Help the Mind ReMemBer?
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PRIME Recruitment Blog
Help the Mind ReMemBer?
When we are young we take remembering for granted, but as we grow up and immerse into our jobs and eventually suffer more stress and commitment to work, family, the ice-hockey support club, alumni - it becomes trickier. I am sure this comes as no surprise to you. Some of us are wise to take notes and put 'post-its' on the hall mirror next to the door at home, others who find themselves in a bar having met that special someone will scribble on a napkin or why not as in all American films on your left under arm? Whatever that works!
My maternal granddad used to study Mathematics in his retirement and went through all schoolbooks grade 1 to 12 in the Autumn and Spring, taking a break over summer and then repeated all as he would have forgotten by the time Autumn starts anew, he said:). Being active, having challenging work, exercising and taking massage and eating properly, and at the right time, also works. Not many years ago, I had been discovering that taking a warm shower activated me, and as a result, I always had a rush of more and better ideas, new solutions and a more positive outlook then before going in - much the same what happens when you exercise. And what more - suddenly I remembered better! It turned out there was a purely healthy reason for all of this: the Blood stream.
-With the movement of blood speeding up in our veins, it means new fresh blood and more oxygen is added. Then, visiting 'my body-worker', the masseuse, when she beat me (which this 76-year-old-woman did), I had almost a cannonade of ideas over-coming me, and flat as I was on my stomach hands hanging down and nowhere to write them down they ran over me like an express train! Wow! -It was very much like when you sleep your brain organises the past day's impressions into its library so if we have stupid dreams -it makes no sense to us... but I think (?) it makes to my friend upstairs - the Brain. So, be a good boy / girl, HELP it ! Move more! Sleep better as the thoughts of the library expand on the shelves of memory...:)
Another stupid phenomena is what happens if you have a few drinks or even too many? Have you noticed when you do that suddenly new ideas come rushing? And you sit there in a disco/bar/whatever and cannot for the world find anything to write on? -Well, I do and quickly because it comes and goes and I won't enjoy my evening till I have stored it safely away so I can continue dancing and chatting!
When I was trained to hold presentations as a young subaltern in the armed forces we had civilian teachers coming in and sharing their wealth of knowledge with us - and the best to date was about our five (5) senses: Sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. If you could use all those to get people active during your presentation (plus a few other techniques:) , you had it made! You see as an example - some of us react to colours and some don't. If it's grey and black and gloomy I don't remember much, but if RED, green, BLUE and O R A N G E - most certainly! -It's how I am programmed. Just like in the jungle - the animal poisonous with its colours says : I am red and green, if you eat me you die... ! Thus it signals and warns - stay away from me! The same with women - apart from dressing up for their own pleasure (so do I!), many do it to draw attention just like male birds show their feathers extravagantly. What do you react to Man, a girl with a dress that sparkles all over like the best of rainbows, or a grey, brown and even more brown one, huh? That is one of your senses giving you away..:) What women react to, we won't cover here. That takes an expert!:).
If you can combine learning French by seeing film footage from the Seine and Paris, with songs sung by Edite Piaf in French and your having a glass of red wine or two, you may well take in the French words faster while exercising their pronunciation and looking at them spelt in front of you. -However, too much wine will oddly enough not help you learn - or shall I say 'remember', as in the next morning much will be gone! Yes, you see as we learn when inebriated it means we don't use the same part of the brain and frankly these parts don't connect! I 've tried, and read about it, so think carefully of the best cause of action you may wish to take!:)) That they sometimes teach French to beginners while sharing wine is not pedagogy, that is marketing!
-In the real world when holding a presentation to a potentially bored audience, you may assist the attention span by making sure there is fresh air in the room (we consume 2 m2 / hour and person), and that everyone knows how long(45 min), the suffering maximally will be so they can pace themselves, and that you change your voice now and then. In between that you run exercises with the auditorium asking one or two to step forward and show in front of class (interaction), but this again is pedagogy and not covered here!
-Anyway, with these small techniques where the Listener gets to activate his senses or show her emotions chances are good the pupils / audience will GET THE MESSAGE. Just take the issue of S E X!, Yes, you heard me right! SEX....is associated with red lips on a woman and that is stimulating and again things that activate your senses - as 'touch' or a slightly masked voice will activate your receptors - wherever they are...and you will re m em ber better because it happened in front of you, not in some cheap book somewhere:)! Just the same happens when someone is SHOUTING loudly SUDDENLY! It makes us JUMP!
There are many ways to stimulate our learning and how we help the brain to remember better certainly, but I hope this is an eye-opener to someone. Many years ago I read a book by Tony Buzan on this - I am sure there is more for you to dig out there!!!:)
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PRIME Recruitment and partner Henrik Mjoman profile people in the work situation via the THOMAS (D I S C) system so we better employ and match people to work, but also knowing what motivates them, assist to improve performance in the work place. This is fundamental in Recruitment and it save money and people either stay longer and deliver but also attracts job seekers as they feel welcome from the start, and that at very little extra cost if seen against all costs. www.prime.lv
What could put Latvia in higher ranking for direct investments?! Internal view becomes EXTERNAL
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PRIME Recruitment Blog
What could put Latvia in higher ranking for direct investments?! Internal view becomes EXTERNAL
Latvia needs start shaking up to meet the future. We don't attract enough investment and to do so we need improve a number of issues, whether we like it or not. Latvians are good at getting degrees - but not very good at implementing these around the larger populace, we need stay and build the country and reinvest income into business locally.
My first are the lack of language skills - life is constant learning and incentives supported by the state for companies to invest in staff (not EU money for worthless courses) but such that give fair competition for those private companies / initiatives that are.
The language qualifications on grauduates in general and the general population as a whole. None meet international standards and still in recruitment companies ask for a 'fluency'not prevalent. The Languages these could be are:
ENGLISH which need be markedly lifted and at least 2 more languages apart from one's own two domestic - the Latvian and the non-officially recognized - Russian.
A Scandinavian language opens doors for work overseas - as that is were the future lies. Norway is a wealthy country with huge natural resources and plenty of space and lack of people, Sweden also a great jobs'provider Learning also the more unusual and going against trends - is Finnish if you wish for opportunity here and elsewhere. The Danish provide good education on high international level
Important to learn a Chinese dialect as this is the language of the future and why not Arabic? There are too few of each. Considering the deal with Iran - Farsi? Spanish/French/Italian maybe German. Again, very few speak German - well!
Russian as it is an important neighboor, although the language of the previous p0litical system, it is the only all ex-USSR countries are able to communciate well in. Regardless of what has happened Eastward we need realize that Russia is important to our well-being. THEY do not actually need us or anybody for that matter. Bielorus is our last 'undiscovered'opportunity in Europe...
2/ The investment climate - what is there to attract families wanting to return? It is starting to happen, but surely more can be done? How about creating investment funds that lend out in local market loans for returners, or binding one's money over longer periods of time for a good ROI? We have finally incentive programs for students - but Returners????
2B/ The Black economy and the very hard attitude to companies. Companies that can pay tax don't because the moral standpoint is 'one does not pay taxes', because politicians cheat us. Frankly with such an attitude no improvement will ever come. The same attitude applies when bribing Police a fiver when you know are guilty. We make mistakes let's accept that!
3/ Bureaucracy as in paper work, getting stamped, counter-signed, queueing to register for setting up a company from 6 am to get access at 8 am works well if you are the first in line, but the hassle is Medieval! The staff do not operate in English - and don't want to! Recruit people with a better attitude, pay better, TRAIN people and encourage staff! Any documentation coming from the Latvian state (except voting information) comes out ONLY in Latvian although one could think English was an accepted language. Time consuming and idiotic, out of time with the world! HELP people forward instead. SMILE and encourage!
4/ Allow people from other countries to work who do not communicate in perfect language and create an incentives program to learn paralel to work. Latvia is losing people and they are not coming back - this problem need be solved. Invite people who have education that we are lacking! HELP them to HELP us but demand performance and probably pay-back over time, let them take the oath after 10 years in the country if able to show a clean bill of health! Latvians, stay your ground against EU by showing you have a reasonable plan!
5/ The Latvian state must stop treating people here as its slaves. And the tone of officials need change too. Respect goes both ways! A language in written form that frightens, discourages, instills fear is not necessary. The whole way how information is sent out and received need be looked into. The result is you feel criminalized and not welcome. That is not smart! Law enforcement is one of the worst - but that is not new, nor how people are treated when stopped by the Police force in the streets - for petty issues. Instead of catching e.g., rogue drivers! If you drive at 4-5 in the morning you are always stopped! Once may wonder the purpose. Also, you cannot call the Latvian Police in emergency and tip them off they don't have anyone on a good level able to take the call... Pay better for competence, train and demand upon recruiting! The Latvian Police should be Latvia's BEST people.
6/ The regime of how people are voted into public office i.e. the Saiema and from there into higher office, I hear is what makes many Latvians dispair. This is one of the major reasons Latvian leave and don't come back. They feel locked in, into a live prison where nothing changes ever and they are not listened too. It is today questionable why a president of the country is voted in because he or she lacks backbone. We can well imagine what that does for our country's international standing. We need more lady presidents who show backbone, speak languages and are good ambassadors for the country in that they understand the international community as well as thier own people's needs and strong points!
7/ Respect other people's work, property, pay what it costs, don't copy e.g., language books when giving courses commercially but pay for them! - All this just shows there is no respect for anyone else's hard efforts - and still we all wish be treaqted respectfully. Why does it apply to some and not to others and why do some get away with murder all the time. Pay on time when you should don't play with nother people's money respect - this selfish, short-sighted behaviour stops a normal situation and kills enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit. Large companies need change their attitudes on payment time so smaller can live and new ideas thrive. This is detrimental to Latvia's short term and long term interests - why to do we have to behave like the lowest?
These taken together are part of the local iceberg that stops this country's positive development. Latvia has been free now since 1991, some things have improved, others have not even started to defrost from the perma frost it is in. The exodus continues despite that we scream for qualified labour and it is not only the young who leave, we lose also those who are our most productive. Virtually nothing is being done and the court system is also part of this mess. Latvia has so much she can be proud of, there are good, hard-working people, it has a great potential in Tourism if more emphasis would be put on that and an Energy sector that if allowed to compete on fair terms could see Latvia flourish and the population as a whole see lower energy bills - now held up by the interests of a few not working in Latvia's best interests. And not letting the local Latvian via the energy bill gain from this wealth - any Reader may understand this undermines the country's long term chances when investments go to our nieghboors. Can we really afford this?
Henrik Mjoman has since 1994 remained in Latvia to be part of building the new country from the first early years of freedom in the hope of seeing a strong Latvia come out that stands for new ideas, positive development for all of its citizens and a future for coming generations. This can still be done, but the clock is ticking and we need ascertain fair investment from every quarter with few or no vested interest on part of the receiving facilitator. It grieves me to see the hard work of many coming to so little simply because there seems to be no plan... and a lot of selfishness and own pocket - when it's the country that needs our best efforts.
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Expectations on a Recruitment agency don't match up! Job seekers & Corporates
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PRIME Recruitment Blog
Expectations on a Recruitment agency don't match up! Job seekers & Corporates
Let's define the job - to place a person for a company as swiftly as possible who matches the needs of the buyer-Employer. -This means that someone is footing the bill - the corporate client filling a need within his/her organisation is the most likely.
Candidates (job seekers) usually don't, and in Eastern Europe it may well be forbidden by Law to take money from individuals - tax reasons and some idea of injustice or that they are vulnerable and subject to abuse. This largely decides the frame but also stops any effort to speed up the process of a person going from one position to another. If the powers of the Market were swift and all shared the same information, this would be no problem. Sadly, they're not.
If we talk of the individual seeker - he/she sends a C V for us to review. Unlike state officials who are guaranteed a salary, vacation pay, insurance policies - Recruiters aren't paid by anyone UNTIL there is a paying client. If the Client honours his committment from the outset, or if you create a position with the client when you present your candidate spontaneously - either way it is subject to negotiation and the last one is the most tricky one unless you have it on paper. So it depends on trust that all three keep their word. Still remember, the recruiter stands the whole risk - his/her hours, whits and knowledge of the market.. - Surely that must be worth something?
Thus taking time to screen -consider, interview, test and come up with a conclusion is unpaid work. The work time spent WITH a person is equivalent to the one spent behind the scenes and probably this latter is very time consuming as a client/buyer/employer must be found. And that's a job. Still many job seekers think that recruitment is a social occupation and that we will be paid. -Well, I have news - in the Baltic this is rarely so - not only because it is about money and a reluctance to pay even when you should, no, it is about empowerment of the person in charge to DARE to take the decision and for that to happen we are talking about a largely UNIQUE manager - who has guts, or owns the company and is willing to take the chance. And that in culture which does not allow mistakes! You see the next comment is usually they want 'comparison'...and then it is about a whole process which takes 3-5-8 weeks depending on how well the person must match. And by then our candidate may how had a response elsewhere. So few here if anyone trutst him/-herself with or without the MBA...!!!... to hire anyone for fear or reproach.
Given then the shortages of staff, lack of timing, pre-planning and willingness to pay the messenger and then also salary the person coming in correctly, building forward, the LOCAL employment markets suffer - more than they need to by problems we have caused by ourselves...greed, stinginess, lack of forward planning, the empowerment of competent staff, lack of understanding for that a good solution COSTs... -And it is also a lot about self respect, or the lack of it as well as for that of others. So, my question is: Are we going to change this anytime soon? - I leave it to the Readership to an answer!:) I for certain like to do more here...but who will support me? I am foreigner, and what do I understand about anything? -Well even if didn't I can rely on people telling me. Everyday. Thanks for reading this far!! /Henrik M
PRESS 'LIKE', SHARE or COMMENT - it would be nice with points of view!:))
PRIME Recruitment operates the market in name from 1999 in Riga and the Baltics, trailing back to 1994/5 in Latvia and 1996-7 in Stockholm for 'I see Headhunting & Consulting'. Our aim as professionals WITH our clients is to get it right the first time by doing our homework together and then making sure the induction of the person coming in is handled as it should in our day and age. We work all sectors, Pan-Baltic, we test, train match and coach job seekers and act discussion partner for our corporates and individuals and yes, seek to identify, coach and place if the circumstances are right. For that it also means we need invest in ourselves as job seekers to get there as these things seldom rain from Heaven... www.prime.lv or www.svesvalodukursi.lv when you wish build your language competence by mother tongue speakers at your ideal time!:)
Latvia: My view of 3 disasters in local recruitment!
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PRIME Recruitment Blog
Latvia: My view of 3 disasters in local recruitment!
Dear Reader,
There is a lot we all can improve when recruiting people as EMPLOYERS, here I will just name three (3) very local headaches that taken away and properly addressed, would improve for us all. They are predictability, promises kept and a solid induction plan with a person's forward maintenance structure. Since I originally wrote this article (now writing Nov 2015), I have not heard anything to the better on this, in fact I hear that still the foreigners in Riga, ably supported by local recruitment companies largely have no clue how to solve this. PRIME Recruitment and I do!
1/ Predictability. People have lost faith in one another, the system and definitely with their employers. The headline is deliberately short as the subject is large and not one solution possible but a number of issues to be addressed. This is one thing we in PRIME Recruitment can assist you with - and it needs attention as it is one reason people leave jobs and also Latvia. And no one comes to take their place.
2/ Promises. I don't make promises to people unless I aim to keep them. Same goes for you - don't lure people to your company offering salaries' raises after 'x' time and then when that period has passed excuse it away by saying you have a crisis - when clearly your company hasn't. Many years ago I had a Nordic business acquaintance who's no.1 staff came to me in a process I was running for a Managing Director's post. He had been promised a large bonus if he reached all sales targets - and he did, only to find out they would not pay, simply because they never thought he could reach the levels and now saw it would cost them to¬. This after several years working together. He left and the owner-managers were gob smacked! I wasn't. If people achieve pay them more, surprise them even! It is not just a person you lose, you lose momentum - and that is frankly everything and will have falling sales revenue to match. And what is the signal you send to the rest of the organisation?!!!
3/ Induction plan. Most companies I see that I luckily don't work with have got all of this wrong. They don't know what kind of person they want, thus not the individual's needs, they don't have a plan to introduce (train, connect, follow-up, get to know people, visit clients and how, company history, philosophy) the new person into the company, and they basically leave them hanging from Day 1 without proper attention. They also fail to train them in what's missing or in planning together with the person what's in store for the coming year. -Frankly, local employers, this costs you and together with the above make you unattractive. In a day and age when competition for good people is getting tougher and we also have competition from abroad, not only do we lose the good ones we have, but the word gets around and substitutes are yet harder to find. You can be sure that the word travels fast and there are even web sites in Latvia where people discuss companies anonymously and it is harmful and the information may even be wrong. Think about it! These three failing challenges to meet are the best way to attract Latvian staff elsewhere, where yes, they may have to worker better and harder - but you know what? -They like to because there is a plan made for their development over 6- 12- 18-months and updated along the way! And properly managed, will deliver better which could make Latvia a better place too!
To manage these three of so many issues and to come to terms with them and start to build away from these negatives is something you may recognize I am sure also as a bystander. Something I see every day. It creates work for Recruiters and as it seems no one draws the right conclusions. I am deliberately harsh about this here and now, it is not only a Latvian problem -also local foreigners, some very successful lose staff because they themselves are inexperienced and have been placed in Latvia to learn, but also the people they appoint don't know enough as they have nothing to compare with other than their own country. And add to that they may not want to recruit the best for fear of losing their job to a new person more clever than they! It's like having a bad goalie in your football team, and then one or more of your own players turn around and start shooting at him in turn(!?), instead of the opponent!
-Choose the right recruitment company with which you can have proper, intelligent dialogue with and build with them together for the long haul! Make sure to know find out and know what people really are motivated by, and fix it! In our company deep talks and the THOMAS system assists with this and the people placed are so much happier for it! Make sure it includes paying the right amount in return for work performed and an incentive added to keep that momentum. PERMANENTLY.
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PRIME Recruitment and its forerunner have been in business since 1995 and focus on BEST deliver to our clients, in dialogue with she / he to secure the right recruitment, the best hiring and maintenance through dialogue among other via the THOMAS D I S C profiling system. Once that is in place you will see their and your motivators, strengths and leadership in communication. This makes you strong and an organisation that attracts. Can we ever afford to be without? www.prime.lv -Talk to Henrik!
Latvia: What fails the candidate when recruited by a Foreigner?
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PRIME Recruitment Blog
Latvia: What fails the candidate when recruited by a Foreigner?
This is a most tricky question and I again ran across this attending a networking where the question was raised. I listened in and it was the same question I have battled with for years, namely the issue to be able to sell oneself at an interview.
For some, and the problem may start already with us professionals, and I would even say in the average situation - I am not sure the recruiter/personnel person actually wants the candidate to be too advanced? -I mean, maybe we can't handle an open-minded candidate who may in fact be more clever than we? Very possible!
I agree it is not easy. But then again it is not our job to be the most clever, but be able to sense or see the fit! So I am sure that part of the problem lies here. And how we coach the candidate for the next step! However, the rest is undoubtedly with us as candidates at the interview. -And it is not easily and immediately soluable - it is a matter of local culture and the history Latvia has suffered. You see, if we are growing up in an open and free society where we don't fear but are encouraged to speak our mind and allow debate we will have stronger personalities about us and certainly dare say more at interviews!
-Sadly again, the culture here does not seem to allow us to say: '' I am the Best in Latvia'', or ''with my MBA degree coupled with my past 10 years as a Production Manager' , I am an ideal fit''. 'Or my 5 years working in Norway at the same time taking night school in the language, has opened my eyes and opened new doors coming back that H et M could benefit from', or 'my work for this Danish web solutions company in Aalborg, working with various nationalities, allowed me to enhance my intra cultural understanding something I believe makes me ideal for the role as Team Leader for Tele Optique's (name made up) international expansion'.
- I mean WOW! -If I could have some say these things at an interview, instead of my sometimes having to ask the same question thrice from different angles, and literally pull the answer out like at a dentist's with a tong, it would show passion for the job. And it is passion and belief in oneself another of my clients recently expressed that the only answer I could get when asking how good he /she was was ' I am good' . Now we all know this is also a matter of how confident we are with our foreign language abilities - and here the educational system is lacking. -We have got to have much more interactive training in English, and blend foreigners who are locally to come and speak to our students at their institutes.
Now as you know the sun is not without its spots so you walk a fine balance between the interviewer running the interview and yourself, as the candidate, taking over. About this you need think intelligently and allow the interviewer back in, but this is another discussion I have covered in a previous blog 'Talking yourself out of the job interview...(Sept 24, 2014) '. This we are discussing here is the fact that the foreigner-interviewer who may well be your next Boss, expects that you also can handle yourself in a wider situation than just locally., that you can speak with partners in the company or externally and in fact hold your own in a presentation to an international auditorium. Thus to manage this situation good skills in English are a must - IN CONVERSATIONAL form and learning more adjectives. Longman's dictionary on synonyms is a good help, reading literature in English and seeing non-dubbed television and film yet others. Just suggestions!
In any case to conclude as this is very important feedback something must be done so intelligent people stand a better chance. getting the jobs they want - my best advice is try to break the paradigm and say what 's on your mind and be open and honest - and be as a sales person don't ''THINK'' you are good - SAY I AM! -Remember, we have all been there one time or other...:)
P.s. If this made sense, kindly press 'LIKE' or why not comment?
Thank you:)
/Henrik
PRIME Recruitment has operated in name in Latvia since 1999, however traces back to 1995. Operating fore mostly in Recruitment in Latvia and Pan-Baltic, the company also is the license holder for THOMAS (DISC) and supports companies entering the country setting up and finding partners, offices & other services via its large partner network The B2BLiST. . www.prime.lv
