Conor Mckeon, Divisional Director of F1 and Motorsport recruitment talks to Hungarian Formula 1 Magazine Formula about Motorsport headhunting and recruitment. 



WHAT DOES YOUR RECRUITMENT COMPANY EXACTLY DO AND WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN THE PROCESS?


Virtual Human Resources (VHR) is an international technical recruitment organisation providing engineering and technical staff within the Formula 1, Motorsport, Automotive, Aerospace and Yachting industries.  My role as Divisional Director involves running a team of experienced consultants who specialise in F1, Motorsport and Automotive Recruitment, both on a contract/temporary as well as a permanent basis.  My time is shared between our head office in London and travelling across Europe to meet our clients and candidates.


The types of people that our Motorsport and Automotive Recruitment Team appoint range from a composite laminator in a manufacturing plant, to a design engineer in a drawing office, through to the technical director for a Formula 1 Team.  The types of positions can vary as both the Motorsport and Automotive industries employ a huge number of  different skillsets.



HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK? DO MOTORSPORT TEAMS CONTACT YOU WHEN THEY NEED TO RECRUIT, FOR EXAMPLE, AN ENGINEER?


The motorsport recruitment process can work in several different ways.


VHR has clients who’ve partnered with us for recruitment services and advice for over a decade - in some instances on an exclusive partnership basis. Business relationships take time to develop and we’ve earned the trust of our clients by being flexible to their needs whilst also offering our expertise and market knowledge. This might be through strategic advice about team structures or embedding onsite coordinators within teams to manage and administer the recruitment process directly for a team.


On the other hand, we are consistently being asked to find quality staff for teams and tier 1 suppliers in order for them to meet their seasonal or project needs.  Motorsport is very much a seasonal business with the winter period being extremely busy as the cars are being built.  The great thing about what we do is assisting the motorsport teams and businesses with their seasonal peaks and troughs with skilled contract or temporary staff.  This way, the business is not left with excess staff when the workload drops off.


It is not just motorsport teams and businesses that we recruit for. We are currently working closely with new supercar manufacturers who have asked us to recruit their senior management team including the CEO and the Technical Director.  These are naturally permanent key positions and will form the foundations for the company’s structure in the future.  Being trusted to recruit such important positions for a new company is a privilege and very rewarding when we see the business grow.


Are you working with all of the Formula-1 teams – even who are not based in the UK? What about other racing series?


There are only 11 race teams in global sport of Formula 1, it would be impossible for any business to recruit for all given the competitive nature of the sport.  VHR choose carefully who we work with ensuring that the teams that we recruit for are as equally suited for our candidates - and as our candidates are for that team.  As an international business, we are not limited to the teams in the UK, some of our biggest clients are based in mainland Europe.


We also supply a large number of other racing categories with engineers and technicians ranging from Le Mans, (LMP1 and 2) to Rally (WRC), to Touring Cars (BTCC, WTCC, TCR).  Over the last 12 months supplying track based race staff and working with different race categories such as the Blancpain GT and Formula E Series’ has been very exciting.


WHICH COUNTRIES DO YOU RECRUIT ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS FROM? DO YOU HAVE PREFERRED MARKETS?


VHR is very much an international recruitment organisation with offices in the UK, Italy, Czech Republic and Abu Dhabi.  Worldwide exposure provides access to engineers and technicians from many different countries. When recruiting for our partners, it is much more about the skillset, experience and qualification of the candidate rather than the nationality.


DOES YOUR VHR HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH HUNGARIAN MOTORSPORT TECHNICIANS?


Interestingly, VHR works with a large number of engineers and technicians from Hungary within the Aerospace and Aviation recruitment sectors, however less so within F1 and Motorsport.  I am fortunate to have had some amazing Hungarian engineers work for my clients in these sectors over the years, providing an outstanding level of service. I’d be thrilled if more Hungarians got involved in Motorsport as I am very aware of the high standard of motorsport engineering they have to offer.


Language has been a major hurdle for Hungarian technicians and engineers in the past.  As English is the business language for most motorsport teams (even throughout continental Europe). It is more and more important for candidates to be able to speak, read and write in English. However, from my frequent visits to Hungary, I know that this is improving as more and more students are learning English.


DO YOU MONITOR THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES? HOW CAN YOU EVALUATE THE LEVEL OF HUNGARIAN TECHNICIANS AND ENGINEERS?


Whilst we don’t tend to consistently monitor the levels of education in different countries, we work closely with our clients in obtaining feedback on candidate’s qualifications and experience.  VHR has a robust referencing system where we carry out professional evaluations on technicians and engineers.  Through specialised questions, we are able to understand the technical answers and therefore able to deliver a technical explanation of why we believe an engineer or technician would be suitable for a business.


WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS OF MOTORSPORT TEAMS BESIDES AN APPLICANTS SKILL?


Being quick!

We have a saying in Motorsport that the industry moves as fast as the cars do.  The main difference within motorsport compared to other industries is just how fast it is.  For some engineers and technicians, the sheer pace of the work will not appeal to them as it will likely go against very part of their training and education where everything has to be done in an orderly and precise manner.  That’s not to say that the quality and accuracy is not there in motorsport (safety tests, rules and regulations in motorsport are very rigid), it’s just that production and design deadlines are generally much tighter and tougher to meet.


Apart from that, motorsport teams and businesses are looking for a candidate who is as equally keen to learn from them as they are from the candidate.


ADVICE FOR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHOSE LIFE DREAM IS TO WORK IN A FORMULA 1 TEAM?


Firstly, don’t ever lose the passion for your dream.


University qualifications will obviously help on the engineering side of things, but are definitely not a necessity for Motorsport technicians.  Some of the most prominent members within the Formula 1 paddock are no more qualified than a high school graduates, we are, however in a different time now. The competition for Motorsport candidates is higher than it has ever been so anything that can set you apart from the competition will help.


Experience is important - but how do you get the experience first?


Look to join a smaller team or motorsport supplier to begin with.  Unless you are related to a senior manager, or are lucky enough to be offered a position under a graduate scheme with a team, you are unlikely to find your first position in Ferrari, Red Bull or Mercedes.  The benefit of working with a smaller motorsport business is exposure to a wider variety of tasks and duties.  Some of the best engineers and technicians VHR has placed in F1 teams have been those that have come from Touring Car or GT teams. As they have not been limited into only doing one type of design or welding for example and they are able to bring a wider scope of experience to an organisation.


Clear communication is essential.  You do not need to be 100% fluent in English or Italian to land a job in a F1 Team. Communicating solutions clearly is paramount in an industry that relies on so many moving parts in order to function effectively.


Motorsport (and Formula 1 in particular) is an amazing industry to be involved in.  I remember growing up in Australia in the mid 1990’s and setting my alarm in the very early hours of the morning to watch F1 races.  Back then, the idea of working in the motorsport industry seemed crazy, especially given how far away Europe was.  The world has become a much smaller place in recent times and the F1 teams have never been more international with their workforce.  If you really want to get into motorsport, the only thing that will limit your potential is yourself.


For more information and enquires please contact:


VHR F1 and Motorsport Recruitment


+44 (0) 207 500 7980


www.v-hr.com


Luna House, 37-39 Bermondsey Wall West, London, SE16 4RN, United Kingdom