400 students and nearly 70 companies participate in the «Talent Boost Week», the first employability week at UPF-BSM

«Connect with Companies», the star activity of the week and a meeting point between students and companies, was attended by firms such as Danone, Mattel, CaixaBank, KPMG, Penguin Random House and Grífols, among others

The UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM) has held the «Talent Boost Week», the first employability week of the school, with the participation of 400 students and nearly 70 companies, among which there are firms as renowned as Danone, Mattel, CaixaBank, Banco Santander, Penguin Random House, KPMG or Grífols, among others. 

"Our will is that students benefit from learning at its best, since higher education is a social and professional lift", said the Director General of the UPF-BSM, Jose M. Martinez-Sierra, during the institutional welcome to the businesses, prior to the session «Connect with Companies», the star activity of the week. "We want the company to be in the classrooms and the classroom in the companies", he said, adding: "This makes us better and allow us to continue learning". "Companies come to UPF-BSM to entrust us with their training and, at the same time, to recruit talent, and this fills us with pride", he concluded. 

"Companies come to UPF-BSM to entrust us with their training and, at the same time, to recruit talent, and this is a source of pride for the school"

Edith Castellarnau, Director of Student Services, said that at UPF-BSM "we are leaders in training and we offer management that is different from the conventional". "We have a varied and international talent that will help you to position your companies", she told the recruiters, and admitted that "we are very excited that among you there are former students who are now returning to the school to seek for talent". In this sense, beyond the interviews held between talent and companies, the event encouraged firms to offer up to 60 new vacancies –published on the school's recruitment platform, available to students–, 61% of which are job offers. 

"We have been collaborating with the UPF-BSM for many years with internship agreements, as it has a great source of talent", said Noelia García, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Danone, who reflected: "LinkedIn cannot be the only source of employment connections, there must also be these face-to-face meetings". Natàlia Grau, People Services - Global Mobility at KPMG and UPF-BSM alumni, valued the initiative as a "win-win" for students and businesses. "The UPF culture is one of excellence and companies can offer great opportunities. Both sides benefit", she said. "In fact, many of my colleagues at KPMG have been trained at this school and the preparation we are given for the labour market is crucial", she said. 

Knowledge and preparation for the job market

During the four days of activities organised by the UPF-BSM Career Services as part of the «Talent Boost Week», students had the chance to attend job interviews and informative talks on labour market trends. "It is a perfect initiative to practice everything we want to transmit about ourselves to companies. The school is helping us a lot", explained Fernanda Miranda, a Full Time MBA student. "They also update us a lot about professional trends in the course itself, and this allows us to be very well prepared for the professional environment", she said.

Reliability, resilience, creativity and critical thinking are some of the most valued skills in today's workforce

"I really appreciate the opportunity to meet different companies and to get to know different backgrounds to explore my career possibilities", said Cristina Inzuza, a student of the Master of Arts in Communication Management, who praised the knowledge she gains every day at the school "from the top academic professionals". Martí Font, a student of the Master in International Business, said that "the experience is going very well". "It is 100% in line with what we were told: there are a lot of interesting people and everyone is involved to help us and to contribute with ideas". 

In fact, the first session of the week, «Prepare yourself: learn from experts», allowed students to understand the needs demanded by recruiters through various workshops and conferences. Mercè Martín, lecturer and Head of the Academic Area of People and Organisation at UPF-BSM, pointed out the most in-demand professional profiles: 

• IT and Data
• Marketing and Sales
• Logistics and Operations
• Industry and Production
• Customer service

At the same time, Martín pointed out the attendees the five most valued competencies: 

• Reliability and discipline
• Adaptability and resilience
• Problem solving
• Creativity
• Critical thinking

Sara Torra, alumni of the Master in Human Resources Management and HR Business Partner at Mattel, shared her experience in selection processes. Salvador Sicart, Technology Solutions and Interim Director at Hays Spain, then took the floor to give the keys to trends, positions and salary guidelines for the current market. The conferences were closed by Pablo García Colomer, Senior Success Manager Spain, Portugal & UK at JobTeaser, who described the recruitment platform used by our students. 

Connecting talent and linking with alumni

"We are very satisfied with this first edition, as it has fulfilled the objectives set", admitted Brigitte Pérez, Head of Career Services at UPF-BSM. "We have been able to connect the school's talent with the ecosystem of collaborating companies, thus responding to a historical demand, both on the part of the students and the faculty", she specified. 

In this regard, one of the most highly valued aspects of the week has been being able to "increase the link with alumni collective, as they have returned to the school to look for talent and, on the one hand, we have reinforced their feeling of belonging to the UPF-BSM community and, on the other, we have offered an experience that goes beyond training", noted the Head of Career Services. 

"After all, when we look for new academic opportunities, directly or indirectly, we are looking for a way into the job market"

"My time at UPF-BSM, with the constant support of Career Services to help me enhance my profile, allowed me to enter the workforce in Europe", admitted Paolo Aiello, Product Manager at Nestlé and alumni of the Master in Marketing, during the last session of the week «Be inspired by Alumni», which allowed the current class to learn about the experiences of their predecessors and, at the same time, top open a new networking space. He concluded: "After all, when we look for a new academic opportunity, directly or indirectly, what we are looking for is a way to access the job market". 

Also participating in this meeting were Vanessa Valls, Account Internal Comms & Employer Branding Consultant at Both People & Comms and alumni of the Master in Corporate and Strategic Communication; Joe Freihofer, Social Video Producer at Nashville Soccer Club and alumni of the Master in Sports Journalism; Xavier Montes, International Partnerships & Sponsorships at Montpellier-Herault SC SASP and alumni of the Master in Sports Management; and Anna Vilaseca, Digital Lead - Client Manager - Marketing Professor at Morillas Brand Design and alumni of the Master in Digital Marketing Management.