Managers under the spotlight - Bogdan Badea, eJobs Group

1) Can you tell us about your career journey and how you became the leader of the largest recruitment portal in Romania?

I have more than 18 years of working in the HR business services environment. I am a programmer, but never worked in this field. I found out, after graduating, that my best fit is with the world of sales, data and business development. So, my path led me through improving these areas of expertise in companies such as Smartree, Accace Romania, EY or Procter & Gamble. 

I joined eJobs Romania 8 years ago, as Head of Sales, and starting 2018 I took over the role of CEO. At the moment, I am running the leading job board on the Romanian market, with a team of over 100 people.

2) How has the recruitment industry evolved over the last decade, and what are the current challenges?

The Romanian recruitment industry has undergone significant changes over the last decade. First of all, due to the high speed digitalization, we have witnessed a significant increase in the adoption of online job boards, applicant tracking systems, and social media for recruiting. This went had in hand with a constantly increasing demand for skilled workers across various sectors, such as IT, engineering, constructions, but also for the more "mainstream" sectors such as retail or call-center/BPO companies.

Another extremely important thing, especially for the past 5 years or so, is the boom of the employer branding efforts, as companies started to focus more on building attractive employer brands to attract top talent.

And, of course, we cannot forget about the abrupt penetration of the AI in redefining a big part of the recruitment and assessment processes or about how we all had to adapt to the concept of remote work, not only as employees, but also as employers, too.

However, the last decade hasn't been all roses, since we are undergoing a serious skills gap, which stands in the mismatch between available skills and job market demands, particularly in tech and specialized fields. This was aggravated by the continued emigration of skilled workers to other EU countries, which led to a local brain drain.

Aging population and declining workforce, the increased competition among employers for qualified candidates or the high turnover rates in some sectors, such as retail services, HoReCa, constructions and so on, also piled up to the obstacles the employers are facing.

3) With the rise of AI and automation in recruitment, how do you see the future of the industry evolving, and what steps is your portal taking to stay at the forefront of this technological shift?

Well, we are already seeing the impact of AI and automation in recruitment. First of all, there is the enhanced candidate matching which will be even more obvious as AI algorithms will become more sophisticated at matching candidate profiles with job requirements.

Another extremely important and time saving aspect for all recruiters is the automated screening as far as the initial resume screening and candidate shortlisting are concerned. We already see chatbots and virtual assistants which handle initial candidate queries and scheduling or video interviews with AI analysis for soft skills and cultural fit.

In a world where we talk so much about inclusion, AI cand have a massive impact on bias reduction in the hiring process.

As far as eJobs.ro is concerned, we invest constantly in AI and machine learning capabilities, we try to upskill as many of our colleagues as possible in AI and data analysis and also we develop hybrid human-AI workflows, especially in our Dev and sales teams.

4) With the increasing importance of employer branding, what would be your advice for companies that need to recruit to be more appealing for the candidates?

Employer branding has indeed become crucial in attracting top talent and we have been by the side of our clients for more than 7 years now in helping them build a stronger employer brand and better connect with the candidates. What we usually advise them is, firstly, to define and communicate their company culture clearly and constantly, to maintain a strong public presence, to ensure a positive candidate experience throughout the recruitment process and to always highlight the opportunities they offer for professional growth and development.

What we have seen in all our studies among candidates is that they pay attention to aspects such as compensation and benefits packages, work-life balance and flexibility or the company's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

5) What are your thoughts on the labour market trends in Romania in the following months?

Based on how 2024 looked so far and especially how the last 2 months looked, I think we will see a moderate job growth, but one which will overlap a continued skills gap, as the mismatch between available skills and job market demands is likely to persist, especially in tech and specialized sectors. Linked to this, there is a huge emphasis on reskilling and upskilling and employees must be ready to embrace these changes.

More and more companies will continue to call employees back onsit, which will potentially change the recruitment dynamics.

We are slowly approaching the end of a very unpredictable year, which has been really challenging for most industries.

6) What’s your current hobby?

Cooking has been my hobby for the past 10 years as it offers me peace of mind and allows me to experiment and get creative.

7) What’s your favourite book? /or Who is your favourite author? (your choice)

My favorite book is Principles by Ray Dalio, as I found out how important it is to set up principles for both professional and personal life.