Meet the founder: Youssef Afkir
Youssef Afkir is the founding father of addon. Did you know, though, that he almost didn’t end up in the recruitment industry at all? Talk about destiny! What’s his background story, why did he start addon and what does the future hold for him? Read all about it in our interview below!
In the beginning…
Youssef Afkir: “My first steps in the recruitment world happened almost by chance. I started out at an English firm that showed me the ropes and taught me a lot about the industry. However, I soon discovered what aren’t good practices and what clients (both companies and candidates) don’t like about recruiters. I decided I wanted to go about things differently and become the internal recruiter for IT-firms so I would be in charge myself.”
“I worked at a few of those when Saskia (Kinds, OECO Group) contacted me and asked me to recruit for the Comma Group. I noticed that freelancers were on the rise, and that I loved working with them, so I founded Comma People to focus on the freelance sector. It worked very well and after a while, Comma People transformed into digitals and recently, into addon, I’m proud to say.”
A dime a dozen?
Youssef: “Like I said, we wanted addon to stand out. Spamming people with irrelevant vacancies or candidates until they can’t stand to see your name pop up on their screens is not how we want to handle things. One of addon’s three values is ‘a personal approach’. We’re aware that some might take this with a grain of salt but it’s honestly true. Many claim to be ‘personal’ but aren’t. To us, it’s most important that people feel like they’re building a relationship with us. When a new project or a candidate is added to our database, we investigate who might really benefit from getting in touch with this particular challenge or person.”
“We first call to check whether people are interested and then send them the information later ‘as discussed on the phone’. It seems like peanuts, but it can make all the difference in how people perceive you and your company. At this point, freelancers that we’ve worked with before regularly send us messages like: “Hey, did you guys get this alert or vacancy too? I’d like to be introduced, but only through addon.” We take that as a huge compliment.”
Walk a mile in my shoes
Youssef: “My days are filled with, what I’d call, putting out fires (smiles). Most of all, though, I’m constantly talking to people which is exactly what I like. It ranges from prepping a candidate for an interview to negotiating contracts with clients, going over interesting profiles with them, and checking in on how things are going with both parties. Obviously, it’s always wonderful to close a deal but the human aspect comes first with me. That’s why I do what I do.”
“At the moment, I have two recruiters in my team, two lovely ladies who are based in Morocco. It can be challenging to give them the same personal approach I offer my clients, but I consciously work to be better at it every day. We recently met up in Morocco for a teambuilding and that really helped boost our team spirit. I got to explain my vision face-to-face and connect with them.”
“I feel bad for them sometimes when I had to have a difficult conversation with them in an online call. Normally, you’d then go to lunch later or meet up at the coffee machine and smooth things over. In our context, I can’t do that. So, anytime I feel like they might be demotivated or might feel discouraged after a tricky meeting, I call them at the end of the day to end on a positive note. Recruitment is an ‘emotional’ business; you have to deal with disappointment sometimes, for example when a candidate decides to start elsewhere for just a little more money. I make sure that when that happens, I check in with my team and lift their spirits.”
Crystal ball anyone?
Youssef: “It’s addon’s ambition to become the reference within the freelance world of the IT-industry as a recruitment partner. We’ll achieve our goal by continuing along the same path, I think. We want every (starting) freelancer to think of us and ask us to introduce them at clients. I’m glad we’re part of OECO and, more broadly, The Cronos Group as they help us out with our own administrative hassle. It ensures that we can focus on our core which is to establish the perfect fit between a profile and a project by offering a personal approach and proper support.”
“Let’s talk again in a few years, see where we got in the meantime! (laughs)”
Inspired by Youssef’s story and explanations? Whether you’re still in doubt or ready to take the plunge to freelance (through us); we’d love to help you out and get you started. See you soon for a coffee?
