Looking for a job in Latvia? Be proactive and creative

By Olga Belyayeva, Sales and recruitment expert at Riga TechGirls

Today having a well-written CV is not enough to get a dream job. Recruiters and business managers, just like everyone in the world, are overloaded with information. We all became picky with inbound content; this is why it takes more effort to reach us today.

However, there are some tips on how to gain the attention and meet the people you need.

NO to the long read, YES to the pitch

Prepare not just an old school cover letter, but a bright pitch, showing who you are, what you are proud of, and have been praised for by your managers and colleagues. Please, be literate and make it brief (7–10 sentences). Use your understanding of the needs and tasks of the business you are reaching out to, and try to offer your solution.

NO to “smart team player,” “easy to learn.”
YES to “ My Achievements:110% KPI reached”, “My goal:…”, “My skills…”

Read it and see if you like to have this person as your team member. Have your friends read it and ask for feedback.

Did it? — Great! Now make a 2–3 minute video using the written intro.
Video CV is an effective format to skip the very first selection stage. It immediately moves you forward to the face-to-face interview. This method is loved and used by innovative employers. All that saves time is respected, remember?

Once you have completed the perfect pitch, let’s see how to create the target network.

Networking. With your perfect pitch, you may reach out to more people and have a higher response.

We all know that the most popular way to find a job in Latvia is a referral. However, if you search for something completely new, your existing network may need some extension, and networking methods may require some upgrade.

You have probably seen posts on social media: “Please, recommend a good Java Developer, Recruiter, Accountant, etc.,” with dozens of references in the comments. The topic starter will hardly spend much time on a deep study of all the profiles and most probably will end up with the one that clearly represents the professional skills.

That is why updating your social media profile with short and clear info and being proactive in job-related topics will help to be noticed. Also, sharing your opinion in a professional community adds more information to your potential employer and makes a favorable decision.

Linkedin still stays the best for sourcing both for local and international job search.

Here’s how to get the most of it:

• Update your profile.
• Not only the steps of your career matter: strengthen your profile by listing your skills on a ‘Skill’ section and have your colleagues endorse you.
• Post your brilliant pitch into the ‘About” section
• Study the industry you are interested in:

Step 1 search for the target employers using the filter. Select Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, etc., + industry. Some Interesting companies have Head Office in other countries and branches in Latvia — let them know that you are interested.

Step 2 Follow the companies you like, follow HR and Business managers profiles. Reach out with your pitch even if a company does not have an open vacancy, but the business sphere is interesting for you. In case of interest, they will ask for your CV as the next step.

• Remember that message that looks like:” I am looking for a job, please, see my 10 page CV file” is not the best way to generate job offers.

Job boards and other tools

There are not too many job boards and special tools in Latvia, but we have some.

Job boards, like Cv.lv, attract big companies with a lot of vacancies. Easy to use: download your CV, apply to job ads.

Meetfrank App works great since it is brand new and shiny. The App is perfect if you wish to impress a potential employer with your pitch to get an immediate response.

And last but not least.

Continually educate yourself in a field you wish to build a career in, be active in professional communities and events. Today it may be even more accessible in a certain way because all of them are held online, and speakers and members are in pretty much the same position.

I hope our tips will help you find the best job soon! Do you have a similar experience? Or a different one? Feel free to share your experience!

By Olga Belyayeva, Sales and recruitment expert at Riga TechGirls