Recruitment in the cross-border area

My name is Saskia Gerhards and I am 26 years old. Currently, I am in my final semester of International Finance and Control at Fontys. This semester, I will support the Cross-border Business Development team as an intern and conduct research for my bachelor’s thesis about cross-border recruitment.

One of the pillars of the European Union is the free movement of people, goods and services. Especially in the European border regions, such as the Dutch-German border region, this is of particular significance. However, the border’s presence often considerably limits the labor market available to individuals living in the region. Commercial recruitment agencies can assist in matching applicants and vacancies – but how?

How do the job requirements differ? How can recruiters assess the suitability of a candidate for the neighboring job market? And how does the recruitment process itself differ? My research aims to provide answers to these questions by developing a tool that identifies the differences in the recruitment process on both sides of the border.

To investigate how commercial recruitment agencies can successfully recruit across the border, the recruitment process in both the Netherlands and Germany will be compared. This does not only include the way agencies attract applicants and how individuals apply, but also a comparison of the job requirements and job interviews. Therefore, I will analyze job descriptions and interview experts from both countries.

I am curious about the results my research will bring and I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge about the region.

Contact: Saskia Gerhards,, +31 8850 721 11.