EAE News
Headhunters discover talent acquisition strategies
10 de June de 2019
EAE's Madrid Campus organized an event aimed at students on Part-Time and Weekend Programs with the participation of expert recruiters.
Organized by EAE's Professional Careers Department, the session welcomed the participation of headhunters from various organizations, including Six Hunters, Wyser, Claire, QHR and Hays. The recruiters chatted with the students on the School's Part-Time and Weekend Programs, giving them valuable advice on professional projection and new profiles. Specific sessions were run for areas such as Human Resources, Logistics, Marketing and Sales, Executives, Project Management and Information Technology, analysing key aspects of recruitment such as the personal interview, CVs and new contracting hiring in companies.
In the Marketing and Sales area, Luis Dugarte, the Team Manager at Hays, started the session by giving the participants a blank sheet of paper to write down the questions they would like to ask a recruiter. At the consultancy, they attract native talent and the candidates' success depends a great deal of how they begin their employment search. Luis Dugarte strove to break a few taboos in the session, in which he listed the mistakes commonly made by professionals when looking for a job, including a failure to segment, not knowing their selling points and not identifying their dream job nor where they want to get to. In addition, the headhunter emphasized that you have to stop and think about the person's strengths and establish the point that sets them apart. Although this is all based on a prior strategy, it is important to do it in order to stand out, because at Hays "we are able to identify the candidates' soft skills", explained Dugarte.
Participants in the session designed for executives included Rafael Puerto, the Business Director at Wyser España. The Learning Agility expert emphasized aspects such as the importance of working on our emotional intelligence in response to the uncertainty that characterizes the market, as well as how technology can empower workers. Moreover, he highlighted the concept of ADKAR (acronym of Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement), a change management model that focuses on the individual. Rafael bases the candidate's talent on this methodology, as well as in their ability to anticipate changes and resolve problems through creativity.
In Rafael's opinion, the new scenario offers lots of opportunities for the new employment world. With this in mind, he advised the future executives to integrate the agile concept, embracing agility, future decision-making and adaptability to change. Thinking about doing things differently, approaching a headhunter and tips for enhancing employability were other aspects analysed by the talent acquisition specialist at Wyser. "Take the time to understand what value you contribute and the passion that you put into all you do. You then have to build your search strategy", explained Rafael in the session.
Begoña Gómez, the Sales Industry Senior Consultant at Claire Foster, took charge of the Project Management and Logistics area. The recruiter analysed the candidates' differential aspects and how they can be conveyed. At Claire Foster, they are very proactive, offering a personal service that puts professionals in close contact with companies. "Headhunters have better access to companies and more opportunities to make contact with the right person". There is a hidden employment market with vacant positions that are never advertised. "Sometimes you need to be in just the right place and the right time". With all this in mind, Begoña advised the candidates not to lose hope if they don't get a response in a short period of time. "I am one of those people who keeps contacting them until they say no". Moreover, she highlighted the difficulty she faces when ruling a candidate out because "some of them are really great but they don't have the ability to convey it".
Overseeing the Human Resources area was Begoña González, the Partner and Director at Six Hunters, who analysed the role of HR and its evolution, interacting with the participants in a dynamic session with a great variety of profiles. Begoña highlighted some valuable messages, such as using our common sense and preparing well for selection processes. "Defining my message, where I want to go and what I can contribute. An interview is your own personal marketing campaign and you have to stand out from the crowd". Her presentation focused a great deal on the practical side of things. "We have tried to identify what I do well, what I like doing and what makes me happy, because it is all closely related to what I am best suited for", she explained.
David Domínguez, the Partner & Consultant at Q Human Resources, shared his expertise in the IT sector, offering his insight into professional development strategies, competences and skills, growth prospects, the situation of the employment market, sectors with greater demand and how to approach a selection process. The participants in the session were all professionals in the IT sector, currently in the growth phase, with plans to change and move towards Project Management. The consultant particularly emphasized messages such as "through effective planning and analysis, market knowledge and lifelong learning, the likelihood of getting a job or achieving professional objectives is far higher and the probability of success is far greater".
For David Domínguez and Olga Prikhoko, the initiative organized by the Professional Careers Department was "really beneficial because professionals in this sector are normally unaware of this kind of search and growth strategies, and they can be find the way that companies' selection and internal promotion processes work somewhat disorienting". At the same time, this type of events are also a really great opportunity for the consultants to listen to new experiences and insights from the perspective of people within the sector.