ORANJESTAD- On St. Eustatius an advertisment published on the Social Media accounts of St. Eustatius Health Care Foundation (SEHCF) for the recruitment of ‘Administrative Support Services’ has led to raised eyebrows. 

The ‘vacancy’ mentions a ‘Committee New Care Center’, an entity completely unknown to the general public as the one recruiting. Interestingly, questions about the vacancy should be directed to the Duo Brandits Company, to be exact to Vanessa or Shandra Rouse. From the advertisement, it is not immediately clear who the employer will be. While the ad on the one hand refers to the Committee, it also speaks about ‘we’, suggesting it is Duo Brandits who recruits for their own organization. “We strive for diversity in our team and encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply”, can be read in the ad, without clarity who ‘we’ are. Letters, including resumes, should be submitted to Duo Brandits.

Harald Linkels, director of Linkels & Partners with over 30 years of local recruitment and selection, sees several red flags when it comes to the advertisement and the procedure. “The first red flag I see is the fact that the ad was published on the site of SEHC around 4 PM on August 14 and the deadline to apply is also mentioned as August 14. How is this even possible?”. According to Linkels this can make people feel that the advertisement is only placed for purposes of ‘window-dressing’ while a candidate has already been picked. “I am not saying this is the case, but it is certainly strange”. 

While an addition to the original text -contrary to the body of the ad- mentions a deadline of August 21, Linkels sees more red flags. “Duo Brandits on St. Eustatius is known as a branding & advertising agency, providing services in the marketing of St. Eustatius as destination. However, what does this company know about HR, Recruitment and Selection? I have reviewed the website of the company and nowhere does it mention or show any experience in this field of expertise”. 

Criteria

Linkels says he is also curious to know based on what criteria the recruitment was rewarded to Duo Brandits. “A lot of sins are committed in this advertisement, from a professional point of view. It is not clear who the employer is and it is not clear who will be carrying out the selection. If I were a candidate, I would certainly be hesitant to apply for said position, if it is not clear how the process takes place, what the expertise is of the ones carrying out the procedure, or who I will be working for”.

Linkels also states that as the Public Entity St. Eustatius and VWS are mentioned as ‘partners’ in the Committee New Care Center, he hopes that the awarding of the project has been done based on objective criteria and through a professional procedure. 

Worrying

“I find it painful and worrying to once again hear rumors about contracts and projects being awarded to ‘family and friends’ on the island”. I cannot say if this is the case or not, but I will say the rumors are certainly there. This is not what I expected of this Government and under the watch of Island Governor Alida Francis”, said Linkels in closing.