HR Manager for Libra Agro

The brief

Libra Agro is an agricultural company in the Odesa region. It supplies the agricultural sector with everything from irrigation systems to mineral fertilizers, seeds and agricultural services. The company was growing and needed an HR function, so the vacancy was for an HR Manager: a full-time role with a hybrid schedule and the office several times a week.

The role covered the full recruiting cycle from a hiring request to onboarding, building HR processes (adaptation, performance evaluation and documents), advising managers and employees on HR questions, supporting the company culture and working in a CRM and with HR documents. Over time the person would join the team's strategic planning and introduce training and development step by step, with a path to HR Business Partner or HR Director as the company grew.

The client asked for at least four years in HR with a full recruiting cycle behind them, practice in building HR processes, knowledge of labour law and HR documents, and confidence with a CRM and with Google Workspace or MS Office. Experience in agriculture or production was a plus. The workplace was about three kilometres from Odesa, with company transport or fuel compensation for those who come by car. The hiring process had an online interview with a recruiter, a meeting with the owner and the CEO, and a test task when needed.

Where we looked

We searched directly in the HR market. We found profiles on job boards and LinkedIn and wrote to people personally, in messengers and by email, describing the role in plain words: an HR function to build, an office near Odesa and a hybrid schedule.

The location shaped the search. The workplace was outside the city, and the most common answer was that the commute with transfers did not work. Several candidates looked for remote work only, and one wanted to build HR more than to recruit.

The funnel in numbers

• 43 candidates found and added to the search

• 35 selected and contacted

• 16 went through screening

• 9 had a video interview with us

• 3 were presented to the client

• 2 went through the client interview

• 1 did a test task, a final interview and a security check, then received the offer and accepted it

Among the candidates who left the search, 13 were not interested, 5 were declined after interviews, 3 did not match the role, 2 were put on hold and 1 refused the vacancy.

From screening to the offer

Experience in building processes and in HR documents was a requirement. One strong profile did not pass screening because these two areas were thin.

Three candidates were presented to the client, and the client met two of them. We gave honest feedback to the finalist who was not chosen.

After the client interview the chosen finalist did a test task, had a final interview and a security check, and accepted the offer about three weeks after the role opened.

What to take from it

• State the location and the way to get there in the first message. For this role it was the most common reason for a refusal.

• Say which part of the role is recruiting and which part is building HR, so people choose with the full picture.

• Check experience in building processes and in HR documents at screening, because the role asked for both.

• Start wide. Here it took 43 candidates to reach one hire.