Enrique López (IKEA): “Values and abilities are above the curriculum vitae”
- February 19, 2019
Passionate about HR 2.0, a human resources strand that has allowed him to learn about Social Recruiting, Enrique López is a Recruitment Specialist at IKEA Málaga. This company is firmly committed to Employee Branding, which is why last year it launched www.sinvueltadetuerca.com, a platform where employees receive training on social networks and can find a manual of recommendations, in case they want to link to the brand at their social profiles.
Internally, what strategies do you accomplish to detect talent and enhance the professional development of your employees?
There are many actions that we perform during the year, both to detect talent and to develop it, but we are especially proud of the “Learning Communities”. They are working groups that are organized around a specific theme and in which collaborators who are passionate about this topic participate voluntarily. The beauty of these communities is that while the employees themselves are training and developing something they are passionate about, they are making great contributions to the business and making our vision of Business&PeopleTogether a reality.
For us, values and abilities are above the curriculum vitae.
We work year-round in development, but we reserve one week a year in all IKEA stores and offices around the world to work it out conscientiously: Talent Week. That week becomes the perfect setting to celebrate that we all have a talent. We take the opportunity to organize different activities, workshops and talks in which we intend to inspire each other to get the best out of each other.
From Human Resources, do you use Social Recruiting to attract new talent? To what extent do you take into account the digital presence of the candidates? To what extent do you take into account the digital presence of the candidates?
Yes, definitely. Social Recruiting has allowed us to discover a new world (2.0) of possibilities, especially for the selection of qualified technical profiles that, in our local market, are difficult to find, such as Interior Designers or Visual Merchandisers, for example. When the talent you are looking for does not apply to your vacancies, social recruiting is the key to reaching passive candidates who, without them saying it, may be willing to work with us. At the same time, we are very aware of the importance of the Candidate Experience, and we put a lot of effort into improving it, both in its online and offline versions. We are clear that Social Recruiting is only a means, the purpose is to approach the candidates and establish a conversation with them, either through telephone interviews, asynchronous interviews or in person.
As for the digital presence of the candidates, it is not something that worries us or that we take into account in our selection processes. For us, it is much more important that they have a passion for life at home or that, they are even brand ambassadors.
You have been carrying out the “IKEA Málaga Talent” Program for 4 years, in which you are committed to developing the talent of entrepreneurs and students. What results have you obtained from this initiative?
I have special affection for “IKEA Málaga Talent” because I was lucky to be one of the participants in the 1st Edition and, in fact, it was as a result of the program that I met the company in which, without knowing it, I had always wanted to work. As for the results, we cannot be happier. Around 300 students are interested in our program each year and 16 are selected to work with them on their individual development plan, among other things. After 3 editions, 87% of students have gotten a job. As for entrepreneurs, about 90% manage to keep their project active. After the success of the program, this year we have decided to add another innovation to the program: Dual Training.
What does this Dual Training consist of and what advantages does it offer to participants and company?
Dual vocational training is a modality of professional training in which there is a high degree of cooperation between the educational center and the company and where apprentice training is the responsibility of both parties. The student or apprentice combines his stay in the company with the stay in the educational center, being able to put into practice the theoretical knowledge and living in first person, such as a work environment. One of the main advantages for the company is the possibility of adapting the curricular content to its needs and for the participants, the main advantage is the possibility of acquiring knowledge through practice, since they will always be connected to the reality of the market.
In our case, this year, DUAL Vocational Training has become part of our Development Program for students and entrepreneurs IKEA Malaga Talent, which, as I mentioned, its objective is to contribute to the positive movement of employability in Málaga.
This year, we will have 29 apprentices from branches such as Commerce, Carpentry, Catering, Administration and Finance and Maintenance. We firmly believe in this training model, so much so that we have set a target of 5% of our workforce in 2020 coming from DUAL Vocational Training.
Without a doubt, this is a unique opportunity to contribute to employability in our community.
People First es un espacio de inspiración donde compartimos contenidos con un eje común: las personas. Desde distintas ópticas y sectores, abordamos varios temas, tendencias y noticias de interés humano.
