The impact of theMatchBox

Who are you and what is your role at the organization?

I am Jan Govaerts - Managing Partner at theMatchBox.

What service or product do you offer?

Thanks to theMatchBox, enriching the candidate database and matching candidates and vacancies is easier than ever for recruitment agencies. We build search engines and software that generate more leads for you as a recruitment agency via your own job site. And that in an automated way! In addition, as a company, we want to ensure, precisely by automating the matching process in the first phase, candidate-vacancy matches that are based on the skills, abilities, personality traits, and more that matter. Not on things like gender identity, ethnicity... which should not be relevant in the workplace. In this way, we want to create equal opportunities for everyone. Because we automate the matching process, recruiters can also focus much more on making the human match. There is much more time for this! Does a candidate truly fit in with a company? Or what kind of candidates is your company looking for? How can we ensure that everyone is satisfied with this match? The result: more sustainable working relationships, no bias in the matching process, a workplace in which everyone can participate, a more efficient way of working for recruiters, and significant time (and therefore money) savings.

Who is it suitable for and who is it not suitable for?

Our solutions are ideal for companies that want to make their recruitment process smoother and that truly want to create equal opportunities. So you can use our solutions as a recruitment agency, but they also offer a lot of benefits as a (large) organization with its own job site. In addition, at theMatchBox, we also collaborate with many partners from the HR sector in Belgium, the Netherlands, and beyond. So every HR professional benefits from thinking along with us about the next step.

How do you differentiate yourselves from competitors?

Quality, quality, and quality. Because at theMatchBox we combine a unique cocktail of software applications, but also semantics and data applications, you'll find the best solutions on the market with us. And the highest quality matches. Not 100 matches that don't fit, but those golden matches that truly fit the vacancy.

These solutions can also be configured for companies, so that they perfectly align with their own strategy. Our software can be integrated into your CRM or ATS. So there's no need to overhaul your business operations.

What is your view on a sustainable and healthy labor market?

For us, sustainability encompasses more than just a solution that is efficient or one that works well. It must be a mix of all possible factors that can contribute to healthy, long-term professional relationships where both employees and employers reap the benefits.

We believe that a healthy labor market is one where every candidate is matched with a vacancy that truly suits him or her. In this way, we want to contribute to genuine employee happiness and to a labor market in which prejudices no longer play a role. 

TheMatchBox gives us the opportunity to better utilize our philosophy of putting the candidate first. Now we can really work more effectively from our own database, from the candidate's perspective (testimonial from a client).

In what way is sustainability reflected in your internal business operations?

Sustainability is the foundation of why we do what we do. But it is also the foundation of who we are as a company. Because why would we offer solutions to other parties if we don't apply them within our own company?

We firmly believe that you do well what you enjoy doing. Micromanagement or a lack of trust in our team are not in our vocabulary.

Within our own team, we actively focus on the employee happiness of each individual and build a team in which everyone feels valued, worthwhile, and nurtured. Both as an employee and as a person.

For example, we are fine with some employees working from another place in the world for extended periods, as long as they contribute to the collective result.

How can customers use your products to make a positive impact?

Our solutions exclude factors such as gender identity, ethnicity, and more from the matching process because they are not relevant. By providing software that automates the matching process behind the scenes, we create equal opportunities in this way. We ensure matches that are based on the skills, abilities, personality traits, and more that matter.

Moreover, we encourage recruitment agencies with various types of solutions to get more out of their database. Profiles that would otherwise go undiscovered, Jan calls that 'sleeping gold,' now also see the light of day. In this way, we want to ensure that every talent is optimally utilized.

Can you give an example with concrete impact?

A while ago, we implemented our matching solution together with Omnimap at a large municipality. As a result, they now use a matching process in which bias is impossible and in which the ideal matches for the vacancies are found in a clear way. More opportunities in the workplace for this municipality!

But actually, all our applications - precisely because we are so practically oriented - make a difference for companies. For SD Worx, for example, and for many other clients such as Covebo, Continu, and Redmore, the matching process now runs much more easily and bias-free.

Do you have plans on the roadmap that contribute to a sustainable labor market?

All our current and future solutions are designed to promote sustainability. We are currently actively exploring technological solutions with our partners that can contribute even more to that sustainability mission. Stay tuned, I would say. ;-)

'I have been involved in several projects related to building or selecting matching systems. It is very difficult to assess what is under the hood, but in my opinion, theMatchBox's tech team has chosen the right approach. Combined with a pleasant user interface and integrated into an ATS, they offer a super good user experience. As far as we are concerned, a company to keep an eye on!'