Our Hiring Hero Series showcases talent acquisition pros across the globe who are dedicated to connecting people with their next great opportunity.
Ivette Marina is the Chief Operating Officer at auticon, a global technology consulting firm. Focused on helping auticon expand across the U.S., one of her many responsibilities includes overseeing the recruitment team. Not only is her team constantly in need of new talent, but they need candidates to meet very specific criteria.
We recently sat down with her to learn about her strategies for success.
“We’ve worked with Fortune 500 brands across the globe but what makes the business truly unique is that all of our technologists are on the autism spectrum.”
What does it mean to you to be a Hiring Hero?
“My goal is to always deliver a great candidate experience. I’ve probably spoken to hundreds of candidates at a point where they’re discouraged with the hiring process. And seeing them thrive later, once they’ve been hired, is what it’s all about for me. It’s about considering what the individual brings to the table—well beyond the interview.”
Can you tell us a bit about auticon and what makes it such a special place to work?
“auticon is a technology consulting firm that helps clients with software development, business analytics, quality assurance, and more. We’ve worked with Fortune 500 brands across the globe but what makes the business truly unique is that all of our technologists are on the autism spectrum.”
That is incredible. So, your team is looking to recruit individuals on the autism spectrum?
“Yes. auticon sees a world where autistic adults don’t have to have challenging experiences through the hiring process, where they are looked at for their skills, their knowledge, and their strengths. Our company mission is to lower the underemployment rate in the autistic community.”
With such specific candidate criteria, is it challenging to find enough people to fill your open roles?
“Our company is rapidly growing and to keep up with demands, we must constantly bring on new talent. Before working with ZipRecruiter, it was daunting to find the right candidates. We were spending a lot of time going through hundreds of resumes and we were not finding people who had the requirements we were looking for.”
“Adding screening questions to our application process has made all the difference. It allows us to find the very specific candidates we’re looking for—and save a ton of time.”
How have you been able to overcome that?
“Adding screening questions to our application process has made all the difference. It allows us to find the very specific candidates we’re looking for—and save a ton of time. Now, we’re able to identify technologists with a background in software engineering and data analytics, and at the same time, we’re able to identify autistic talent.”
That’s fantastic advice for recruiters who are also searching for highly specific candidates. How important would you say recruiting is at auticon?
“We cannot do our business without finding the right candidates. Hiring is one of our top priorities at auticon. Companies come to us because they are looking for a performance advantage, and to diversify their workforce. We really can’t deliver on that without the right team in place.”
What’s the most rewarding part of your job at auticon?
“One of the most rewarding things is meeting a candidate who has not been given a chance before—and seeing them succeed in a role here. We don’t focus on the interview, we spend our energy developing an inclusive work environment. Helping people take the next step in their career, unlocking opportunities for them…it is so rewarding!”
Join the auticon team! Devoted to furthering their mission, auticon is always on the lookout to hire talented individuals from the autistic community. Take a look at some of the roles Ivette and her team are hiring for right now!
