“This may be the first day of the rest of your careers”, said Miguel Gonçalves, CEO of Spark Agency, at the opening of Pitch Bootcamp@Técnico, held on 7th and 8th October. More than 80 participants and 160 professionals from 140 companies attended this edition.
During the first day, participants are given training on value proposition design, around four fundamental pillars: product, what do you sell? (the skills of each candidate); customer, who do you sell it to?; value proposition, how to build a strong relationship with customers; and communication, how to deliver an effective message.
João Bento, CEO of CTT and Técnico alumnus, and António Lagartixo, CEO/Managing Partner of Deloitte Portugal, shared their experience, answered the participants’ questions and highlighted the roles, responsibilities and challenges of a CEO, the balance between personal and professional life, metrics for measuring success, and strategies to enhance CV profiles.
“The most satisfying about my job is looking back and see that my work has contributed in a positive way. CEOs must inspire their people. They must be trustworthy and, at the same time, challenge their teams”, stressed António Lagartixo.
“Demand more of yourselves, take pride in your work, keep your ambition without letting stress take over”, said João Bento.
Learn from great professionals and explore career options
The last pitch took place in the second day. “You will meet amazing people, with a lot of potential, ambition and expectations. Some of them are finalists and look for a job opportunity”, said Miguel Gonçalves to the jury members. “Show empathy, help them see beyond the obvious and imagine new possibilities for their careers. Talk to them about the reality of the job market with transparency”, he adds.
“Any type of experience that allows us to come into contact with realities different from our daily life will always be beneficial to us, even if it is just to expand our horizons”, stresses the 3rd year student Ricardo Carreira (Aerospace Engineering). “I was curious about Pitch Bootcamp @ Técnico and I decided to participate to improve my communication skills and to get in touch with the business environment”, he adds.
“During two days, we were given training that allowed us to become aware of the value of our skills as Técnico students and the importance of working on them, namely in parallel projects related to our academic training”, stresses the Aerospace Engineering student.
