First days at a new job are always a little nerve-wracking. At Randstad Portugal, one recent onboarding was different: the newcomer is Fred, a virtual consultant. Andreia Silveira shared the news in a LinkedIn post, calling it an important day for recruitment consultants in Portugal and for the whole team.
Meet Fred
Fred joins a team of hundreds of consultants whose job is to spot the potential in each person who comes to Randstad and guide their professional path. His own task is specific: support the screening process and make first contact with candidates through WhatsApp. The goal is that every candidate gets a friendly hello from the first minute and feels accompanied from the start.
Not just another AI agent
Silveira stresses that Fred is not like most virtual agents built on AI today. He was designed and customized to fit Randstad’s own DNA. More importantly, he grew out of the experience of consultants and specialists from different areas of the company, who contributed over time so the tool would reflect the team’s shared identity. It wasn’t easy, she admits, and she was part of the groups that worked on it.
The person behind the project
The project was coordinated by Filipa Costa e Cunha, and Silveira’s post is largely a thank-you to her. On Fred’s first day, Filipa made sure things went well: a one-to-one, a look at performance, and a meeting with the team’s “champions” to keep everyone aligned.
What Silveira admires in her
Silveira links Filipa to Randstad values she appreciates: promoting all interests, knowing, serving and the constant search for perfection. In her words, Filipa works with everyone, raises every issue so solutions can be found together, never gives up, makes a plan and carries it out. She is also the main person responsible for building the company’s talent database, and Silveira calls her a true role model.
A glimpse of the recruitment industry in Portugal
The story shows how the recruitment industry in Portugal is experimenting with technology while keeping people at the center. If you’re exploring tech jobs, or comparing how different technology companies hire, it’s worth noticing how much of the first contact may soon happen through tools like this.
Related News