PRIME Recruitment Blog
Job seekers Baltics - what six (6) issues you need IMPROVE in the Job Application ! Think ahead!
'Dear All, I am writing this to HELP ....YOU...FORWARD...
-Having recently come out of one process and being able to compare from a hunt for people with the same background to a similar position a year ago there are some observations that are critical. The order below is not important, they are just numbers for structure!:). To be specific, as this affects the category of people and thus the competence - Chief Accountants - Finance managers, not CFO's.
1/ Applications. Too often a click on a button from one leading online distributor of Cv's make you look like everybody else. Think what you can do to undo that! Cv's often tell too little especially those of you whjo are quiet by nature need tell what are the tasks, the amounts, the sizes an dwhere are you in the organisation - are you FIVE in similar capacity sharing tasks or are you the ONE?!:) Tell!
1b/ Think content of what you are sending over.This may OUT you, otherwise!
Match? Or make it match! I don't want a local language application when I ask for an English one. Clients do not know Latvian/Estonian/Lithuanian/Russian - I respect YOUR language, but respect my time and that of my client's. Instead of the time I spend time calling, trying to reach and emailing to fix this, we could be meeting instead...Correct?. If you don't have something ready, then write us in English and tell 'you shortly will send such, meanwhile for the time being here is my LOCAL version' - THAT would be considered well-managed and a person worth speaking to further.... because you think on your feet! Otherwise the word that comes to mind is you don't care to nor have read the advertisement - which means you're lazy...
2/ READ what we ask for in the advertisement - adapt your cover letter and SPEAK about your qualities for the job. Personalize, make examples, SELL yourselves, write something that connects...
3/ Your ENGLISH language level is too low to fit in an international environment - learning is constant. I find that many lie, it takes time to find out. Don't let others write your letter if you know you cannot handle 90 minute interviews, present to the client in English and later write reports to your overseas management without Google. Better write, make your mistake but show EFFORT and tell how it is - that will impress me more! I brought in one lady just for showing effort! Tell, that you have used help - that is honest! -When I call up I hear if you answer and how you answer...
Make sure you take courses and upgrade what you have and get the documentation needed to prove it! Make sure your management trains you - ask for it! While learning for the ACCA if you can, English comes together with it. Rigas Business School has an excellent pre-MBA course in English. Take it, if nothing else! Then make sure to mix with people who speak English daily and internationally, seek out that opportunity - take a language course, total immersion in English from Dawn to Dusk for a week during your vacation and learn all you can. Ask your management to support you! We have to start somewhere! Negotiate a deal with them! Read books in English, magazines, see films in English - skip Thailand for vacation, go to the UK and learn. Invest in yourself!
P.s. 'Fluency' means you do not reflect in that language before you speak - it is automatic.
MAKE YOURSELF MORE International. QUICKLY !
3b/ The level of Russian need be maintained and those who seriously wish work and choice need regain this competence - there is a shortage - make that your advantage! Learn at least 2 more foreign languages - Chinese is a VERY GOOD idea already now! Maybe also an Indian language - Hindi, Punjabi. Spanish - one of the fastest growing languages in the world today. Arabic?:) I met my first Chinese-speaking candidate -accountant...
3c/ Scandinavian languages -especially as it looks SWEDISH, Norwegian are increasing their dominance in the area. And yet again - no one is learning Finnish. Is that an opportunity do you think:)... Imagine an application in Scandinavian!!! Impact?
4/ Be wary of where you work. If you work in companies that work with overseas offices for tax evasion, do double-bookkeeping, or 'buy invoices' you will not be attractive. You are part of the problem and clients are afraid and if you cheat with that, you will cheat more. Again. My clients do not accept this, no matter how much I explain and this is a stain on your application. The same goes if your manager has a bad reputation. I know how it is here, but I cannot present you. Same with black salary idea. It should be gone by now!
5/ Many job changes reflect not only Latvia being a young country adapting to a new world, it shows your ability to evaluate companies and frankly to say 'no' to joining. They destroy your Cv's and the only way we can change this is frankly to say that we can't work in such an environment. Don't go to their interviews, or to that Recruitment company who cannot themselves say 'no'. We have got to start building quality for ourselves, and send a message into the market that this is not correct. Stay on a job at least three years especially when you pass 30+ years of age. Time to stabilize!
6/ Try to motivate better why you wish a certain salary, hold your ground stress what you have in your background - size of company, variation, international features, languages, ACCA education, need to keep abreast and learn while on the job, growing family, costs increase for utilities - you need take a stepforward, but rather than stating a figure, you need tell how you arrive at that . Your years in the trade, ability to influence the IRS (V.I.D., in Latvia) , network to ask from - all these SAVE money and time for the company and they should invest further and forward with you to make sure they get the BEST they can for the money there - YOU!
Be different. You can't afford not to. That is the future as the CRM systems take over.. and the most menial tasks will be run by robots so you need STAY ahead! Stay Clever, HONEST & Well-informed! Assist your manager and company to survive and suggest more services you can do!
LIKES, Comments and SHARES are welcome!:)) Thank you!:)
PRIME Recruitment operates in the Baltic and Latvian markets since mid 1990's. The Manager, an international Swedish subject born in the Far East, early came to learn (and forget) Sunda, Indonesian and later learn Swedish, English, French, Spanish, Latvian and courses in Polish and Russian. It opens minds and creates ideas, gives insights - things we need to make our place in the market. Make the market your place! We can assist with SWEDISH training, translations and more www.svesvalodukursi.lv but that is not why I write this - I see what is missing and where opportunities lay... and fewer jobs...in Finance... We must follow with the times!
