CosmoTrade – A Portrait (English)

Translated from an article published in Geneva Business News – M. Scrima, “CosmoTrade, portrait d’une société spécialiste du Trading et du Shipping”, 26/11/2015, http://www.gbnews.ch

CosmoTrade, a company specialised in Trading and Shippping

CosmoTrade, a services company specialised in recruitment (Head Hunting) within the Trading, Shipping and Commercial Banking sectors and expert in the operations linked to commodities and trade finance. The business opened its doors in Geneva in 1999, and was established by professionals who evolved in these industries and have a deep understanding of the technicalities that each position requires. With numerous contacts in different international financial hubs – from Geneva to Singapore, via London and Dubai – CosmoTrade proposes specialist profiles in every profession within the aforementioned industries. Their clients, mainly Trading or Shipping companies, Brokers, Inspectors or Commercial Banks, also benefit from their advice and expertise in strategy and development. CosmoTrade can be described as more than Head Hunters, also Business Developers.

In their offices, situated near the famous Rue du Rhône, the company’s founder, Cécile Rey, accepted to answer a few questions regarding recruitment and the employment market in these industries. The information below is taken from the interview that she gave to Geneva Business News.

 

Market situation

CosmoTrade’s expertise and contacts allow their consultants to perceive the market situation in real time, and as a result, to make predictions on its evolution. Current trends suggest certain challenges to be faced; economic consumer indexes have been declining for several years, and the downward trend does not yet seem near to bouncing back. For example, currently more than 300,000 m2 of commercial office space is unoccupied in Geneva, which reflects a decreasing attractiveness, economic erosion and relocation of businesses which has already started. It is important to highlight the advantages and expertise in being “Swiss Made” to prevent businesses leaving and relocating their operations to countries where the cost of living and labour seem cheaper. It’s a fact: Switzerland must claim back its position in the industries it led, such as finance and commodity trading. It’s up to us to refine our message and find the words to highlight our assets and our expertise that will reverse this trend, and which are priceless.

 

“Our work goes much further than passing on data…”

According to CosmoTrade’s founder, the qualities that a good head hunter needs are passion, generosity, empathy, a sensitivity in mediation, skills in negotiation, a sort of instinct that develops during thousands of interviews, and a taste for challenge which comes anew with each project. It’s important to bear in mind that for each recruitment, CosmoTrade invests considerable time, and finances all the research costs itself (adverts, travel costs, etc.). If at the end of the process, none of the proposed candidates are selected by the client, the time, money and energy spent are not profitable. “Everyone, someday, will need to look for a job, and therefore need our services, but very few know the complexity of our profession”, explains Cécile Rey.

The first specialised recruitment company to focus on the technical side of shipping, trading and finance, doesn’t limit itself to only providing a long list of qualified profiles. Indeed, CosmoTrade also provides advice to clients, based on different angles such as an understanding of different work cultures (processes, working environment, etc.) or the experience and competencies required for the post. CosmoTrade also draws up employment contracts, writes job descriptions to publish on their site, and in doing so offloads HR departments, when they need it, of all the time-intensive tasks linked to the recruitment process.

 

Their candidates

They are advised and accompanied throughout the selection process, and directed towards coaches when needed. CosmoTrade also offers a follow-up service when a candidate is not retained, improving the chance of future success. Indeed, finding a job has become a real competition for which it’s necessary to prepare well, because it has become much harder to achieve. “Today, you need to practice to pass the preselection and stand-out during an interview, exactly like an athlete trains to set his sights on the first place on the podium”, explains the company’s founder. It’s in this dynamic that CosmoTrade works; offering targeted advice results in a final Win-Win situation for all involved (Candidates, Clients- Intermediary), because fair trade and human capital are the major building blocks of success for every business that CosmoTrade partners.

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