Jobandtalent

Getting Started

Users who are looking for a job can sign up to Jobandtalent using their email address or via Facebook. To complete their profile, users manually enter their past professional information. Once a user’s professional information is registered, Jobandtalent´s matching algorithm identifies job offers that are suitable to the user's experience and preferences. When a job match is made, users are notified via mobile and can then apply to the role. Recruiters and companies can chat and hire employees.

Algorithm

To match candidates with relevant offers, Jobandtalent uses an algorithm developed by data scientists and engineers. The technology combines different algorithms that interact in a learning-to-rank function, introducing machine learning techniques to fine tune the matches. The algorithm takes learnings from the users and their interaction within the platform. The effectiveness is measured by a self-created metric: ATR (Application Through Rate), that measures the rate of applications that the algorithm generates per job view.

Privacy

For the candidates who sign-up using Facebook, no private photographs or personal (protected) information, such as status updates, or job searching activity is accessible. Employers are only able to access a candidate's professional profile. However, there have been reports concerning the email invitations sent on the behalf of new users.

Origin

Felipe Navio and Juan Urdiales started Jobandtalent to make job searching easier for professionals. Urdiales previously co-founded a textile enterprise called Pluscuamperfecta. Navio worked at consulting firm McKinsey, and as an advisor for social networking site Tuenti.

Navio and Urdiales recognized that although professionals were interested in new job opportunities, they didn't have the time to search job boards and listings online. Since launching Jobandtalent in 2009, the company has worked on several approaches to this problem; from career guides, to integrating social platforms, and most recently incorporating the job matching technology currently used.

Expansion

In October 2011, Jobandtalent opened a new office in Barcelona with Albert Climent as founder of Catalonian Office. Previously Albert Climent assisted with the development of Zyncro, another Barcelona based successful start-up, holding the position of Sales Director.

In January 2012, Jobandtalent opened an office in London, the first international expansion step for the company.

On 22 July 2013 Jobandtalent announced they had completed their first round of funding, raising $3.3 million. In July 2014, Jobandtalent closed a subsequent $14 million Series A funding round. As a result of that investment, which was the biggest in Spain, Jobandtalent was able to bolster their growth in Europe and Latin America. The company's investors include Qualitas Equity Partners, Kibo Ventures, Fundación José Manuel Entrecanales, and Business Angels, Pelayo Cortina Koplowiz, Nicolás Luca de Tena, and Alfonso Villanueva.

In that same July, Felix Ruiz, co-founder of Tuenti, was appointed Executive Chairman of Jobandtalent. Ruiz began his relationship with Jobandtalent as stakeholder, having felt attracted to the project and market. Later Ruiz became integrated with the brand, and now oversees business growth.

In May 2015, Jobandtalent secured another funding round of $25 million, in effect extending its Series A investment, which was closed back in July 2014. The investor group, led by Pelayo Cortina Koplowitz, increased its participation and co-invested with the previous investors Qualitas Equity Partners, Kibo Ventures, Fundación José Manuel Entrecanales, and business angel Nicolás Luca de Tena, who recently exited La Nevera Roja. That same year, Jobandtalent opened offices in both Mexico and Colombia.

In 2016, Jobandtalent partnered with Spanish broadband and telecommunications company Telefonica. The deal struck allowed Telefonica customers exclusive access to the Jobandtalent app, and the app came pre-installed on various service provider products. In June 2016, Jobandtalent completed a $42 million Series B round led by Atomico, the global technology venture capital firm set up by Skype founder Niklas Zennström.

Recognition

Since its inception, Jobandtalent has been recognized with multiple awards such as the Joven Empresa Innovadora Award in 2011, the Best Startup in the Internet category in the 2011 Startup Competition and the "Creative Online Marketing Award 2016, Generalist" in the Onrec Recruitment Awards. It was also named one of the best Spanish start-up companies of 2012 by the Financial Times, the Spanish Start-Up of the Year 2013 by The Next Web, and the Best Start-Up in Madrid in 2014 by Actualidad Economica