Recently, Paulo Moreira, our Associate Director at Avatar International embarked on a trip across the globe. Paulo, with 30 years of experience in the IT and Gaming Industry, is no stranger to travelling and has already visited every continent, experiencing the vastly different cultures from South Africa to Italy and Hong Kong to Russia.
On this latest client visit, he flew to Tallinn, Estonia. A country situated in northern Europe, scattered with churches and hilltop castles, to build client relationships.
Hello Paulo, what was it like working within a different country and culture?
I was in my element, this is what I enjoy and have done over the past 30 years. Estonia, being in eastern Europe, has similar traits to other countries in the Eastern block, so it was very familiar to me.
What did you make of the Estonian locals there?
Estonians are very humble and proud individuals to work with.
Whereabouts did you stay during your trip?
I decided to stay right in the centre of the city, in the old town, that’s the way I travel, as I don’t sleep much at night, so having the ability to get out, walk around and experience the city is what I enjoy doing. It was a little, quaint hotel called Hotel Metropol.
That sounds lovely, what was your favourite part of the trip?
The ability to walk around the clients business, interact face to face with the management team, understanding the business needs, impacts and most importantly the type of work place culture. That is also what made the placement of the right candidates a success post-visit!
What are your thoughts on Tallinn?
Tallinn is without a doubt in my opinion, the best kept secret of Europe. Clean, efficient, awesome roads and buildings, awesome WIFI coverage throughout the city, it compares very well with every first world city in Western Europe. Amazing architecture, a real mixture of old city with new city!
What was different there from South Africa, where you live?
I realized on the first day that I was the only person from the airport and in the city wearing a mask. People were staring at me and I finally buckled and packed the mask away.
Lastly, are there any fun facts you can remember?
Fun fact: the older city that’s in the centre is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tallinn is also the birthplace of Skype. I also found the homeliest pub that’s open almost close to 24 hours a day and the name of the pub is ‘Pub With No Name’!
How did this trip benefit the recruitment process?
It is unheard of for any recruitment or placement agency to make this sort of investment to fly internationally to see a client. The proof is in the pudding, post-visit face to face, we increased the vacancies list, strengthened the relationships and landed placements.
My target was the CTO of the business as 90% of the roles are his and he has the final say. Spending time with him in a work environment and then also a lot of time with him in a social environment, gave me the opportunity to get to know what sort of person he is, how he interacts with people, what he likes and dislikes and what sort of people he gets on with. This in turn has assisted in the screening of candidates and only supplying a shortlist of individuals that align with this criteria.
Most importantly, being present, walking the corridors of the client head office, spending time after hours and meeting the manager – I believe this has created a lasting impression for myself and Avatar, created new connections that I am keeping in touch with since the trip as well and therefore opening doors for business further.
Lastly, how did this trip benefit you?
It gave me a first-hand view of the business and how it operates, the ability to feel the culture in the business which is important with our selections, and the ability to introduce myself to every senior individual. Meeting face-to-face, that built better relationships and they got to hear and see what myself, and Avatar can bring to the table.
Written by Bavneet Dhanjal – Digital Marketing Assistant at Avatar International
