Soft skills, essential qualities in the hiring process

Julio Feito, talent recruitment expert, details the current hiring situation in the technology sector, what difficulties it encounters, and some of the secrets to achieving greater success when acquiring talent. It also highlights the importance of soft skills and loyalty. 

 THE LACK OF TECH TALENT IN SPAIN

It is clear that the technology sector is booming, and with it, the related offers in the labor market. Julio tells us that it has not always been like this. A few years ago, when the technology industry began to grow, there was a high demand for employees but few candidates available. “We sent direct messages and found a very low response volume. Those who responded to us had very high requirements to be able to respond to your request, such as salary, vacations, modality....”

Now, this trend has been changing. The sector has become fashionable, the supply is much greater, and demand has decreased due to the general socioeconomic situation. 

“Even so, in Spain there is still a lack of certain specialized tech talent. However, there is an upward trend as bootcamps and technological FPs are becoming popular and the supply of profiles is therefore skyrocketing. This, together with the layoffs in big tech, means that economic conditions are normalizing.” 

“In Spain there is still a lack of this type of technological talent”

BALANCE BETWEEN HARD AND SOFT SKILLS

This talent expert explains to us that, depending on the job the company wants to fill, it will take more into account the technical qualities or, on the contrary, will pay more attention to the personal characteristics of the candidate. ““Soft skills are essential, but depending on business needs, there are times when they are less prioritized if the technical profile is very scarce” 

In the Tech universe, it is difficult to find specific profiles, or those that cover senior positions. It is in these cases in which the hard skills of the position are not so common, in which soft skills take on an essential role. “Obviously, if the person is going to give the team problems, that would be a red line. Teamwork is unconditional. However, when it comes to people, we cannot predict their behavior with certainty either.” , Julio specifies. In fact, for him, it is the soft skills of camaraderie and teamwork along with problem solving that are most sought after. 

“There are certain hard skills that can be trained and nothing happens, but there are certain soft skills that if you don't have them, you don't have, right?”

THE STRATEGIES OF A RECRUITER

As an expert in talent acquisition, he also details the different strategies when hiring, depending on whether it is a junior candidate or someone with more experience.

Junior Talent

• Be present at university job fairs, both nationally and locally
• Give many talks both in person and online, not only about the company, but also about how to create a personal brand.
• Differentiate yourself from the rest of the companies
• Be very transparent when explaining the benefits, remuneration and conditions offered by the company

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Senior talent

• Be very clear and transparent with aspects such as salary, modality or workplace
• Be direct, they don't have time for a long selection process

THE FUTURE IS FULL OF TECHNOLOGICAL POSITIONS

With an eye toward a future where new technologies will play a very important role, Julio Feito maintains that, although tasks such as talent search or resume screening can be digitized thanks to AI; it will not be possible to replace the selection and recruitment of employees with a machine. "I believe that machines always help, and artificial intelligence in this case will eliminate processes that are arduous and that do not add value, such as recruitment and sourcing, but there is something that it can never replace, and that is the connection of the recruiter manager with the candidate”.

“New technologies always help, and AI will help in arduous processes such as sourcing in recruitment.”  

“In the end, when talent is scarce, one of the things that adds value is the recruiter because he can push you back or you can say, hey, a priori, I wasn't very interested but he explained it to me very well or I didn't like him very well or he has told me this particular thing that interests me, so I believe that that connection is irreplaceable.”

“In the end, when talent is scarce, one of the things that adds value is the recruiter”

In addition, he sees that, as the trend is upward, companies that opt for a remote model can outsource the person to parts of Spain with a better cost of living, or even to other countries. Right now, the hybrid work model is the one most adopted by companies, and it is expected to remain that way, as well as much more flexible working conditions. All of this can have positive consequences for companies. “When the person is remote, why do we have them in Madrid? "We are going to have it in Chile, for example, because it is a country where salaries are lower, that person who works on European hours". This would mean very important cost savings for companies. 

Likewise, he is optimistic about the situation of the Tech sector in Spain. Julio believes that the profiles linked to this industry will increase. “Spain is a country that can take advantage of certain top talents that may be remote, especially as it is a very attractive country to live in and with a relatively low cost of living, at least compared to countries around us.”. 

ATTRACTION IS NOT EVERYTHING

The whole part of flexible hours at work, camaraderie and a good atmosphere among employees are key aspects when it comes to building employee loyalty. Therefore, it is also essential to take into account soft skills related to teamwork when selecting talent. 

In this sense, it is vital to have a good recruiter who knows how to convey to candidates, precisely and correctly, what their position will consist of, as well as the conditions and remuneration they will obtain. 

But not only that, in-company training is a factor that many candidates consider when staying in a company or moving to another. Many times, corporations hope to hire people who will get straight to work, and start generating benefits as soon as possible but, for this, it is necessary that they have first been given an apprenticeship. “Onboarding and initial training are essential so that the person feels included in the different processes of the team and company. It is not about hiring the person and that's it, but rather there must be an established and structured onboarding process.”

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