Companies ignore the differential talent of people with high capacities

Spain has a pending subject in the labor use of gifted people, who even usually hide this data in work interviews. The Spanish Association for gifted and talented (AEST) explains that two different concepts are included within the high intellectual capacities (ACI): talent and giftedness. Traditionally there was talk of giftedness when the intellectual quotient (CI) was greater than 130 (obsolete), but at present the most reputed researchers “do not believe that there is an equal cutting point for all.” “Talents are considered – clarifies the AEST – to those who stand out well above the average (around the 95th percentile) in one, two or three aspects of intelligence (verbal, logical, numerical, spatial, creative reasoning …) and above 75 in all.”

Each person is different and does not have to share all the characteristics, but there are certain features that appear in people with high intellectual abilities: curiosity, very high sensitivity, strong creativity, ability to learn very quickly reacting with great quality, very rich vocabulary, an advanced reasoning for their age and asynchronous development.

In Spain, according to data from the Ministry of Education, only 0.47% of the population is diagnosed as high capacity. And a chilling figure: 67% of Spanish students with high capacity have suffered some type of bullying, 70% shows low academic performance and 50% ends in school failure. The early detection of high capacities is of great importance for its development.

Companies require talent, but nevertheless they are renewed to have high capacities profiles. His hiring remains a taboo in Spain, says Mónica Quintana, founder and CEO of Mindset, coach and expert in innovation, talent and leadership: «I would say that there is a almost instinctive fear To highlight or be different, and that is also reflected in the selection processes. Instead of speaking openly of intelligence or cognitive capacity, companies resort to terms such as ‘high potential’ or ‘Top talent’, which usually refer to profiles with high performance within the existing structure. However, explicitly recognizing high intellectual capacity remains a taboo in the corporate world ».

The expert, author (together with David Alayón) of the book ‘Upgrade. Develop your future proof profile ‘(Editorial Lid), estimates that “the rigidity of labor regulation hinders the personalization of working conditions, which makes many companies see the hiring of exceptional profiles more as a challenge than as an opportunity. Only a few companies have managed to capitalize on the differential value that these people can contribute ».

People with high capacities feel especially attracted to technological innovation, “because it offers them a space where their creativity, their divergent thinking and their ability to solve complex problems can generate a real impact on society,” he says. “If you work as a team, your performance is strongly conditioned by the quality of the group,” says Quintana. On the change of work, they tend to change more than the average «because they are usually brighter and, therefore, have more job opportunities; But the main reason is your constant need for learning, to face new challenges, ”he describes.

Alicia Rodríguez, president of AEST, corroborates the obstacles they face in her working life people with high capacity: «If someone puts in their curriculum that is gifted, they do not take even joke. You can’t use the cursed word ».

The association frequently receives testimonies of exclusive behaviors: an administrative to which they make the void and has to eat in the service, a professional that the company has fired after crossing it overdrained after a while in the performance of their work, companies that make life impossible for people with high capabilities … with this panorama, details the president of AEST, “the vast majority of people with high capacities They end up working as self -employed because they are not willing to be wasting time doing something that can be done a lot in a much simpler way ».

Javier, 43, claims to have suffered workplace harassment. It is currently in active job search. He has worked as a driver, administrative in a transport company, tourism technician in the administration and has been promoter of sporting events. At an early age they diagnosed him high capacities. «He studied primary at a prestigious school in Zaragoza. It was very stimulating because excellence was rewarded. I had some oddities, such as taking the notes in green. But thanks to my social skills, I was not very bad either. A teacher managed to expel me at the end of EGB. I didn’t like my questions. I could not study at that school. I ended up failing in the studies until I appeared to the test for over 25 years in the UNED ».

He has hidden his high capacities in the CV and work interviews, but has not fought him from the problems: “If there is a possibility of progress within the company, the treatment is usually hostile because others see you as a threat,” he says. It is the story of his last job, where he affirms that he was fired after a career of promotions and good results. The two -class boycott was decisive, he says. He affirms that in another transport company where he worked previously he had a similar outcome after a campaign of harassment and false accusations by the management.

The Dorotea project

Invisibility pursues people with high capacity. They are part of a segment of the forgotten population. The Dorotea project of the Adecco Foundation was born last year with the concession of 178 scholarships, aimed at guaranteeing a comprehensive care and appropriate financial support For people with high capacities certificate or who present academic excellence, but who lack sufficient resources to complete their studies.

Its main objectives are to develop talent and competitiveness at the time that companies are already aware of the society of the value of neurodiversity. Other purposes of the Dorotea project are to give comprehensive support based on personal, training and labor orientation; raise awareness among companies and the society of the value of neurodiversity; development of cross skills; offer support and accompaniment to families and social environment; support them in both academic, training and professional decision making; and accompany them in their transition to the labor market.

Patricia Ibáñez, a project consultant, says that it is “a scholarship program for people with high capacities from 6 to 63 years and for people with brilliant academic experience until 35”. “He has been funded by the legacy of Rosario Sáez Ruiz, who wanted to remember his mother Dorotea, a woman with high capabilities,” he says. Dorotea managed to be a successful businesswoman in Bilbao.

Ibáñez ratifies that the inclusion in the labor market of people with high capacities is problematic: «They currently have problems in almost all areas. Everything that has to do with technology, robotics or AI is often interested.