Leadership Journeys: Meet Mitchel van Hardeveld from the Leaders4Tomorrow Program
We kicked off this year’s Leaders4Tomorrow Program at the Talentor Global Summit in Warsaw in October 2024, followed by an intensive leadership camp. Over the year, the group took part in global keynotes, two company challenges, and many learning opportunities. In June 2025, the second group, including talents from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Austria, successfully completed the program. We’re proud to have run Leaders4Tomorrow for two years now!
One of the top talents within the Talentor Community who participated and recently culminated the second cohort of the Leaders4Tomorrow Program was Mitchel van Hardeveld.
Mitchel is a Senior Recruitment Consultant at Independent Recruiters, Talentor in the Netherlands.
Focused on creating agile recruiting solutions for flex roles, Mitchel plays a key role in supporting global clients with speed, quality, and precision. Over the past year, he’s helped secure multiple top-level framework agreements and dedicated his focus in the Leaders4Tomorrow program to expanding the flex recruitment field with his team.
Passionate about building communities — he even supports the wider recruiting ecosystem in Amsterdam — Mitchel brings energy, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of the fast-changing talent market.
Meet Mitchel - We asked him a few questions, and here is what he shared with us:
You’re known for bringing a curious mindset to every conversation and event. How has that curiosity shaped the way you work with candidates and clients?
From a young age, I’ve always found it difficult to watch a TV show, listen to a story, or read a book without knowing how it would end. That same curiosity has carried over into my professional life—and it serves me well. Whether I’m speaking with a client or a candidate, I want to understand the full story from A to Z. The more details I have, the better I can help.
You research each company you recruit for in great depth. What insights do you look for, and how do they influence the way you match candidates to roles?
When I research a company, I focus on more than just the job description. I look at the company culture, team dynamics, recent developments, and what success looks like in the role. This helps me understand not only what kind of person can do the job, but who will thrive in that specific environment.
It allows me to tell a clear, honest story to candidates and make more accurate matches — not just based on skills, but on long-term fit.
You’ve built a strong sense of community around flex candidates and the broader recruitment scene in Amsterdam. What does community mean to you in this context?
In temporary recruitment, CVs are often passed around quickly due to tight deadlines. But that approach rarely leads to long-term success. Hard skills are only half the story — truly understanding your candidates is what makes the difference.
For me, community means taking the time to really get to know people, giving honest advice — even if that means saying “no” sometimes. That’s how you build a network of candidates with unique skills, who know they can trust you to always put fit and fairness first.
You’re passionate about connecting talent to real opportunities. What’s your approach to spotting potential — even when it’s not obvious on paper?
Spotting potential starts with looking beyond the CV. I focus on someone's mindset, adaptability, and motivation — not just their job titles or years of experience. I ask about how they solve problems, what drives them, and where they want to grow. If I come across a term I don’t know, I simply ask. I believe that if someone is truly passionate about something, they can explain it to someone who doesn’t know it — and that creates a moment of genuine connection and insight.
Often, the best matches come from seeing transferable skills or raw talent that isn’t obvious on paper. It’s about listening closely, asking the right questions, and being willing to back someone who’s ready — even if their path looks different.
In the Leaders4Tomorrow program, you focused on scaling flex recruitment for international clients. What’s one idea or strategy you’re excited to take forward in that space?
One strategy I’m excited to take forward is building and improving flexible talent pools around recurring demand — rather than starting from scratch with every request.
During Leaders4Tomorrow, I saw how much time is lost when recruitment stays reactive. By investing upfront in understanding a client’s long-term needs and creating a pool of pre-qualified, culturally aligned candidates, you can scale faster and with more consistency — especially across international markets where speed and trust are everything.
When should someone reach out to you — whether they’re a candidate, client, or fellow recruiter? What kinds of opportunities are you most excited to help with right now?
People should reach out when they’re looking for more than just a quick fix. Whether you're a candidate exploring your next freelance role, a client needing flexible talent fast, or a fellow recruiter who believes in working with quality over quantity — I’m always open to connect.
Right now, I’m especially excited about opportunities that involve building or scaling flexible recruitment models, and supporting professionals who bring unique skills but don’t always fit the traditional boxes.
Whether you're a client, candidate, or fellow recruiter — I want to be your partner. Someone who listens, gives honest advice, and is in it for the long term.
Mitchel, it was a pleasure to have you in the Leaders4Tomorrow global talent program! Your drive to scale flex recruitment with purpose, combined with your commitment to community — from candidate experience to market partnerships — reflects the kind of leadership the industry needs. We’re excited to see how you continue to shape the future of agile talent solutions from Amsterdam to beyond.
To learn more about the Leaders4Tomorrow program, click here.
