Growing Together: Insights into Recruitment, Challenges, and Opportunities at Whalebone with Recruiter Natálie Šimková

Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your role at Whalebone? What are your main responsibilities, and who do you collaborate with most within the company?

I joined Whalebone this August. In the HR team, I am primarily responsible for recruitment. I have been working in recruitment for over seven years, gaining experience across various environments—from agency recruitment to corporate and medium-sized companies. This has allowed me to develop skills in dynamic, results-driven settings, process-oriented environments, and roles requiring creativity and resourcefulness. Currently, I oversee all open positions and most frequently collaborate with hiring managers and the HR team. Additionally, I focus on optimizing the recruitment process, supporting employer branding activities, and creating training structures to improve recruitment effectiveness.

What excites and motivates you most about working at Whalebone? How do you approach recruitment, and what do you consider key to successfully attracting new talent?

I wanted to be part of a Brno-based success story—a growing company with great potential and ambitions to become a market leader. For my career development, I felt the need for a new challenge to help me move forward, as I had started to stagnate in my previous role. I enjoy being involved in various projects and feel supported by my manager, Zuzka, who encourages my growth. For example, I had the chance to attend the Evolve Conference and a public speaking workshop, and we are planning additional learning opportunities. I thrive in a dynamic environment that values forward-thinking and avoids rigid approaches.

In recruitment, I believe it is essential to treat people as I would want to be treated—to be clear about what we are looking for and not just wait for the ideal candidate to come to us. Recognizing potential in people is crucial. I also think we need to increase our visibility and give candidates a glimpse "behind the scenes." The enthusiasm and satisfaction of our employees are key factors in building our employer brand.

How do you see the role of partnerships in recruitment? How do you collaborate with managers and other colleagues to make the selection process as effective as possible? Can you share an example of such collaboration?

Partnerships between us and managers are essential in recruitment. Success depends on making the search for the ideal candidate a collaborative effort. Managers know best what skills are missing from their teams, while recruiters can provide guidance on strategy and take steps to facilitate finding the right person.

Currently, the form of collaboration varies by manager, as each has a different level of involvement. It is important to find a balance that aligns with business priorities. Every manager sees their role as a priority, which can make it challenging to communicate time allocation and expectations. Having a clearly set timeline and mutual expectations is critical to avoiding misunderstandings.

What are the biggest challenges you face in recruitment right now? How do these challenges affect your strategy or approach to finding suitable candidates?

One of the biggest recent challenges was managing recruitment without an additional team member. That is why I am glad we recently welcomed Adam to the team. He has already started helping with the implementation of a new system and is actively contributing. Another challenge was the high number of declined offers, which was frustrating. Candidates were not always upfront about their preferences and ultimately chose other offers despite earlier claims.

Recruitment is about people—they are not products you can order from an online store but individuals with the right to change their minds. For each role, I aim to have three to five strong candidates in the final stages, anticipating that some will drop out for reasons beyond our control. Recruitment can be unpredictable, and even seemingly "easy" roles can present challenges.

What are your plans or vision for the end of this year and the beginning of 2025? Are there any changes or new initiatives you plan to implement in the recruitment process?

By the end of the year, I would like to see Adam successfully onboarded into the team. Together, we aim to finalize the implementation of a new applicant tracking system, improve recruitment processes, and prepare an employer branding activity plan for next year.

I am not a fan of making drastic changes shortly after joining a company, but I believe that a clear and structured process is essential to manage higher workloads and achieve our goals. Planning is crucial—the ideal scenario is to open a position at least three months before the planned start date. Unfortunately, this does not always happen yet, which sometimes forces us to be more reactive than proactive.

By 2025, we should have a clearer idea of our hiring plans for the year. Based on that, we will be able to gauge the workload ahead and prepare effectively.

What does working at Whalebone give you, and what can it give others?

Working at Whalebone gives me the opportunity to grow in a dynamic environment where every day brings new challenges and learning opportunities. It is a place where people can find support for personal and professional development while contributing to an ambitious project with a global reach. Whalebone values ideas, initiative, and the willingness to push boundaries.