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Pedro Oliveira is the co-founder of Landing.jobs, a marketplace that focuses on finding the best technology specialists for the best companies in Europe. In Portugal, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, we believe that people should take their careers into their own hands and help more than 1,000 people around the world to change their lives.
He is an innovator in the field of human resources technology and my professional goal is to develop products that enable people to take full control of their careers.
He has gone through several stages in his career: Developers, business analysts, researchers, managers, directors and founders of various companies.
He’s a big fan of sci-fi stuff like Stargate SG-1, Stargate Way, Dune.
In an exclusive interview, Pedro says
I believe that a true knowledge of some respect, responsibility and a strong will are fundamental to the growth and development of a powerful person.
The best advice I got was Better than Perfect from João Vasconcelos, founder and CEO of Startup Lisboa.
In addition to these tips, I advise people to be very careful with their motivations and make sure they have chosen the right partners for their new journey.
Read on to learn more about Pedro Oliveira and his journey.
Tell me about your personal experiences and what motivated you to work for your company.
Pedro Oliveira: I was born and raised in Lisbon and graduated from the CS Instituto Superior Técnico, one of the best technical universities in Europe.
I know something about technology, processes and people. So far I have experienced several changes in my career: IT analyst, developer, researcher, project coordinator, engineering manager (from a remote technical team), as well as the founder of several companies before Landing.Jobs began to load.
Besides being a big fan of making digital products, I am also a big fan of science fiction content such as Stargate SG-1, Star Trek, Dune and many others.
My decision to launch Landing.Jobs was based on several motivational factors, some of which are related to my independence and the creation and development of digital products that have an overall impact on career improvement.
What is your current main product and can you give a product sales history?
Pedro Oliveira: Our current main product is the Technological Labour Market, which brings together technical specialists and companies using advanced evaluation technologies.
In 2014, however, we took an early turn when we launched the platform based on a comparison of the recommendations. However, we soon realised that if we wanted the games to be a success, we had to focus on the candidate’s experience.
How much money have you raised so far? When was the last financing cycle?
Pedro Oliveira: We started with a boot mentality and durability that we still have today. However, sometimes it is necessary to calculate investments on the basis of manually selected partners.
We have already raised €750,000 from LC Ventures and Portugal Ventures in 2015 and recently completed a new €2 million investment round at the beginning of the year.
What are the internal decision-making processes that determined the start of fundraising and what logistics are involved? And how many investors did you meet, how did you get to know these investors and which channels worked best for you?
Pedro Oliveira: We have an ambitious business plan that requires strategic investments to develop our business. So we’re getting closer to realizing our vision: a world in which technology professionals make careers.
In terms of logistics, both processes took about 6 months, which is almost full time. You should be aware that as a founder you are not 100% focused on your business when it comes to raising capital.
We have been and continue to be in contact with investors who are in line with our vision. We have a CRM to manage this human relationship. In addition, given the nature of our business, Landing.Jobs is always useful in helping portfolio company investors recruit the right technical talent. The best channels are verbal letters and letters of recommendation. In addition, investors keep knocking on our door to learn more about Landing. Work.
What are the main challenges and obstacles in the fundraising process? If you had to start over, what else would you do?
Pedro Oliveira: It’s probably a very long process. If we had to start from scratch, we would have been much more demanding in the first few laps; we had more bargaining power than we thought. In addition, I could better manage my time and focus on the development of our company, regardless of the investment process.
What are the milestones for the next cycle? And what are your goals for the future?
Pedro Oliveira: We have a road map and a North Star. We don’t have to go to another round if we don’t want to. This is now the way forward, but as a company we are also close to sustainable development, so we are independent and free to make our own decisions. Our current investors agree with this vision and this way of working; our Board of Directors does not believe in burning money for growth.
How did you attract users and what strategy did you use to grow your business from start to finish?
Pedro Oliveira: The best strategy for attracting talent is verbal gossip. It’s quite difficult to get a result, but if you do a good job, and in our case you compare people and companies, it happens word for word. We also use a combination of content, paid marketing (job ads and job aggregators), mail and social media.
Which software was the best marketing tool to help your start-up grow, and why?
Pedro Oliveira: In fact, I can’t really decide which option suits me best, and it’s a combination of marketing tools and internal tools we’ve developed. And they’re a dynamic duo.
That most starters are usually wrong about marketing?
Pedro Oliveira: Make sure that those who launched the programme for the first time become strong ambassadors and give feedback on their products.
How would you like to develop your activities worldwide?
Pedro Oliveira: We have our own expansion formula, which consists of a combination of factors, including adaptation to the rules of the local market. We are already present in many countries and our customer base, which consists of talented people, is spread all over the world.
What are the most common mistakes companies make in their global expansion?
Pedro Oliveira: It’s probably developing too fast, too early. Geographical expansion is costly and time-consuming – each region has its own specifications and needs to be understood, especially in Europe with its many different microcultures, sometimes even within the same country.
How do you manage the Kovid 19 flash situation to ensure the survival of your company?
Pedro Oliveira: We spend 30% of our time correcting and improving internal processes and 70% on finding new and creative ways to achieve our goals of attracting talented people while finding new sources of income in segments such as teleworking.
What are the most common mistakes founders make when starting a business?
Pedro Oliveira: The biggest mistake is choosing the wrong co-founder for your new company. It is of fundamental importance that the founder has a value orientation; if he doesn’t have one, things will go wrong at some point in his life.
I think there are a few other relevant mistakes the founders make.
He’s hiring the wrong people. I don’t think managers have the slightest idea of what this can do, the cost of hiring and firing a person is enormous. When you start, you should try to avoid it. The warning is that you know you’re going to make mistakes, so it’s good to experience the settings from day one.
The second thing is the lack of concentration when you start from scratch, which is a great feeling, but the potential for reversal is enormous. Don’t forget that.
What is the best advice you have ever received? And what advice can you give to someone who wants to do similar things with you or go in a similar direction?
Pedro Oliveira: The best advice I got was Better than Perfect from João Vasconcelos, founder and CEO of Startup Lisboa.
In addition to these tips, I advise people to be very careful with their motivations and make sure they have chosen the right partners for their new journey.
What are the three most popular books or movies (series) that changed your life and why?
Pedro Oliveira:
The blindness of Saramago, the animal farm and the eighty-four Orwelles have actively contributed to shaping my political position.
How do you maintain your motivation on a daily basis?
Pedro Oliveira: Physical exercise to make room for any work that throws itself on me, and I try to have a clear list of priorities in my head, which is usually also on a piece of paper.
What are the three most important life lessons your (future) sons and daughters need to know?
Pedro Oliveira: I believe that a true knowledge of some respect, responsibility and a strong will are fundamental to the growth and development of a powerful person.
Why do you want to be remembered?
Pedro Oliveira: I want to be remembered as a loyal and good friend, as someone you can trust and as an innovator in your heart.
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