I run searches across the UK, the DACH region and Italy. On paper it is one European market. In practice it is three, and treating them as one is the fastest way to lose good candidates. The work that travels well is the discipline: clear brief, fast process, honest conversations. Almost everything else is local.

Notice periods change the maths

The first thing that shifts across the corridor is time. UK notice periods are often a month, sometimes three at senior level. In Germany, notice can run to a full quarter and is fixed by contract and statute. In Italy, senior managers can carry long notice too. If you plan a UK timeline for a German hire, you will be surprised — and a surprise late in a search is an expensive one. I set expectations on start dates before anyone gets attached to a candidate.

Language is a filter, not a formality

For many roles, English is enough. For others, it quietly decides the shortlist. A commercial role in Italy usually needs Italian. A role that manages a German site usually needs German, whatever the job advert says. Knowing which roles truly need the local language — and which only think they do — is half the work. Getting it wrong narrows the pool for no real benefit, or widens it onto people who cannot actually do the job.

What candidates expect from the process

  • UK — candidates expect pace and direct feedback. A slow, formal process reads as a lack of interest.
  • DACH — thoroughness is respected. Candidates expect detail, structure and a clear sense of the role's stability. References and credentials carry weight.
  • Italy — relationships matter. Trust is built in conversation, and a warm, personal approach opens doors that a transactional one will not.

These are tendencies, not rules. But ignore them and you spend the search swimming against the current.

Why one point of contact helps

The reason I run all three markets myself is that the candidate should not feel the seams. A client hiring across borders does not want three agencies, three styles and three sets of expectations to manage. They want one person who understands the differences and absorbs the complexity, so the search feels simple from the outside. The corridor is hard precisely because it looks easy. The job is to make it look easy for everyone except the recruiter.