Interview with Luis Miguel Ortiz
Adequacy of Alternatives is a company founded in 2002 committed to its clients and especially its human capital, essential pillars of Adequacy of Alternatives. It was created to support both Public Administrations and private companies that require outsourcing of different specialized services through personalized and quality attention.
The purpose or policy of Adequacy is to grow to achieve stability that allows its sustainability, managing to transmit security to both its clients and its collaborators that make it possible for the results to satisfy the required objectives without diminishing our capacity for innovation, flexibility and quality.
Adequacy of Alternatives is an entrepreneurial company, as a Special Employment Center we work for the labor insertion of people with functional diversity in order to provide a normalization of the labor activity of those people through paid employment and participating in free market activities.
What is your role as a psychosocial technician in Adequacy of Alternatives?
We could divide it into two clearly differentiated parts:
A. Process for recruiting potential workers.
In other words, the selection process begins once the vacancies to be filled are known, so that the people contacted obtain complete information about the company, and trying to maintain a new opportunity for future calls.
- The worker within the company
This part begins as a welcome to the company, making a presentation of it and its activities and accompaniment visiting the different rooms of the company.
We work so that the constant professional development of the workers is their motivation and allows them to feel proud of the achievements, thus improving their self-esteem and increasing their level of job satisfaction, being able to opt for a promotion and a professional career plan. .
With all this we intend to develop the social and labor potential of the worker, adopting personal and social adjustment measures that affect the job position of the person with functional diversity. A direct and individualized intervention to work on different aspects of the emotional and psychosocial well-being of the person, even on occasions collaborating with their closest environment and/or support entities.
2- In which sector is the Adaptation of Alternatives activity marked?
Currently, Adequación de Alternativas has diversified its activities and services to be developed, counting on a technological infrastructure capable of carrying out tasks of data recording, scanning…, and telephone service Without forgetting those other activities that require professionals with specific personal qualities and that are irreplaceable in the daily life of everyone and each one of us: concierge, concierge, drivers, peonage… All of this aimed at both the Public Administration and private companies to contribute to the development of their usual activity.
3- What profiles are the most sought after in your center?
Due to the variety of activities, the company seeks all kinds of profiles in the service sector, from highly qualified as computer engineers, telemarketers, administrative assistants, etc.
4– What procedure do you use for curricular screening?
Our selection process is based on coordinated work with various Associations and Foundations, Federations such as Alcer, as sources of recruitment.
We carry out the curricular screening by focusing our sights on two important aspects of the candidates: Experience and training.
5- What does the selection interview in Adequacy of Alternatives consist of and how is it carried out?
The interview is a process of exchanging information, where the candidate reports his experience to us and we offer him the specific conditions of the position, hoping that he meets his job expectations.
6- Do you carry out psychotechnical tests or physical tests to study the adjustment to the position?
Yes, we carry out a test of the candidate’s competencies, just as our clients detail in a form the competencies required for proper compliance as well as the professional development of the position, the workers, as well as other issues that facilitate us to carry out an analysis of the post as exhaustively as possible in order to find the right candidate.
7- Do you carry out group interviews or only individual interviews?
We carry out both types depending on the position to be covered. If the position requires verbal fluency, debate dynamics are used where the worker defends her ideas, we observe her behavior, tone, how it can contribute to group cohesion, etc.
8- What do the dynamics you do consist of?
Dynamics where the candidate shows personal aspects that will influence the skills for the position, it is very important that they consider disability as an added value, not as a limitation
9- What results do you want to find or observe through these dynamics?
Aspects that will influence the competencies for the position, it is very important that they do not see limitations in their abilities, but rather positive aspects that reflect their great capacity and potential. It is more important that the candidate shows his ability and his motivations.
Another aspect that we highly value is respect for colleagues and tolerance for those who are different. We think that if we are working to raise awareness in the business world towards functional diversity, we cannot be the ones who have discriminatory attitudes towards other people or groups.
10- In your opinion, what do you think are the most common mistakes that people with disabilities make when facing an interview?
Especially the lack of confidence, thinking that you are not capable and that you are not going to achieve the objectives that are proposed, because with effort everything is achieved. Being able to verbalize aspects of a positive attitude in an interview is what can determine success or failure.
11- In your opinion, what are the biggest difficulties that people with disabilities face when facing an interview?
The over-protectionism of the environment towards functional diversity prevents the person from developing their potential and limits their capacity for growth.
12- What difficulties have you encountered when interviewing a person with a disability?
The truth is that I do not have any difficulty when interviewing people with disabilities, perhaps it is because I also have it. Sometimes a certain secrecy of the candidates can be perceived, but I do not consider that it is an exclusive aspect of disability, because the people who do not have it and I have interviewed also fall into these questions.
“We are all different while being equal in various aspects”
13- What difficulties do you encounter when searching and/or attracting candidates?
Salaries today are not very buoyant for anyone, we are all very aware that they have suffered a significant drop and that, added to certain aid that the State gives and the temporary nature of the contracts, means that there are people who are not interested in knowing the full scope of what is offered to them, which in some cases, you can understand because they may be the only income supporting a family unit, but in other cases they do not see as an opportunity to promote themselves and gain experience.
On the other hand, currently a lot is demanded, both by private companies and by the Public Administration, demanding requirements such as having a minimum training that can be accredited as well as experience that can also be documented, which sometimes causes a interview that has been satisfactory is frustrated by not having it.
14- Finally, would you like to send a message to all those people who are actively seeking employment and who have disabilities?
I know that it is one of the most complicated moments, in which in this risk society, we can all find ourselves, but let’s take advantage of a moment of crisis and see it as an opportunity, it is a good moment to train. But the most important thing is not to lose faith in ourselves, and our time will come. It is not the result of chance, but of work and effort. Being unemployed does not imply being inactive.