Today, the question is no longer which language to learn instead of English, but which language to learn alongside it. English remains dominant in international business, yet professionals who speak several foreign languages — particularly those that are relatively rare in Europe — can gain a significant advantage in the labour market. Henrietta Elek, HR Consultant at Vision Recruitment, shared her insights with Behaviour HR Magazine.

English has become a basic requirement in many multinational organisations and an increasingly common expectation even within smaller internationally active companies.

As a result, English proficiency alone may no longer provide the competitive advantage it once did.

A carefully chosen second or third language, however, can strengthen a professional profile considerably and create access to roles that are available to a much smaller group of candidates.

Employers are also increasingly interested in practical communication ability rather than certificates alone. From a recruitment perspective, the most important question is usually whether the candidate can actually use the language confidently in professional situations.

Language learning also provides cultural understanding

Foreign-language knowledge offers more than the ability to translate words.

Learning another language often involves understanding another culture, communication style and way of thinking.

Erika Bagdiné Fodor, Managing Director of Doherty Hungary, highlighted that while English may be sufficient for many everyday business situations, executives who speak additional languages can often build stronger relationships with international partners.

Being able to communicate with a client or business partner in their native language can make conversations more direct and personal.

Even a language that is not used every day can become highly valuable when an unexpected international opportunity arises.

A shared language can strengthen business relationships

Language skills can also make an important difference at the beginning of a professional relationship.

When two people discover that they share a less common language, it can immediately create a more relaxed atmosphere and provide a natural starting point for conversation.

This effect can continue throughout the business relationship.

Just as Hungarian professionals often appreciate an international partner making an effort to communicate in Hungarian, clients elsewhere may respond positively when a foreign professional speaks their language.

English is not universal in every market

Although English is widely used internationally, it should not automatically be assumed that every market operates comfortably in English.

In some regions, understanding the local language can become essential for building customer relationships and supporting business operations.

János Csatádi, Managing Director of Atlas Soft, explained that while many of the company’s international partners communicate in English, certain markets require greater linguistic flexibility.

The company therefore maintained customer support in several languages, including dedicated Chinese-language support.

This reflects a broader business reality: even when customers speak a foreign language, many still prefer communicating in their native language whenever possible.

Which foreign languages can be valuable in Europe?

The usefulness of a particular language depends heavily on the industries, countries and organisations in which a professional wants to work.

Within Europe, languages frequently associated with international business opportunities include:

• German;
• French;
• Spanish;
• Italian;
• Russian;
• Scandinavian languages.

For professionals interested in global markets, languages such as Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Arabic may also create specialist opportunities.

However, learning a language is a significant investment of time and effort, so the decision should ideally reflect long-term career objectives rather than short-term trends alone.

East Asian languages require commitment but can create specialist opportunities

Interest in Japanese, Korean and Chinese has grown for several reasons, including culture, entertainment and business.

While some learners begin studying these languages because of personal interest, others increasingly see them as a deliberate career investment.

Specialist language skills can create opportunities with international companies, suppliers, consulting firms and organisations operating between European and Asian markets.

For example, Japanese or Korean language skills may be valuable not only within companies headquartered in those countries, but also among their suppliers and business partners.

Chinese may represent an even longer-term investment, particularly for professionals or businesses planning future commercial activity in China.

However, these languages generally require significant study before they can be used confidently in a professional environment.

Traditional European languages remain highly valuable

Less common languages may offer strong differentiation, but the traditional European business languages should not be overlooked.

According to Henrietta Elek, HR Consultant at Vision Recruitment, the Hungarian labour market examined in the original article offered the broadest range of opportunities to candidates who spoke English together with German.

French, Italian and Spanish followed, along with Scandinavian languages.

This was particularly relevant in the SSC and IT recruitment markets, where multilingual candidates can often access a wider range of positions than professionals who speak only English.

Language skills in the SSC sector

Shared Service Centres are among the areas where foreign language skills in recruitment can have a particularly direct impact.

English is often the common internal language, making it a basic requirement for many positions.

However, individual teams may support specific markets and therefore require an additional language.

Candidates who speak two or three foreign languages can consequently become highly attractive to employers and may have access to a broader range of career paths within the sector.

Multilingual professionals may work in areas such as:

• customer service;
• finance and accounting;
• procurement;
• sales support;
• HR services;
• IT support;
• business administration.

Choose a language based on your career direction

There is no universally correct answer to the question of which foreign language someone should learn.

The best choice depends on several factors:

• whether you plan to work in Hungary or abroad;
• which industries interest you;
• whether you want to work for multinational or smaller international companies;
• which geographical markets you expect to work with;
• how much time you can realistically invest in learning;
• whether the language complements your existing professional expertise.

“Learning another language requires both time and financial investment, so it is worth thinking carefully about which language to choose. However, knowing an additional language alongside English is clearly an advantage,” explains Elek.

Practical ability matters more than the certificate

Employers increasingly focus on real-world language ability rather than whether a candidate possesses a formal language certificate.

For many professional roles, candidates may need to demonstrate that they can:

• participate confidently in meetings;
• communicate with international clients;
• write professional emails;
• understand specialist terminology;
• handle telephone conversations;
• present ideas clearly.

This is why active, conversational knowledge can be significantly more valuable than a qualification obtained years earlier but rarely used since.

For leadership positions in international organisations, confident English communication has become particularly important.

Rare languages can command a premium

Professionals who speak languages that are uncommon in the local labour market may have a particularly strong negotiating position.

According to Vision Recruitment’s experience cited in the original article, candidates with certain rare language skills could sometimes command noticeably higher starting salaries than those speaking only more common foreign languages.

The logic is simple: when very few candidates possess a skill that an employer genuinely needs, competition for those professionals increases.

The original article highlighted languages such as:

• Korean;
• Chinese;
• Portuguese;
• Spanish;
• Danish;
• Swedish;
• Norwegian.

Demand can also change as international companies invest in new markets and locations.

For example, increased Asian investment in Central Europe can create demand for professionals who combine Hungarian and English with Chinese or Korean language skills.

The strongest profile combines language and professional expertise

A rare language alone does not automatically create a successful career.

The greatest value usually comes from combining language knowledge with a professional specialisation.

For example, an employer may be particularly interested in someone who combines:

• German with finance experience;
• French with procurement;
• Chinese with engineering;
• Korean with automotive-sector experience;
• Scandinavian languages with customer service expertise;
• English plus another language with IT support skills.

This combination makes the candidate difficult to replace because both professional and linguistic requirements need to be met simultaneously.

Multilingual talent can create a recruitment advantage

From an employer’s perspective, multilingual employees can provide considerably more than translation support.

They can help organisations:

• enter new markets;
• build stronger international customer relationships;
• support multinational teams;
• reduce communication barriers;
• improve the customer experience;
• strengthen cooperation with international headquarters and subsidiaries.

For recruiters, identifying these professionals can therefore become particularly important when a position combines specialist expertise with specific language requirements.

An additional language is an investment in career flexibility

For professionals planning their careers, language learning remains one of the skills that can create opportunities across industries and geographical markets.

English remains fundamental in international business, but an additional language can provide meaningful differentiation.

The most valuable choice depends on the individual’s career direction, industry and target markets.

Whether the choice is German, French, Spanish, a Scandinavian language or a less common Asian language, the strongest advantage comes from developing practical proficiency that can be confidently used in a professional environment.

For candidates with the right combination of specialist knowledge and language capability, foreign language skills in recruitment can become much more than an additional line on the CV — they can become a significant competitive advantage.

Source: Behaviour HR Magazine

While some employers are showing greater interest in hiring employees on fixed-term contracts, these arrangements remain considerably less attractive to many candidates. The increased focus on job security following the Covid pandemic made permanent employment particularly appealing, which can make fixed-term vacancies significantly more difficult to fill.

According to recruitment professionals interviewed by Behaviour HR Magazine, Hungarian candidates have generally shown limited enthusiasm for positions offered exclusively on a fixed-term basis.

In some cases, this condition can extend the recruitment process by several months. If an employer is looking for someone for only six, ten or twelve months, a lengthy search can eventually undermine the purpose of the arrangement itself.

Data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office cited in the original article showed that 231,500 people worked under fixed-term employment contracts in Hungary at the time, representing just 5.7% of employees. The proportion had declined considerably from its earlier peak.

Fixed-term positions are harder to fill

“Approximately 5–10% of our searches involve a fixed-term contract. These assignments existed before the pandemic as well, but since Covid we have increasingly seen employers trying to use this type of agreement,” explained Dorottya Pákozdi, Senior HR Consultant and Team Leader at Vision Recruitment.

Employers occasionally look for candidates for particularly short periods — sometimes only six months or ten to twelve months.

According to Pákozdi, such opportunities are generally much more difficult to present attractively to candidates, and finding the right professional for a fixed-term role tends to require significantly more effort than recruiting for an indefinite position.

Job security has become increasingly important

The Covid period strengthened candidates’ desire for stability and predictability.

When professionals see that an employer requires them for only one or one and a half years, many are reluctant to consider the opportunity, even when their previous career history shows that they tend to change jobs every few years anyway.

Candidates who have already been searching for employment for an extended period may be more open to a fixed-term opportunity.

Another group that may consider such roles are professionals who are particularly interested in joining a specific company and view the temporary contract as a potential route into the organisation.

This can be a realistic possibility. Pákozdi notes that when employees perform well and meet expectations, there can often be a meaningful opportunity to remain with the company after the original fixed term has expired.

Permanent contracts have a clear recruitment advantage

One of the challenges for employers is that the disadvantages associated with fixed-term employment are not always compensated for.

If two companies offer otherwise comparable opportunities, but one provides a fixed-term contract while the other offers permanent employment, candidates will generally prefer the permanent role.

In an already competitive labour market, this can significantly reduce the available candidate pool.

Employers that genuinely need to use a fixed-term structure should therefore consider whether the offer can be made more attractive through factors such as:

• higher compensation;
• a stronger job title or level of responsibility;
• professional development opportunities;
• additional training;
• flexible working hours;
• home office or hybrid working;
• a clearly communicated possibility of permanent employment later.

Where possible, Vision Recruitment’s experience suggests that offering permanent employment can make the recruitment process considerably easier.

When do fixed-term contracts make sense?

Despite their lower popularity among candidates, fixed-term employment contracts can be highly practical in certain situations.

Typical examples include:

• project-based assignments;
• seasonal increases in workload;
• temporary replacement of employees;
• maternity or parental leave cover;
• longer international assignments;
• other situations where the duration of the need is genuinely limited.

The Avis Budget Group Business Support Centre in Budapest, for example, used fixed-term employment primarily for specific projects and seasonal requirements.

Because the car rental industry is closely connected to tourism, workforce demand can fluctuate considerably. Fixed-term arrangements can therefore provide useful flexibility when staffing levels need to reflect seasonal customer demand.

Fixed-term employment can also benefit candidates

Although many job seekers initially prefer permanent employment, a temporary position can sometimes create opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to access.

A fixed-term role may allow a candidate to:

• enter a new professional field;
• gain experience at a recognised employer;
• understand a company’s culture before making a long-term commitment;
• develop new technical or professional skills;
• expand their professional network;
• position themselves for a future permanent vacancy.

The value of the opportunity therefore depends not only on the duration of the employment relationship, but also on what the candidate can gain from it professionally.

Transparency is essential

For employers offering temporary positions, transparent communication can make a substantial difference.

Candidates naturally want to understand why the position is temporary and what will happen when the agreed period ends.

Important questions include:

• Is the role linked to a specific project?
• Is it intended to cover another employee’s absence?
• Is the need seasonal?
• Could the contract potentially be extended?
• Is there a realistic possibility of moving into a permanent role?

Being clear about these issues can help employers establish trust from the beginning of the recruitment process.

Regular one-to-one discussions after the employee joins can further strengthen this transparency and help both parties understand whether the employment relationship could develop beyond the original fixed term.

Professional development can make a temporary role more attractive

Companies can also strengthen a fixed-term offer by providing development opportunities that create value beyond the immediate role.

Additional training, new responsibilities or exposure to international teams can make a temporary assignment more appealing because candidates gain something they can carry forward into their future careers.

It can also send an important signal that the employer views the employee as more than a temporary resource.

If the individual performs successfully and expands their expertise during the assignment, the organisation may also have a stronger incentive to retain them permanently.

Flexibility is increasingly part of the candidate expectation

Fixed-term employment does not exist in isolation from broader labour-market expectations.

Candidates increasingly consider factors such as home office, hybrid working and flexible working hours when evaluating opportunities.

For employers recruiting for temporary roles, these benefits can become particularly important because they help compensate for the reduced level of long-term security.

The overall employment proposition therefore matters just as much as the duration written into the contract.

The legal structure of fixed-term contracts

A fixed-term employment agreement differs from permanent employment primarily because the parties specify in advance that the employment relationship will last only for a defined period.

The end of the employment relationship can be determined by:

• a specific calendar date;
• a defined period, such as twelve months;
• the completion of a particular project or objective.

According to the legal framework described in the original article, fixed-term employment is particularly appropriate for situations such as project work and temporary replacement.

Once the agreed period expires, the employment relationship generally ends automatically rather than being terminated by one of the parties.

Ending a fixed-term contract early

Fixed-term employment can become more complicated when either party wants to end the relationship before the agreed date.

Under the legal principles discussed in the source, early termination generally requires specific justification.

For employees, the reason needs to support the conclusion that continuing the employment relationship has become impossible or would create disproportionate hardship.

Employers may also terminate early under certain legally defined circumstances.

The original article additionally notes that employers may, under specific conditions, terminate a fixed-term employment relationship without providing the ordinary justification, but this can trigger a significant compensation obligation towards the employee.

A recruitment decision, not just a contractual decision

For employers, choosing between permanent and fixed-term employment contracts should not be viewed purely as a legal or administrative decision.

It directly affects recruitment.

A contract structure that provides greater flexibility to the organisation may simultaneously make the opportunity less attractive to candidates and extend time to hire.

This is particularly important in specialist or candidate-driven markets where professionals have several competing opportunities available.

Make the fixed-term opportunity worth considering

Fixed-term contracts remain useful where there is a genuine business reason for temporary employment.

However, employers need to recognise that many candidates will perceive a permanent contract as the safer and more attractive option.

If temporary employment is unavoidable, the organisation should communicate the reason openly and consider what additional value it can offer.

Competitive compensation, development opportunities, flexibility and a credible possibility of longer-term employment can all help reduce the disadvantage associated with a fixed end date.

For recruitment professionals, the key is to understand the candidate’s perspective as well as the employer’s business need. The more clearly both sides understand what happens during — and potentially after — the fixed term, the easier it becomes to build the trust necessary for a successful hire.

Source: Behaviour HR Magazine

Negative employee experiences — and even poor experiences during the recruitment process — can spread extremely quickly through both informal and formal communication channels. Today, publishing feedback takes only a few clicks, explains Henrietta Elek, HR Consultant at Vision Recruitment, in Behaviour HR Magazine.

Employer branding takes time to build, but significantly less time to damage.

In a relatively small labour market such as Hungary, professional communities can be closely connected, particularly within specialist industries. Information about employers travels quickly, and the consequences of a negative reputation can often be felt from the very beginning of the recruitment process.

According to Henrietta Elek, HR Consultant at Vision Recruitment, negative candidate and employee experiences can spread rapidly through personal networks, professional communities and online platforms.

Once a company’s reputation has been damaged, rebuilding the employer brand reputation that may have taken years to establish can require significant time and effort.

Candidate experience can affect the employer brand before someone even joins

Employer branding does not begin on an employee’s first working day.

Candidates start forming an opinion about a company from their very first interaction with the recruitment process.

This includes:

• the quality and clarity of the job advertisement;
• how quickly the company responds;
• how candidates are treated during interviews;
• whether the process is transparent;
• whether expectations are communicated realistically;
• whether unsuccessful applicants receive appropriate feedback.

A candidate who has a poor experience may never become an employee, but they can still influence the company’s reputation as an employer.

In specialist labour markets, this effect can be particularly significant because candidates often know one another, work within the same professional networks and exchange information about recruitment experiences.

Negative perceptions can survive long after a company changes

One of the most difficult challenges in employer branding is that reputation often changes more slowly than reality.

A company may improve its management practices, recruitment processes or employee experience, yet candidates may continue to associate it with problems that existed several years earlier.

“In our experience, attitudes and negative practices from the past can continue to create serious challenges for recruitment and retention strategies, even when the company has already changed those practices but the improvement has not yet become part of the wider employee perception,” explains Elek.

Negative information can remain embedded in the labour market for a surprisingly long time.

Changing this perception requires consistent communication and, even more importantly, consistent positive experiences.

Accurate and up-to-date information can gradually influence how candidates perceive the company, but rebuilding trust requires patience and sustained effort.

Employer branding must reflect reality

A company can define an attractive employer value proposition, communicate strong values and create sophisticated recruitment campaigns.

However, these messages will only remain credible if employees actually experience them inside the organisation.

Employer branding becomes vulnerable when there is a gap between what the company says and what it does.

If an organisation describes itself as flexible but managers consistently discourage flexibility, or promotes career development without creating meaningful opportunities for progression, employees will quickly recognise the inconsistency.

Authenticity is therefore one of the foundations of a sustainable employer brand.

“Say what you do and do what you say”

Dóra Markovits, Managing Director of Interim Kft., emphasises that employer branding is not solely the responsibility of HR or communications.

While these functions may coordinate employer-branding activities, every employee and manager contributes to the organisation’s reputation.

A brand becomes credible when employees and leaders recognise themselves in the messages being communicated externally.

In simple terms: say what you do and do what you say.

Problems arise when marketing claims do not reflect reality.

If current or former employees publicly describe experiences that directly contradict the company’s employer-branding messages, external audiences are likely to question the credibility of the brand.

Social media amplifies inconsistencies

Digital platforms have fundamentally changed employer reputation management.

Employees and candidates can share their experiences instantly through social media, employer review platforms and professional communities.

This creates much greater transparency.

Companies can no longer rely exclusively on carefully controlled corporate communication because candidates can compare those messages with real experiences shared by employees.

The result is that organisational behaviour has become part of external communication whether companies intend it to be or not.

Inconsistent messages weaken credibility

Employer-branding messages also need to be consistent with the organisation’s wider behaviour.

Markovits gives the example of a company positioning sustainability as a fundamental value while simultaneously receiving penalties for environmentally damaging practices.

Such contradictions can undermine credibility.

The same applies internally.

If a company emphasises high standards and exceptional employee performance, it needs management practices that consistently support and reward those standards.

A strong employer brand cannot be built through isolated campaigns. It needs to be reflected in decisions, leadership behaviour and everyday working practices.

Empty employer promises create disappointment

Ferenc Piti, HR Director of Bonafarm Group, also identifies authenticity as one of the most important foundations of employer branding.

The objective should be to provide both current and potential employees with an accurate and realistic picture of what the organisation can offer.

The greatest risk arises when an employer-branding strategy is based on attractive but unrealistic promises.

If employees join expecting one experience and encounter something completely different, disappointment can quickly reduce trust.

This gap between expectation and reality can affect:

• engagement;
• retention;
• employee advocacy;
• candidate referrals;
• online reviews;
• future recruitment success.

For this reason, successful employer branding should prioritise credibility over exaggeration.

Poor employee experience eventually becomes a recruitment problem

Employer branding and recruitment cannot be separated from employee experience.

A company may have an excellent recruitment marketing campaign, but if existing employees consistently describe poor leadership, lack of development or an unhealthy culture, candidates will eventually become aware of it.

This can make recruitment more difficult in several ways.

Companies may experience:

• fewer applications from strong candidates;
• lower acceptance rates for job offers;
• greater difficulty attracting passive candidates;
• higher salary expectations as compensation for perceived risk;
• greater dependence on recruitment advertising;
• higher employee turnover.

The cost of a weak employer reputation therefore extends far beyond marketing.

The recruitment process is part of the brand experience

Every interaction with a candidate communicates something about the organisation.

A slow, confusing or disrespectful recruitment process may suggest similar characteristics about the company itself.

By contrast, a professional process can strengthen trust even when the candidate is ultimately not selected.

Recruiters and hiring managers should therefore pay particular attention to:

• clear communication;
• realistic timelines;
• professional interviews;
• respect for candidates’ time;
• honest information about the role;
• timely decisions and feedback.

Candidate experience is not simply an HR process metric. It is part of the company’s public reputation.

How can a damaged employer brand be rebuilt?

Improving employer brand reputation requires more than a new communication campaign.

The first step is identifying why negative perceptions developed in the first place.

This may require analysing:

• employee feedback;
• exit interviews;
• candidate feedback;
• online employer reviews;
• turnover patterns;
• management practices;
• recruitment-process data.

Once the underlying problems have been addressed, communication can help make candidates aware that the organisation has changed.

However, the strongest evidence will ultimately come from employees and candidates having consistently better experiences.

Reputation improves when positive stories begin to replace negative ones organically.

Authenticity is the strongest employer-brand strategy

A successful employer brand is not created by defining what the organisation would like people to believe.

It is created by understanding what employees actually experience and building communication around a credible reality.

For recruitment and executive search professionals, this is particularly important because strong candidates increasingly evaluate organisations just as carefully as organisations evaluate candidates.

They want to understand the culture, leadership style, values, career opportunities and credibility of the employer before making a move.

The strongest organisations therefore align recruitment communication with everyday employee experience.

When the promise and reality match, employer branding becomes significantly more sustainable.

When they do not, even the strongest campaign will eventually be challenged by the experiences employees and candidates share with others.

Source: Behaviour HR Magazine

Workplace diversity can be defined in many different ways. It may refer to gender balance, age diversity, employees with disabilities or differences in professional and personal backgrounds. But what actually makes a company diverse? Are quotas necessary, or should organisations focus primarily on creating an inclusive environment? We explore the topic from the perspective of the SSC and telecommunications sectors. Dorottya Pákozdi, SSC Recruitment Team Leader at Vision Recruitment, shared her insights with Behaviour HR Magazine.

Before looking at diversity in practice, it is worth clarifying what the SSC sector actually means.

“Shared Service Centres, or SSCs, are established around the world — including in Hungary, primarily in Budapest — to centralise and outsource various activities of multinational companies and their subsidiaries, often with the objective of improving efficiency,” explains Dorottya Pákozdi, SSC Recruitment Team Leader at Vision Recruitment.

Gender diversity in practice

The technology sector, which also plays an important role within shared service centres, has traditionally employed more men than women.

According to Pákozdi, the gender balance within SSCs overall is relatively even, while IT-related positions still tend to attract a higher proportion of male professionals.

At the same time, this is gradually changing.

“We are seeing more and more women choosing technical and IT-related fields in higher education. Once they enter the labour market, they can be just as successful in these positions,” says Pákozdi.

Judit Endrei-Kiss, then Deputy CEO for HR at Telenor Hungary, which subsequently became Yettel, also highlighted that telecommunications and IT have historically been male-dominated industries.

However, companies in these sectors have increasingly focused on creating a more balanced environment.

For her organisation, the objective was not simply to achieve numerical targets, but to create an inclusive workplace based on fair treatment and equal opportunity.

Balance matters more than traditional expectations

Some professions have traditionally attracted higher proportions of either women or men, but this does not mean employers should accept these patterns as permanent.

Pákozdi noted that certain creative technology-related fields, including user interface and user experience design, had attracted increasing numbers of female professionals.

Rather than assuming that particular roles inherently belong to one gender, the more useful objective is to broaden access and encourage talented candidates to consider professions where their demographic group has historically been underrepresented.

Endrei-Kiss similarly argued that the real question should not be which jobs are naturally more attractive to women or men.

Instead, organisations should work towards greater diversity even in areas that have traditionally been regarded as predominantly male or female.

A balanced team can bring together a wider range of experiences, perspectives and approaches to problem-solving.

Supportive workplace practices make diversity possible

Recruiting a diverse workforce is only one part of the challenge. Employers also need to create working conditions that allow different employees to succeed.

Flexible working arrangements can play an important role.

According to Pákozdi, flexibility and home office arrangements were already relatively common in shared service centres, although part-time employment remained less widespread.

These arrangements can be particularly valuable for employees balancing professional responsibilities with family or other personal commitments.

However, supportive workplace policies should not be viewed exclusively as measures for women.

Endrei-Kiss emphasised that family-friendly policies benefit both women and men and should therefore be designed with all employees in mind.

Examples discussed in the original article included:

• additional paid parental leave;
• support for employees returning after parental leave;
• programmes for children during school holidays;
• hybrid working arrangements;
• greater flexibility around individual life circumstances.

The broader principle is that a truly inclusive organisation recognises that employees may have different needs at different stages of their lives.

Diversity across generations

Workplace diversity is not limited to gender.

Age diversity can also have a significant impact on how organisations operate.

In the SSC sector, many entry- and mid-level positions have traditionally attracted professionals in their twenties and thirties. More senior specialist and leadership roles naturally require longer professional experience and therefore often involve older age groups.

However, a healthy organisation can benefit from having several generations working together.

Different career stages bring different strengths: younger professionals may contribute recent academic knowledge and familiarity with emerging technologies, while more experienced employees can bring industry expertise, broader perspective and organisational knowledge.

The objective should not be to recruit employees according to predetermined age targets, but to ensure that talent is evaluated according to relevant professional criteria.

Endrei-Kiss emphasised that her organisation did not recruit according to age quotas. Instead, professional experience, attitude, curiosity and alignment with organisational values were central considerations.

Attitude can be as important as background

One of the recurring themes in modern recruitment is that experience alone does not determine whether a candidate will succeed.

Recruiters increasingly assess qualities such as:

• curiosity;
• adaptability;
• openness to learning;
• collaboration;
• communication;
• alignment with organisational values.

This is particularly relevant when employers want to broaden their talent pool.

If organisations insist that every successful candidate must come from exactly the same background as previous employees, diversity is unlikely to increase.

Looking at transferable skills, potential and mindset can help employers identify strong candidates whose career paths may be less conventional.

Employing people with disabilities

Disability inclusion is another important dimension of workplace diversity.

According to Pákozdi, SSCs are often highly multicultural environments, making openness and flexibility an important part of their organisational culture.

Some international companies also operate according to broader corporate diversity objectives designed to encourage more varied workforce composition.

However, meaningful inclusion requires more than meeting numerical targets.

The workplace itself needs to enable people with different capabilities and circumstances to participate successfully.

This may involve:

• accessible workplaces and technology;
• flexible working arrangements;
• appropriate job design;
• supportive management;
• individual accommodations where necessary;
• fair and consistent performance assessment.

The central principle is that employees should be evaluated according to their capabilities, contribution and performance.

Inclusion begins with organisational culture

Endrei-Kiss described diversity primarily as a question of mindset.

An inclusive organisation creates an environment where employees with different backgrounds, ages, abilities and life circumstances can work effectively and feel respected.

This means creating a workplace where people:

• are evaluated fairly;
• are treated with respect;
• can contribute without hiding important aspects of themselves;
• have access to appropriate development opportunities;
• receive support when individual circumstances require flexibility.

Policies are important, but the everyday behaviour of managers and colleagues ultimately determines whether employees genuinely experience the organisation as inclusive.

Are diversity quotas necessary?

The interviews presented different approaches to the role of numerical diversity targets.

Some international organisations use defined objectives to encourage a more balanced workforce. Others prefer to focus on creating an inclusive environment and ensuring that recruitment and promotion decisions are based on fair assessment.

Regardless of the approach, diversity targets alone cannot create inclusion.

An organisation may successfully recruit people from different backgrounds while still failing to retain them if employees do not experience equal opportunities, supportive leadership or a genuine sense of belonging.

Recruitment therefore needs to be supported by broader organisational practices.

The role of recruitment in workplace diversity

Recruitment and executive search can make an important contribution to workplace diversity by ensuring that organisations consider the broadest relevant talent pool.

This may involve reconsidering traditional assumptions about:

• where candidates should come from;
• which career paths are considered conventional;
• whether every historical qualification requirement remains necessary;
• which professionals are approached proactively;
• how candidates are evaluated during selection.

Structured and competency-based recruitment can help employers focus more consistently on the capabilities required for success rather than assumptions based on background.

For sectors experiencing talent shortages, this also makes commercial sense. Employers that unnecessarily restrict their candidate pool may overlook highly capable professionals.

Diversity is about more than representation

A diverse company is not simply one that employs people from different demographic groups.

Real diversity becomes valuable when different perspectives are able to influence decisions, solve problems and contribute to organisational performance.

This requires inclusion.

Employees need to feel that they can participate fully, develop professionally and be evaluated fairly regardless of gender, age, disability or other aspects of their background.

For employers, the objective should therefore be broader than achieving a particular ratio.

The real challenge is creating an organisation capable of attracting different kinds of talent and providing an environment in which those professionals can succeed.

When recruitment, leadership and workplace culture support the same objective, diversity can become a genuine organisational strength rather than simply an HR metric.

Source: Behaviour HR Magazine