. We are not a CV mailing house, unlike many others. Our role is to understand the clients culture and needs and perform a professional search based upon that understanding. Our job is not just to send a client 30 CV’s and hope for the best. Our job is to save the client time, by doing in depth screening – meaning that when we introduce a candidate to a client there is a high likelihood they will be a good fit. And if they are not we will tell the client the reasons why. Quality of service, professionalism, honesty, and work ethic. These are the attributes we bring.

Watch an exclusive interview with the BigWig Headhunters below:

How does the local recruitment scene compare to the international sector? How has BigWig brought a more global recruitment experience to Malta?

I think the biggest downfall locally is the lack of proper headhunting and recruitment training given to new people entering the industry. Contrary to current belief, headhunting is quite a technical industry, and to be successful and to offer the right standard of service, you need to know what your doing. Not just be given a phone and a desk and a list of names. Far more goes into the processes than one could imagine. I think the main thing we have is the right training and understanding of how a recruitment process should work, both in terms of success and client satisfaction. I was heavily trained, my partners were heavily trained and all our recruiters are and will be heavily trained.

As we find ourselves entering a new digital era, with young generation-driven industries such as eSports dominating – how has the recruitment process changed?

I think the main changes have been with regards to technological advances. When I first started everything was done over the phone. We kept files in folders, there was faxes, then emails, and meetings would be face-to-face. With technology, things have become a bit more friendly, which ultimately helps to save time and keep us all safe in pandemic times. These are all changes in the way we communicate with one another. However, the recruitment process itself, should never change. In any recruitment process certain steps need to be followed to ensure that you have the best chance of success with any given search. Whilst at the same time being able to continue to offer the highest quality of service. Missed steps = less success = lower quality of service = further missed steps = poor service and reputation.

Does local knowledge trump experience? How do you find the balance when recruiting from a global talent pool?

I think experience and training trump local knowledge, which is not to say local knowledge is not a huge advantage. I think a balance is important. Understanding the process and how one should go about their work is super important. It is the foundation for which any successful recruitment career is built. However, local understanding can be of huge benefit also. Networking is a big part of the recruitment success story. The more people you know, the better success you will have, as you just have more market share to work with.

What are the main challenges the recruitment scene in Malta will have to address over the next couple of years?

I believe the main challenge will be to improve the quality of service, thus improving the reputation of the industry overall. There seem to be recruitment companies popping up left right and centre at the moment. But how many of those actually offer a high level service for their clients. Two things need to happen in my humble opinion. Recruitment companies need to continue working to be better, every minute of every day. At the same time, potential employers also need to learn how to work with recruitment companies. The more time a company invests in working closely with their selected recruitment partner, the more likely they will receive the results they desire. Find a recruitment company you can trust and work closely with and work together to solve your recruitment challenges.

What dreams are inspiring BigWig’s future? Any grand plans in the pipeline?

Our goal is really about as simple as it can get. To make our clients happy. To give them a recruitment partner they can trust to have their best interests at heart. And, to provide our clients with the best possible service we can. Simple. If we do that, focus heavily on our level of service, day to day, we feel the rest will fall in to place organically. Our dream is to partner up with growing companies and help them become better, stronger through the quality of personnel they hire. Again, simple.

About BigWig

BigWig is a professional headhunting firm whose management has over 50 years’ experience at the highest level of global executive recruitment. Its executives have worked with some of the biggest global international brands, such as Deutsche Bank, UBS, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse to name but a few. BigWig Headhunters is currently focusing on servicing the Financial Services and iGaming sectors in Malta.

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