Georgi Parvanov, CTeam Bulgaria: AI helps recruitment specialists in the personnel selection process

Georgi Parvanov is the managing director at CTeam Bulgaria - one of the leading HR companies in Central and Eastern Europe. A company with a large team of professionals with significant experience in the field of human resources.

Georgi actively participates in the development of the labor market in Bulgaria. In addition to his role in CTeam, Georgi is a shareholder in the Bulgaria Wants You initiative, which aims to attract Bulgarians from abroad back to their homeland by providing them with information about work and life opportunities in Bulgaria. He is also an Adviser in Pleggi, "Tellable" and other projects, which highlights his dedication to innovation and support of new ventures in various fields. 

Georgi Parvanov is a leader who combines professionalism, vision and commitment to the development of the labor market and the economy of Bulgaria. 

What are the main challenges for companies and recruiters when hiring new employees?

Here I can point out a few key points that can create a problem in talent selection: 

1. Lack of appropriate skills: Finding candidates with the necessary technical or specific skills can be difficult, especially in industries with fast-moving technology.

2. Competition for applicants: Highly qualified applicants often have multiple offers and can choose between different employers.

3. Salary Expectations: Candidates often have high salary expectations that don't always match the company's budget.

4. Assessment of so-called soft skills: It is difficult to assess soft skills such as communication, teamwork and leadership abilities during an interview.

Has the IT labor market in Central and Eastern Europe changed since the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and how?

The entry of AI into programming has significantly changed the IT job market in Central and Eastern Europe. These changes provide both challenges and new opportunities for professionals in the region, encouraging continuous learning and adaptation to the rapidly changing technological environment. Of course, people's disjointed opinions about AI can lead to misfires in staffing as well as misfires in team culture.

Is the use of AI in the recruitment process an opportunity or a threat? 

The use of AI in the selection process significantly facilitates the work of recruitment specialists.

The implementation of artificial intelligence makes the process extremely fast and efficient, resulting in easier finding of candidates. However, here comes the question of evaluating candidates and the human factor in this process. When assessing behavioral and soft skills, I don't think AI can be particularly useful and accurate in its assessment.

In your opinion, what attracts Senior staff (in particular, Senior Developers) to an IT company?

The first criterion for attracting Senior Developers, in my opinion, is the company's work culture, since these are people with an already established way of working, habits, behavior and extensive experience. More and more often, they are looking for a place where they can feel good doing their work. Of course, other criteria include the company's mission, rewards and social benefits, flexibility of working hours and the range of different technologies that the company works with.