1. When you created the merytu application, in May 2021, what was your main goal and mission?

The application was launched in 2021, but the concept had already been matured for a long time by our founding partners, who were dissatisfied with the low attractiveness of the sector for Talent. The main goal, initially and still the driving force of the project today, is to bring a work model that values the merit of each professional, placing them as the protagonist of their own career. This is possible through the enhancement of your income, the balance between personal and professional life, and the freedom of choice in the context of the world of work.

2. Merytu is the first app of its kind in Portugal. Did you initially feel any fear about accepting this technological solution, especially given the restrictions against COVID at the time?

Being a pioneer can be very rewarding symbolically, but in practice it is just a huge responsibility full of challenges. When we represent something unprecedented, we have to be up to the uncertainty that the market naturally presents. Therefore, taking solid steps with our customers, based on trust, is the only way to adopt something new. To add to these challenges, going through a pandemic with the hotel and restaurant sector was a real trial by fire. We are here to tell the story, as are our customers, and that is the most important thing.

3. What do you consider to be the biggest benefits of the technology you created for identifying talent and helping with hiring?

The greatest virtue we have is that we are a technological tool to be used according to the designs of each client. We are not the protagonists, as in other existing models. By having an algorithm that identifies talent 24/7 from a constantly growing base of professionals, companies have an unprecedented asset to face their staff identification challenges. Whether it’s to make up for a last-minute absence from a shift, or to meet more candidates to add to a traditional selection process, merytu adds value. And this is a key point: being an “open source” working model.

4. Do you believe that your app will revolutionize the flexible work market and that this will be the trend of the future?

When we have countless professionals who, every day, decide to write their careers through the App, building their schedule, trying out new roles, choosing to work in companies they identify with, we can even say that the revolution has already begun. And yes, hybrid bonds and role simultaneity are a trend. Slashers, who by choice carry out two or more professional activities, are proof of this. Merytu is nothing more than an efficient way to make this future possible today.

5. Why did you decide to focus on the hotel and restaurant sectors? Do you have prospects for expanding the field of opportunities to more areas and sectors?

Our roadmap has always aimed to be a multi-industry project. Now, we started with the Hotel and Restaurant Industry for two main reasons. The first concerns the fact that it is the professional sector of some of the founding partners. The second was because we considered it to be the perfect sector to test this innovative technology to the limit, given the demanding difficulties that the industry presents in terms of staff shortages.

6. How did companies respond to your proposal to capture talent?

As we learned in Marketing principles, the adoption curve for an innovative product is anything but linear. We have different types of customers, each with their own speed of adoption. If, on the one hand, we had our stoic visionaries, who before starting the presentation already had the App installed and the complete profile, on the other hand, we know that mainstream adoption is made by many customers whose organizations need more time to assimilate changes as disruptive as our technology presupposes. However, as the best publicity comes from our customers, who put us to the test and experiment, they can no longer do without the App, the buzz generated around the App has fortunately been increasing, leading to uncertainties being replaced by confidence in the facts and results we present.

7. In practice, how does the app work for companies and how can human resources take advantage of it to search for qualified professionals for specific needs?

How it works for companies is very simple. When they need to reinforce the team, they just have to publish an invitation through the App, which on average is completed in less than ten minutes. The company then has access to the proposed professionals, as well as their service experience on the App and outside it. It is very easy to reinforce the team, whether we are talking about short periods or several days. But it doesn't stop there. The App is currently the preferred networking tool for industry professionals. Many HR departments already know this secret. In other words, through merytu they have access to a base of thousands of professionals that grows daily. And many HR managers, in addition to occasional reinforcements, have already started using merytu as an asset in their recruitment and selection processes. They do this mainly in two ways: in the candidate attraction phase, by publishing several Gigs and thus attracting candidates interested in participating in a certain selection process; or at the end of the process, when, after interviews, they already have a shortlist and need an additional confidence level to make the final decision. They then submit their shortlist to Gigs through merytu, where they can submit their insights gained through interviews for practical validation.

8. What was the reception from professionals regarding your app and how does this translate into numbers?

By valuing the balance between personal and professional life, earnings and careers of professionals, it was not difficult that, in a relatively short space of time, thousands of professionals began to build the community that merytu is today. We are very proud to see the careers that today have merytu as an asset. This is just the merit of the professionals. We just give the stage. At the moment, we have around 3000 active professionals, 25000 completing registration and 17000 on the geographic waiting list.

9. At the present time, is there still some reticence on the part of the Portuguese regarding the change that your app and technology in general can bring to the job market?

With the results we presented, reticence has become less and less, however, technological evolution in a sector such as Hotels and Restaurants is progressing at a very smooth pace. And this is a huge understatement.

10. If you could send a message to these people, what would they say?

That we love being put to the test. What we like most is for the results to speak for us. But, above all, say that with merytu, technology rhymes with partnership. And that's what we are, above all: partners to help achieve each company's business objectives through innovative staff identification technology.

11. The tourism sector is currently facing a worker shortage crisis. In your opinion, what are the measures that can reverse this situation?

The measures that we can reference are exactly the vectors of our value proposition for professionals. It is important to value professionals, who are the most important success factor in this industry. We do it in a practical way, valuing professionals’ time, money and careers.

12. Do you have plans to invest in the international market?

Since our origins, in addition to our objective of expanding into other industries, going beyond borders is also part of what we aspire to for the project. Regarding the next country, we will have news over the next year.

13. What trends do you foresee for your area of activity, particularly with regard to the flexible labor market?

The unavoidable trend is that it is increasingly clear that flexibility is not synonymous with precariousness. Flexible working will increasingly become mainstream in combination with other work models. It is something that new generations perceive as valuable and not as harmful or less worthy, as has been perceived up until now.

14. How do the merytu app and the Employment Exchange complement each other and what are the advantages of this partnership?

The partnership with the Employment Exchange, in addition to being a source of pride for us, has been decisive in our path. The Employment Exchange project is an unavoidable milestone in the industry in terms of identifying talent. We couldn't imagine a better context in which we could fit in. Combining the best of the excellence of the in-person talent identification process with cutting-edge technology means we are prepared to face the challenges of the industry and make it more competitive than ever.