The dynamic job market offers more opportunities than ever for all candidates in mass positions. Production operators, warehouse workers, call center agents, sales consultants can find their next job in just a few hours. However, when a person has risen high in a company's hierarchy, acquired niche skills and competencies, finding the next suitable job can be challenging and sometimes can even take years. Kaloyan Belitchovsky - Recruitment Manager at Manpower Bulgaria gives advice on how to make the process easier and the candidate more successful.
Is there a need for talents in managerial positions in the different business sectors in Bulgaria?
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 situation across the country we have seen a significant growth in the need for people suitable for leadership positions in many industries. In this period, a large part of the business has been oriented precisely towards attracting personnel at this level, as the health, economic and demographic crises require an increasingly better and more efficient organization of work. In addition, the large number of new investors, mainly in the Manufacturing, Logistics, Business Process Outsourcing and Information Technology sectors, explains the trend towards the need for well-qualified executives.
As a result of the increased digitalization and robotization, new professions have emerged and will continue to emerge. This happens because of the fact that increasingly skilled staff will be required, as well as the training of such to manage the facilitation and optimization of business processes. This is a natural course of development of the work environment, which is completely natural given the trends in the labor market.
What skills should a successful manager have in an ever-changing job market?
Our executive search partners typically expect skills and knowledge in multiple areas. Increasingly important are the so-called "soft skills" that companies expect candidates to possess. Digitalization has played a key role on processes, significantly increasing the pace of work, therefore, in addition to the practical skills of managers, they are expected to be consistent and flexible enough in communicating with their teams, customers and partners.
In the business space there is more and more talk about the burnout effect on employees due to the rapid, post-pandemic development of the economy. In this case, it is not uncommon for the managers of the respective units to also act as psychologists so as to preserve and retain their employees from the effects of an overloaded work routine.
Are there tactics, tricks and strategies to use in the application process to stand out from other candidates?
A direct and proactive approach has always been distinctive when it comes to leadership roles. Of course, the line between the positive and negative effect of possible proactivity in seeking new opportunities is thin, and experienced managers in different sectors know this well. Increasingly, our partners are looking at candidates' CVs and looking for what's not written between the lines.
A very important channel is the effective use of recommendations. It is far from being obsolete, on the contrary - to a large extent, companies consult their industry colleagues for even more detailed feedback on which they can rely.
At Manpower Bulgaria, for example, we insist on working actively with our psychologist colleagues in our executive search and recruitment processes. Using world-leading personality assessment tools, they can advise our clients on how comfortable a candidate would be in their organisation, what exactly they expect from their job, in what situations they would have difficulty with it, what they are willing to give to get it, etc. In this way we are able to effectively match the right person with the right opportunity - a particularly key process when it comes to leadership positions.
What are some of the expectations employees have of their line managers?
More than ever, employers expect the workforce to increase or remain unchanged in the new year. This brings with it a huge responsibility, as the opportunities for candidates increase with each passing week and the intensity of the search for new staff of all kinds increases dramatically.
Employees look to managers in their respective units for support and understanding, both professionally and personally. Open communication is the key to all relationships, and a good work culture and emotional intelligence are leading, even mandatory for a manager.
Job security and access to information about the future development of the company are particularly valued by employees. When they are not well informed about the development, results and plans of their organization, they stop feeling committed to it. Here is the role of their direct leaders - to be close to their people and to be able to rely on each other.
