Quidgest is going through a boom period right now, with what seems like exponential growth.
I’ve been informed that we have openings for several software engineering and research positions.
So if you’re interested in automatic software generation, send us your resume/CV to 
.
Yesterday we went to a career fair at ISCTE’s Business School. Our stand ended up right in front of the main access ramp. However, students never came to our stand directly. My current judgment on the reason people didn’t come straight to our stand is twofold.
First, as they descended the ramp they could see other stands on the sides and below the ramp, so they could have put those other stands on their wish list.
Second, if they came straight at us, it might unconsciously seem as hostile or too direct an engagement.
The students’ typical behavior was to come down the ramp, turn to the left or right and then slow down while looking around. We were not on their scopes when they surveyed their options. They usually came by us only after they had walked around the premises.
It was the first time I was on the company side of a career fair, so I tried several approaches to get students to have the initiative to ask for information, instead of seeming that I was having an intrusive behavior.
Just standing, waiting for people to approach just didn’t cut it. I imagined myself on the other side, and I had the impression that I like prying on them, desperate for their attention.
I was by myself from 11h to 18h and as I had brought a laptop, I used it to work a bit, though always paying attention to my peripheral vision. Whenever I saw that someone was slowing down in front of the stand I’d look up from the screen. They would shift their gaze at me and make eye contact. It hit me, I had to signal back that I was open to engage in a conversation.
Smiling and raising my eyebrows did the trick. Their body language after that became such that they were comfortable to approach me. I would get up, and they would almost instantly move forward to greet me.
I would then explain what Quidgest was all about and answered their questions, paying much attention to the feedback they gave back with their facial expressions and body language. Some wanted more information, others wanted less. Those behaviors are slight, and I let my thin-slicing judgment take over, as I have been reading about it in “Blink – The Power of Thinking Without Thinking“. I’m still not at home with this kind of work, though some more rounds I believe will definitely help me feel at home.
By the way, on March 6th and 7th, Andreia Jesus (Quidgest’s Marketing Manager) and I will be off to CeBIT, to meet with several people. If you are interested in getting in touch with us in Hanover, drop me a line at 
so we can get in touch.
– Pedro Palhoto, Marketing and Business Developer
