Vol.24 – Building a Career Beyond Borders: Challenges of a Multilingual Recruitment Consultant
For this week’s Meet the Team, we sat down with one of our newest members – our first Spanish and French speaking consultant, Alejandro “Alex” Balaguer. Joining us in January 2026 and tasked with the important responsibility of growing Centre People’s reach in Europe, Alex is settling in well to his role at our Netherlands office.
Briefly, how did you get started in recruitment?
“So back when I applied for this role in recruitment, I was still working in Japan as a salesman. I knew I wanted to return to Europe and develop my professional career, but I was of course a bit lost. So I was thinking of my work experience and profile, and I also knew that I wanted to stay in an international sales environment. But in sales, I want to be proud of what I’m selling. I knew I could be proud of finding people their ideal jobs, and finding companies their ideal employee.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
“I would say what I love doing most in my free time would be watching football games, ideally with friends and family as they make it even better. On working days at lunch time or afterwards, I do like reading or playing video games just to distract my mind and have some relaxed time to recharge.”
What surprised you the most about working in recruitment?
“Probably the quantity of information that we have to learn. It’s something I imagined before, but once I experienced trying to understand every company that we’re representing, every industry and all the roles, it was really surprising how much there is – you don’t only have to understand it, you also need to be able to explain it, to sell it. So, it is a lot, I have to say.”
How has your multicultural background helped you approach your work at CPA?
“Maybe it gives me the chance to connect more easily to people. What I mean is, I found in the beginning when meeting somebody, either a candidate or a corporate client, naturally it could be awkward. So finding a common point, shared experience, or a shared language can make that initial meeting much easier. Meeting with Spanish or Latin American candidates, it was easier to connect with them because of the common language.”
How do you feel about tackling the French market?
“Initially I have to say I was really scared – I do speak French, I spent much of my life in Belgium. But business French is sort of like a different language, and I was worried my knowledge would not be enough and I’d make a bad impression. But I have to say that from my firsthand experience in client meetings, on business trips, that everyone that I’ve met has been really nice and welcoming. So everyone else has made it a very positive experience, and I’m looking forward to more of it!”
What are you most excited about for the future of your work?
“I’m looking forward to being in the position of my other colleagues, working more independently. Being able to take care of all the work I’m expected to do, and the work I want to do, and not needing to go back to my colleagues to ask for help – I know everyone helps each other, but if I can do everything, I think then, I can feel fully proud of my work.”
What do you enjoy the most about working at CPA?
“The people and the atmosphere, which has been a first for me – everyone has been so welcoming, but also everyone really helps each other. If someone is struggling with a task or with anything at all, sometimes you don’t even need to ask, they just offer their assistance and their help. So it really makes it easy to tackle the work every day, and makes me happy to go to work!”
We’re lucky to have Alex on our team, bringing his fantastic charm and hardworking nature! Feel free to connect with Alex here on LinkedIn, and follow us to meet more of our fantastic consultants!
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