No gimmicks: Boston Link stands out from the crowd

Boston Link launched its Malta office in 2014, offering companies access to both local and international talent. What distinguishes Malta from other jurisdictions where you have offices?

We focus on international financial centres: Malta, London, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, and so on. Malta is the fastest growing market of any we work in and this trend only seems to have accelerated since the Brexit decision. Despite this, many of the pressures are the same: technology and language skills are in extremely high demand and this means company are having to look beyond the local talent pool at relocating candidates from elsewhere in Europe. The key difference with Malta, I think, is that this relocation process is easier than it is in many competitor jurisdictions – the mixture of Schengen membership and the constant sunshine make sure of that!

give your CV to a good recruiter and let them do the hard work while you get on with your day job

For some, a recruitment agency is their first port of call when embarking on a job hunt whilst others prefer to discover job opportunities in their own way. Why is it important that one opts for the services of a recruitment agency rather than rely on his own resources? 

There’s obviously no problem with candidates going solo, but they often do it because they have a narrow view of agencies as just a way of finding more jobs, when the service we offer candidates is much broader than that. Having a professional intermediary will help you identify your value in the market, for one: many candidates look for a small salary increment each time they move, when in fact their skills might merit more significant increases. Furthermore, it gives you someone who can offer professional advice on your CV, your interview technique, the preferences of the company, and so on, all with a high degree of discretion – which is particularly important in a small community like this one!

Don’t underestimate the fact that the recruitment agent may well have worked with the company you want to approach for some time, so will know what the hiring managers want to hear, what the culture is like, and how the interviews will go – all things you wouldn’t necessarily be able to get from standard research. The other thing recruitment agencies are great for is the long-term: you may be happy where you are, but want to keep an eye on the market for opportunities just in case something great comes up. If that’s the case, give your CV to a good recruiter and let them do the hard work while you get on with your day job – you never know what they might come up with!

Don’t underestimate the fact that the recruitment agent may well have worked with the company you want to approach for some time

You’ve recently released a comprehensive study of salaries within Malta’s iGaming sector. The industry pays high salaries compared to the local economy. This must mean a lot of work for companies like yours. Are there any concerns that this growth might implode?

No. iGaming is now quite a mature international market, marked by having several major listed companies, strong mergers and acquisition activity, high standards of regulatory compliance, and a large specialist talent pool. Within that international context, Malta is quite rightly the jurisdiction of choice for European operators, the government’s long term strategy is sound, and there are no major threats to that position right now. While Malta is home to plenty of start-ups, the major drivers of employment are large, established, well-financed companies with a strong outlook. No doubt at some point in the future the growth will start to level out, but that will likely happen gradually and we have no reason to expect any major economic shocks from the gaming sector. The challenge is not preparing for an implosion, but effectively planning for continued steady growth.

What measures are undertaken in order to stand out amongst other recruiters?  

This is a people business, and we have great people. That’s something that comes back repeatedly in feedback and referrals we receive and it’s what we hang our hat on. As such, we tend to avoid any gimmicks to stand out from the crowd and instead keep it simple: give us a try and see what you think of our consultants.

iGaming is now quite a mature international market, marked by having several major listed companies, strong mergers and acquisition activity, high standards of regulatory compliance, and a large specialist talent pool

How do you see the company developing in the next 5 years? 

We’ve recently taken on three new consultants across our different offices and we expect to keep growing. We’re a small boutique agency (rather than a big number-crunching machine) and we intend to stay that way, but the vision is to extend our reach into more European centres with small, dedicated teams in several cities. That would help extend the reach of our clients out of their home jurisdictions, which is really valuable.