What it takes to be successful in the recruiting IT market

If there is anything that stands out with Andreea is definitely that she has an extraordinary work ethic and she is quite the perfectionist. She is the HR consultant, here at OceanoBe, but she does more than recruiting. In many ways, she is a beacon of light and our north pole for our team. On many occasions, I have remarked to her that her position is the hardest of them all and I think this interview will reveal why.

Something that not a lot of people know about her is that she is extremely creative and has such a good eye when it comes to graphic design and creative concepts. 

I invite you to discover Andreea’s story and how she sees the recruiting IT market. 

Getting to know you

• Who is Andreea? (Describe yourself)

That is a very profound question (smiling) that has much valence, but I will stick to the professional side. I am an HR consultant with more than 10 years of experience, of which the last 6 are in the IT industry, where I have learned a lot and sharpened my skills, so to say. But I feel that there is so much more to learn because HR is a field where you have to get the market, the technology, and the context. Without these, you don’t stand a chance. So I would say I am a perpetual learner. Each new interview is an opportunity to learn more about people, that motivates them and of course, stay up to date with new tech.

• Andreea, I know you have been involved in HR for quite some time, what can you tell me about your experience so far?

Well thinking back on my experience I think the most growth and learning has been at OceanoBe. Here I had a lot of exposure to different things and I practically understood how an outsourcing business works. Having a bigger picture and seeing and understanding things outside of the recruiting part made me get more involved and created the perfect environment for me to be a part of the business development process. This is a very unique context and I haven’t found, so far, another company that makes this possible for an HR specialist. 

• What’s something you are passionate about right now?

I am passionate about literature and had a period in which I was into Japanese fiction. I do love the design part and I love to draw. This has been with me forever and it brings me a lot of positive energy and calm.

Growth

• You started your career in recruiting early on, did you know right from the start that you wanted to pursue this?

It was a happy coincidence that landed me in HR and I believe the most important. As it happens my studies are in accounting and I was looking for a job after finishing my master’s degree. Funny thing my first accounting experience was dismal so to say and by a happy coincidence I found a job in HR, in the newspaper at that time (laughing). In the beginning, it was challenging, as I needed to overcome my shyness and get out of my comfort zone. However, I consider myself extremely fortunate to meet Camelia at that time, my first manager and mentor, who taught me how to understand people, how to overcome my introversion, and leverage one of my best abilities - empathizing with others.

• In what ways do you feel that you have grown over the years? 

Well, some recruiters do just ultra specialization. That is perfect if you feel that is for you and I know people that love doing just recruiting. For me, on the other hand, I love diversity and the position here at OceanoBe was the one that suited me best. Having the opportunity to get involved in the business itself was the best thing. For me, this is where I find progress, and where I draw my energy from. 

As for growing, I feel that the most growth for me was the communication part. There are 3 skills in this industry that are vital for your success. These are communication, empathy, knowledge of the industry, and business.

• Where lies the challenge of doing what you do?

I feel that the most challenging thing for me was to realize and accept the fact that some situations are out of my control. For instance, when a person connects with you and you feel that he/she is the right person for the role you presented if he refuses the offer for a variety of reasons, it is so hard to not take it personally. This is by far the most difficult part of the job, I would say.

Flexibility

• I would love to find out from you what are the key ingredients of creating a great recruiting experience?

I think the most important element is empathy to understand what they are looking for, what they want, and how they feel. You can see very quickly how they react to the words used. The person must feel okay to be comfortable in this relationship. It is very important. The connection leaves a door open. Empathy is essential especially when you give constructive feedback, and I have made mistakes, but I have learned from those experiences and now I can manage to give feedback and still leave a good impression. That's very important, I think. Circle back to people and that's why it's ok to give feedback that doesn't demotivate. This is the essence of understanding people in front of you and putting yourself in their place.

• We were talking the other day about the fact that it must be hard to be in your shoes these days. The recruiting market especially in the IT sector has become quite competitive. What is your view on this?

What I have noticed is the fact that the market is so competitive and the pressure is very high on both recruiters and candidates. Talking about the recruiters, they have to deliver numbers, fast and well. So in this race, you find that quality will decrease. Candidates begin to have low-quality experiences with recruiters and now even if you are ok as a recruiter and have a professional approach, the candidates begin to become more reluctant in talking with you or even completely shutting down. There is a lot of pressure and the candidates have had it with messages that are not relevant to the experience they have or the technologies they are using. I believe now is the moment to differentiate and put emphasis on quality. 

• We talk a lot about flexibility. What is flexibility from your stand of point and do you feel like this applies more to the recruiting department?

Flexibility is the essence of the job. For me the fact that I can get involved in many areas, aside from recruiting, is key. This is not true for everybody. The risks are also high because being involved in many areas you can’t always get 100% on each and every aspect. So you have to pay attention to priorities. 

Excellence

• How do you feel about your contribution to what we do here at OceanoBe?

I can say in all modesty, I contributed significantly to OceanoBe as it is today. Each company is made by people and some of our colleagues are here due to my contribution. And I believe that they are amazing people. 

• I know they are! :)
• You have an amazing work ethic and I was wondering how does one excels at what you do?

Discipline, perseverance, and self-motivation. Always compare yourself to you. What have done so far and how can I do it better. This is my definition of success and I work hard to achieve it. 

Experience

• What's next on your learning path? Any new challenges?

Well developing my creative side. I think it’s amazing to do each day something you like and if you do that creativity will flourish. Other than that I believe each day is a learning experience and I do my best to build and learn from each interaction. The challenge for me is being better today than I was yesterday.

Here ends my interview with Andreea and our dive into her idea of success in the recruiting IT market. If you have any questions feel free to contact us. This would not be a complete interview without an invitation for you to check out our latest open positions. Have a look at the Join our Team page. 

#TimetoBeAmazing