Sourcing through networking: StoneX aims to integrate Krakow-based IT ecosystem
There are many must attend meetings each month in Krakow. These events have different purposes for different organisations: many of them focus on the networking side and ecosystem integration.
Kraków’s innovation and technology communities are growing, there are more opportunities for remote working, and networking than ever before. According to the MOTIFE and ASPIRE report, job advertisements doubled for IT positions in Krakow between Q4 2020 and Q4 2021. Today, according to the report, Krakow has a talent pool of 50,000 IT specialists. However, today hybrid and remote working offer extra benefits to both employers and employees. Which means there could be a potential talent pool of 300,000 IT specialists for companies based in Krakow.
In September StoneX, who offer a broad array of professional services and access to the global foreign exchange markets for commercial and institutional clients, organised two major networking events. The first event was with Redpanda, the streaming data platform for developers. The second one takes place tomorrow, when Krakow-based and remote IT specialists and experts will discuss their current needs and trends during the second meetup.
Our Magazine follows the latest IT-market trends in the community. We spoke to both companies to discuss their plans, strategy and approach towards the latest’s tech and job trends.
To start, please tell us about the events organised by StoneX, how long have you been involved in the event-networking community in Poland and internationally? What do you see as your role in this ecosystem?
StoneX: StoneX Poland really got involved in event networking at the beginning of September 2022 when we became a principal sponsor of Segfault Unconference. We then co-organized a data streaming meetup with Redpanda. Previously, pre-pandemic and pre-acquisition by StoneX, we were quite present on the local market with meetups organised by Gain Capital. From prior experience, we know that such presence adds value to creating a positive brand awareness on the Krakow Tech Scene and helps in not only attracting new talent but also in strengthening connections among our employees.
Why did you decide to organise StoneX-RedPanda and StoneX-Suse events?
Searching for talent is really demanding at the moment. In the current environment, we need to differentiate ourselves within the market in order to attract the best people to our ranks. Such events, where we can offer practical workshops or presentations on various tech challenges, helps in creating a positive image of the company and reaching those who do not apply to our jobs directly.
What values, qualities should a StoneX employee have?
They definitely should be great collaborators, self-driven and open to new challenges and ways of working. Our industry is constantly changing, and we need to adapt to those changes by offering high quality solutions and innovative technology.
What function in candidate sourcing can networking play as part of the company’s strategy?
Networking plays an important part for external and internal sourcing. The events that we now organise are not the only initiatives that help us reach new people. We also organise many events onsite, like companywide breakfasts or townhalls with team presentations. Through these events, our employees get to know each other better and learn about new opportunities in different teams for both themselves and any friends they may wish to refer.
What should the ideal candidate have on the current IT job market?
The ideal candidate for StoneX should possess the required technology stack, as the environment we work in is quite challenging. They should highly value collaboration and teamwork, possess strong initiative, and be able to demonstrate their interest in new technologies and new solutions.
Why will Suse be the next speaker? How do you work with this company?
Our business is under constant pressure to respond to new opportunities and market challenges. Traditional legacy systems are not always responsive to the speed of the market. Open solutions from SUSE, including containers, are helping us simplify and modernise our software infrastructure, while at the same time enabling StoneX to accelerate delivery of innovative solutions. We were very happy to find out that the SUSE team was willing to join us on this initiative. Their participation not only helps us to lead internal onsite training for our employees, but it also assists us in customizing the evening tech event for the local community.
What do you specialise in? What is your company profile?
SUSE: SUSE is a global leader in innovative, reliable and enterprise-grade open source solutions, relied upon by more than 60% of the Fortune 500 to power their mission-critical workloads. We specialize in Enterprise Linux, Kubernetes Management, and Edge solutions, and collaborate with partners and communities to empower our customers to innovate everywhere – from the data center, to the cloud, to the edge and beyond. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg, and employs more than 2000 people globally. SUSE is listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
What makes you stand out in the market?
SUSE solutions are fully open source which our customers appreciate and embrace. We live a culture of diversity, inclusion and innovation. SUSE puts the “open” back in open source, giving customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow. Regarding the latter, fully 30% of our annual budget goes toward research and development
Why is your solution so interesting for many companies. How do you support your customers in their digital transformation?
Managing and securing business-critical workloads across a diversity of platforms is absolutely critical to the success of our customers, and this is something SUSE has perfected over the thirty years since SUSE made available the world’s first Enterprise Linux. What’s more, customers appreciate the open source nature of our offerings, which allows for innovation and flexibility as customers consider their options with regard to workloads.
How long have you been operating on the Polish market?
SUSE is present on the Polish market since 2004, when a local office was opened. We also have the capability to hire people in Poland via this office.
Who can join your team? In which countries do you operate?
Since a high number of our employees are virtual, anyone with appropriate qualifications can join our Team. SUSE operates in North America and several countries in South America, most countries in the EU and most countries in APAC. We have dozens of opportunities to work remotely available for review on our website.
Here. you can find more about StoneX.
