19 de October de 2020
Not many people have more insight into the current professional market and the latest trends in the world of employability than a headhunter, as they bridge the gap between companies and talent, keeping right up-to-date with the latest developments at all times. With this in mind, with the aim of helping our students build their professional path, EAE Business School has organized a series of conversations with Headhunters to discuss the state of employability in different sectors.
On this occasion, the headhunter and Head of Engineering at the company Claire Joster, Gonzalo Trigo, led the conversation about the project management, covering the most relevant sectors and most sought-after profiles, as well as the competences that are considered essential nowadays to succeed in the world of project management.
Click here to find out all about EAE’s Master in Project Management.
Claire Joster
Before getting on to the main topic, Trigo took a few minutes to talk about the company that he works for, Claire Joster, explaining the differential features that set it apart as one of the recruitment firms with the brightest prospects in Spain.
“Claire Joster is the leading power in the world of Human Resources that is 100% Spanish owned. Its turnover is currently around 386 million euros”, emphasized Trigo. Moreover, he explained that they specialize in the search and selection of middle and senior management positions, enabling companies to find the right talent for their development.
What makes Claire Joster unique? To answer this question, Trigo listed 6 key differential features: specialization, excellence in project planning, global vision, benchmarking, collaborative model and value-based management.
What is the current situation in view of the Covid-19 crisis?
After introducing the company that he works for, Trigo asked a couple of questions: What is the current situation in view of the Covid-19 crisis? What is happening at a business level? There are a lots of question marks these days and not all aspects of the story are positive, he stated. Nevertheless, one thing we do know is that new opportunities are opening up, certain sectors are growing and a new reality is taking shape that we have to adapt to.
“For instance, we can see growth in the healthcare and logistics sector”, added the headhunter. “We have to strive to have a multifaceted profile and detect opportunities in whichever sectors they are happening in”.
Most relevant and affected sectors
As the diagram shows, the sectors with the biggest growth in recent months are pharmaceuticals, logistics, energy, food and mass market. In terms of the pharmaceutical sector, this is particularly due to the health crisis and the huge efforts being made in relation to the production of vaccines, medication and other elements required in the current situation.
Moreover, the logistics and supply chain sector has managed to adapt to the new reality very effectively and, among other reasons, this is due to the fact that “people might stop buying cars, but they won’t stop buying food”. This also brings in another sector in which Trigo sees growth: food. He explained that it is not a question of people eating more, but rather a rise in panic buying, a factor that has given the industry an unprecedented boost.
What type of profiles are in the highest demand from companies?
“Almost 30% of the engineering projects that we are conducting at Claire Joster focus on recruiting Project Managers”, emphasized Trigo. “Likewise, Supply Chain Managers are in very high demand, as logistics is growing at an accelerated pace and we need people who can offer different solutions and adapt processes in the supply chain effectively”.
In the technological sector, as we can see from the diagram, companies are looking for more profiles such as developers and data experts. In the world of real estate, there is especially a lot of demand for construction managers, just like for product managers in the energy sector.
What competences are considered essential in a Project Management candidate?
To finish off, the speaker turned to the topic of competences, emphasizing that, first and foremost, a Project Manager has to be a leader. Their mission is to work alongside the rest of the team and keep it all moving forward. Moreover, it is essential that they can plan, be organized and design projects with a clear, precise timescale.
Customer orientation and communication are two other key factors, as they help to create a united team that is pulling in the same direction. In addition, they need a great capacity for analysing changings and anticipating potential deviations.
Trigo concluded by saying that “attitude is crucial. We have to tackle this reality and market with a positive, energetic attitude that enables us to give it our all”
Click here to find out more about our Master in Project Management.