Pierre Harscouet on Inclusive Recruitment at Checkout.com

Pierre Harscouet tells us about international diverse talent at Checkout.com.

Hi Pierre, can you please introduce yourself and describe your role within your organization? 

My name is Pierre, and my pronouns are he/him. I’m a French national and have been living in the UK for just less than ten years now. I work in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging team at Checkout.com and I partner with our wonderful Talent Acquisition team to make our recruitment process more equitable, less biased, and more inclusive.

How difficult is it to recruit diverse talent now, especially amid the ‘Great Resignation’ and ‘War for Talent’?  

Within my role, I can see how hard my colleagues from the Talent Acquisition teamwork to make sure we hire great people. Candidates look at jobs differently now, they want more flexibility. Company culture and growth opportunities are also paramount. Both are key factors in the candidates' decision-making process. They don't just want a job that pays the bills, they want a job that brings meaning.

As challenging as it is, I also see the current context as an opportunity for companies to be more inclusive and champion diversity, which is essential for businesses to stay creative and competitive. We, as humans, naturally take shortcuts and look for a profile that is the exact picture of what we think we need: very often, someone similar to the rest of the team or the previous person who held the job. Unfortunately, that picture is often influenced by biases that prevent us from considering all potential talent. The current context forces us to think differently, more broadly, to find talent. It pushes us to consider areas of the talent market that we might have overlooked in the past. That’s a great opportunity! Hopefully, this will open the door to candidates with different professional and life experiences.

What steps are you taking to attract diverse international talent?

We are lucky as, by nature, our business is already appealing to many candidates worldwide. We’re an ambitious company in a hugely dynamic sector that provides many opportunities. We’re also very international for a young company. We have 21 offices worldwide and count around 140 single and combined nationalities among our colleagues. Yet, as previously mentioned, we know this is not enough. That’s why we surveyed our colleagues to understand what kind of flexibility they wanted. As a result, we’re now back two days per week in the office, which offers a good balance between working from home and quality in-person collaboration time. 

Our flexible hours policy complements our hybrid way of working and allows people to start working according to their preferences. As a morning person, I really enjoy this flexibility.  

Another key aspect is our growth opportunities. We want people who are joining us to grow and excel with us. And our strong L&D and performance framework enables us to achieve that. I haven’t yet mentioned our culture and values, but when I joined Checkout.com a bit more than a year ago, that’s what appealed to me. Many candidates have shared the same feedback. I love our values: Aspire, Excel, Unite. I find them both simple and extremely powerful, and I can tell you that we truly live by them. And I think candidates see that from the very first touch point. It truly creates a sense of belonging and something unique about working at Checkout.com.

How do you help international recruits overcome cultural barriers and feel welcomed and included at your company?

Everything starts with our onboarding process. The first 90 days are dedicated for the new hire to get familiar with the company, their team and their role. They participate in many sessions to understand who we are and what we do. Throughout these first 90 days, they also have regular check-ins with their managers. At the same time, they'll also discover by themselves how international we are. I mentioned we have many nationalities represented among our colleagues, which is an asset in making new international recruits feel welcomed. 

They'll also discover our internal communities and maybe join some of them. We currently have seven communities where hires can create new connections with people who might have a shared experience, ask questions, learn from them and support each other.

Finally, the inclusive nature of our culture will make them feel comfortable very quickly. I know it sounds a bit like a cliche, but that’s what I experienced when I joined Checkout.com. Everybody is willing to help new joiners and answer questions to ensure nothing is left unclear. I also see returning to the office as a real advantage for new joiners to create bonds. All the informal in-person chats I missed while working remotely are finally back! And last but not least, we have many social events in our offices and virtually for anyone working remotely. So many opportunities for successful onboarding!