Asimina Skalkou: The most imporant thing to female enterpreneuer ship is the experience

As a person of communication and interconnection, Ms Skalkou, in the last five years, decided to indulge in professional Employee Agency as soon as she saw the market’s need for a specialized ‘A class’ model of communication and interconnection. She is able to select both her clients, since they meet the evaluation criteria, and the staff for her clientele. We met in Athens where during a friendly discussion I received valuable knowledge about how a recruitment agency today manages the needs of the market. It has mainly focused on dealing with personnel coming from the war-torn Ukraine, thus opening a window of hope as a channel of communication with the labor interface in the beautiful Greek islands, offering quality working conditions and a bright future.

Good evening Ms Skalkou and thank you for so warmly accepting our invitation. After all, how does it manage these market needs for skilled personnel these days?

Good evening Ms. Kyropoulos and thank you very much for the communication opportunity. In the work environment, people who take personal responsibility for completing a task in the best possible way, have a high index of emotional intelligence and recognize the needs of each individual are highly valued. The companies we have been working with for the last five years, as you rightly said, have specific requirements, as well as expectations.

When you identify your top candidates for the CEO position, schedule an onsite introductory interview to talk about their skills and your business needs?

We prepare interview questions that assess candidates’ management and problem-solving skills. We use se tangible criteria to understand if they’re a good fit for a client company, for example, find out how well they know the candidate company and its competitors and ask what changes they plan to implement if hired. Consider including board members and other executives in the hiring process to select candidates who are a good fit for our executive team.

Interview questions for CEOs can also reveal which candidates have the characteristics that make a good leader, such as resilience, patience, and an influential flair. A CEO makes important financial decisions and regularly communicates with shareholders and potential investors. So, look for candidates with a data-driven approach, attention to detail, and sharp negotiation skills. For example, if someone would like to become a CEO in a Luxury Boutique Hotel in Greece. Below, I can share with you the best questions to ask a candidate in a job interview for a managerial work place.

Operational and Situational questions

What do you think our company’s mission and vision are?

What changes would you implement during your first year in the company? How would you build a 5-year plan?

What would you do in your first 30 days as CEO of our organization?

Who do you believe are our biggest competitors? How do we differ from them?

What do you think are the biggest challenges our industry will face in the next 5 years?

What are the most helpful technological platforms and tools you have used? Would you implement them in our organization?

What is the most innovative product or service you’ve worked on at a previous company?

Describe your rationale before you make a big financial decision. What criteria do you use to decide which products or services to invest in?

In 5 minutes, prepare a small pitch to present our company to a potential investor.

Imagine that a product or service we launched recently failed our expectations. What are your next steps?

What is the main characteristic, qualification that the interested parties should have?

To be excited to work above all, to be responsible people, honesty, courtesy and have a global perception of flexibility and adaptability. A prerequisite is that they have a team spirit of cooperation and know how to negotiate, when to exert influence, but also when to show understanding and of course to defend their diplomatic skills with utmost professionalism.

The aim and purpose of a business is the priority of its general image. So staff, who have documented means of their studies, the qualifications of this representation, the so-called hard skills, are evaluated very positively. Then we move on to soft skills, and of course the personality of each employee, but also the knowledge of foreign languages ​​which is an extra qualification, just like their smile!

Are the employees of the selected hotels, restaurants, catering businesses of your office in other responsible positions?

Clearly and not only Ms. Kyropoulos. we see that in our company employees who have been selected to work with our clientele, already hold positions in positions with leadership abilities, where the skills of decision-making, guidance, planning and implementation of an organizational chart prevail. Of course, they have not been put there by chance. Our office educates them against the challenges they are called to face through the map of ethical conduct and rules we have established through our own personal and professional ethics that refer to the collective. Ms. Kyropoulos’s trust is not bought, but built and earned every day. The more satisfied our clientele is, the more they will recommend us with their eyes closed as we say somewhere below, as well as satisfied partners who make up the staff will open the doors of connection to us with the next interested potential partners!

What is it that will mutually prefer your own staffing agency over another?

We have experience in human resource management, through innovative methods and even professional psychometric tests, we decide on the correct assessment of capabilities and placement in the right position. We have: * experienced partners in finding and selecting personnel, where through multiple interviews the final decision of choosing who corresponds to which, which company profile, fits the personality temperament of each interested party. * An asset of our office is the immediate processing of all documents required, part of the standard procedure to save valuable time * organizing and carrying out immediately the transfer and accommodation of the staff from Ukraine to Athens and then to their work hotel. * Support of daily problems (hotel workers) and valid intervention to solve them by professional consultants of our office * immediate payment of salaries without delays, which have deservedly given us the title of “the right professional in the market” of guaranteed job security with high salaries and bonuses.

Why did you focus on Ukraine?

Because of our sensitivity to the situation Ukrainian citizens are living in because of the war. In our time, experiencing such a tragic reality from one day to the next is something unimaginable. Greece has always been a pole of attraction and admiration for the citizens of Ukraine as one of the most beloved tourist destinations, so why shouldn’t it also be an incentive for someone to work in our country and enjoy everything it has to offer? Beautiful weather, kind people and of course decent working conditions.

What security criteria are used to select potential candidates for work in the Greek islands in the catering and hotel sector? A necessary qualification is the will and appetite for work, as I said before. Then they should have experience (if possible, at least one year) and knowledge of at least minimal English. The most important thing is the passion and love for what they do. We choose these people so that they also have the immediate interest of responding from the companies. What are the biggest problems you have faced and how did you solve them in recruiting personnel from Ukraine? The biggest problem is that they do not know the English language and this makes it difficult to communicate with the hotels, as well as the little or no experience that makes it difficult for them to perform. However, different translation applications are used each time by both sides. When there is a good mood and appetite for work, these problems are negligible and simply disappear.

How do Ukrainians who wish to work in Greece feel when they are given such an opportunity?

They see it as an opportunity to escape from the situation they are experiencing with the war and moreover combine it with enjoying the beauties of Greece and especially of our islands. And let’s not forget their love for Greece and everything that multi-thematic tourism includes.

What is the highest amount of salary? how is this ensured?

Minimum wage for a six-day, eight-hour shift is 900,00 € (includes accommodation, two meals, insurance and medical care), from there on there is the possibility to work more, but in addition they are given work performance BONUSES which can increase their salary up to 1300,00 € . Very good salary for their work data What is your vision and overall philosophy? Our vision is to develop a strong relationship through our company with the workers and beyond of Greece and Ukraine and achieve a partnership that will last for years. To become the most effective cooperation bridge between Greece and Ukraine.