Joana Loureiro, Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding at Jerónimo Martins, discusses the transformation of the job market in the post-pandemic period and highlights the most valued skills by companies today. In this interview, she delves into the importance of technical and analytical capabilities, as well as interpersonal skills, such as teamwork, flexibility, and critical thinking. Joana Loureiro further discusses how initiatives like the Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge at NOVA IMS are crucial for developing and showcasing these essential competencies, preparing students for professional success.

The post-pandemic era has brought about a profound revolution in the job market. What are the most valued skills by companies currently? 
Technical skills remain very important. We want people with analytical abilities, those with the so-called hard skills. However, with the pandemic, we feel there's a certain set of attributes that are increasingly important. Firstly, the ability to adapt and be flexible – the current world shows us that. We want people capable of adapting to new circumstances and not resisting the changes that are happening very rapidly. 

Furthermore, also because of the pandemic, which led us to work more isolated, we want people who know how to work in teams and who are willing to do so. An individual alone doesn't have the ability to change everything, and it's very important for students to understand that. 

Critical thinking is also highly valued, which in a school like NOVA IMS is closely related to the ability to analyze information and data. Finally, digital skills. With so much talk about issues like Artificial Intelligence, we indeed want young people who are digitally competent. 

And how does a project like the Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge allow for the development and demonstration of these kinds of skills? 
An initiative like this, which promotes collaborative work – among students, professors, the community, and companies – allows for the development of a set of skills that are essential for success in today's world. Firstly, as I mentioned earlier, the ability to work in teams. In the context of teamwork, it's essential to understand that various perspectives can promote the solution. Then, the issue of communication. And when I talk about communication, I don't just mean verbal and written. Listening is very important. Listening to different perspectives can be difficult but is undoubtedly very useful. Finally – I wouldn't call it leadership because we're mainly talking about young students – but the ability to take initiative. The ability to propose solutions creatively and proactively. I think this challenge is a great promoter of all these competencies. 

How do you evaluate these competencies in a recruitment process? 
When a candidate applies to work at Jerónimo Martins, it's normal for us to ask candidates to tell us about situations from their student or even personal life where they demonstrate these abilities – teamwork, communication, initiative. One question I often ask students in a first interview is what role they usually play in a group project – during their undergraduate or master's degree, they have numerous group projects. Are they the most analytical? Are they the ones with initiative? The ones who handle organizing the work? The ones who create PowerPoint presentations and have communication skills? Essentially, we ask them to give us examples from their daily lives and experiences. And there's another question that I think is fundamental – and I believe NOVA IMS also understands this in its students – which is the search for and promotion of certain values. We look for students who share our values and one of our values, just to give an example, is raising the bar. Raising the bar means wanting to surpass oneself. It's something we highly value. 

That value is clearly evident in the Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge. What leads Jerónimo Martins to join this project? 
This challenge of the Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge is precisely about raising the bar. A student who participates in an event like this demonstrates that they are someone who lives this value. They are someone who seeks to do more. Our participation in this project results from a partnership we have been deepening for the past two years with NOVA IMS, with whom we share many values. Raising the bar is one of them, another, for example, is "we count on each other." And this initiative is another example of this because it truly brings together a group of students, professors, companies, and the community to create something for the greater good of all.