Executive Space

In the industrial sector, growth is not held back by a lack of technology or capital, but by the absence of people capable of executing projects. Today, the shortage of engineering professionals and operational managers in Spain is not news, it is a real constraint on the bottom line. If your company has a production line stopped or a project delayed due to lack of technical leadership, the problem is no longer one of human resources; it is a problem of business viability.

Techniques and a rigorous system to find, evaluate and activate the senior passive talent that your organization needs.

Current events have taught us a serious lesson: wasting passive talent, those profiles that are not actively looking for a job, is digging your own grave in recruitment. Faced with the growing shortage of qualified profiles in the market, headhunting services must evolve towards more sophisticated methodologies.

The difference between an agile selection process and a stagnant one lies in the quality of the advanced research and talent mapping that is performed.

How to structure this search to ensure success?

In our daily professional activity as experts in the evaluation of professional competencies, we detect a common confusion in many Human Resources departments: the overlapping of concepts between the evaluation of managerial performance and the evaluation ofsoft skills.

The recruitment and human capital management landscape for the year 2026 does not present itself as a mere linear evolution of the digital trends initiated in the previous decade. We are facing a tectonic tipping point where three macro-structural forces converge: the operational maturity of "agentic" Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Western demographic crisis - with particular virulence in Southern Europe - and an unprecedented regulatory tsunami led by the European Union.

When strategic challenges, crises or large-scale projects arise, a common question arises: Do we hire a Senior Consultant to analyze the situation, or an Interim Manager (temporary manager) to take the reins and execute the plan?

The confusion is logical, since both are high-level external professionals who provide expertise. However, the difference between these two figures is not one of qualification, but one of purpose and action. While one gives you a report, the other rolls up his sleeves to ensure effective execution.

Below, we take a closer look at this critical distinction, which is key to ensuring business growth and sustainability.

At Servitalent, we operate in the front line of talent brokerage and Talent Search services.We constantly warn our clients that the paradigm has changed: the market has gone from being dominated by companies to one where the candidate is scarce and has the power to choose.

This is the landscape of recent years in the recruitment industry, where reliability and transparency in the process have ceased to be mere courtesies and have become strategic pillars of the employer brand.If your company is looking to attract high-level talent, especially in Executive Search profiles or with shortages in the market, it must focus on two critical elements: strict compliance with deadlines (speed) and exquisite communication.

You are ready to take the leap. You know that the strategic growth of your company requires international expansion and you need to incorporate top local talent. Perhaps you are looking for a Country Manager to lead the US subsidiary, a Business Development specialist to open LATAM markets, or an Operations Director with experience in Asia.

At Servitalent we know that the euphoria of expansion must be preceded by the discipline of preparation. Based on our experience advising industrial companies in their global challenges, we confirm that 90% of success in international recruitment is defined before the first interview.

Here is a checklist of 5 critical points to complete before launching any talent search process outside Spain.

At Servitalent, we know that finding therightmanageris only half the battle. The other half, often the most critical, occurs in what we call the "last mile" of the Executive Search process: the crucial period from the hiring decision to the formal acceptance of the offer and the definition of the start date.

At this point, the company has already invested considerable time and resources in identifying, recruiting executives and evaluating talent. Allowing this final phase to be handled slowly or unprofessionally is a strategic risk that can result in valuable candidates falling through the cracks or talent accepting a competitive offer.

We are facing a business reality where attracting talent and retaining professionals has become a strategic imperative. Often, this task becomes a real headache for organizations. We observe, for example,how age discrimination continues to be a challenge in Spain, with a high percentage of unemployed professionals over the age of 50, which means a loss of experience and strategic vision for companies.

At the same time, SMEs face specific difficulties, such as rising labor costs that limit their ability to compete and attract talent, or the struggle to access specialized talent. Even attracting skilled talent to rural areas for industry presents obstacles beyond technical skills.

In recent years, where the complexity of the market and the speed of change are what prevails, interim management has grown exponentially as a high-value tool for many companies. However, a dangerous misunderstanding has arisen along the way: the belief that a manager with a long career is, by default, an excellent interim manager.

Companies are often faced with a top-level decision. They need someone with managerial experience to lead a transformation project, cover an unexpected leave of absence or pilot a new stage of growth. In this search, it is easy to fall into the trap of associating years of experience with the ability to perform this function. It is mistakenly thought that the simple fact of being 50 years old or having an extensive résumé guarantees an aptitude for interim management.