CENTRE PLUS NEWS No. 5, 2013Social issues

Job search requires a consid-erable amount of time and effort. You can perform a job search in different ways: some of them are traditional and others are more innovative.

The main methods of job search

• Job Search Websites. On websites jobs can be bro-

ken down by areas, so it is useful to look through keywords. Also it is advised to search for websites or associations that are relevant to the profession you are searching for. Many websites allow job seekers to upload their profile free of charge.

• Jobs Advertised in Press. Employers who are offering jobs in their regions not always place ads in the national press, in order to avoid a large influx of candidates. A person can advertise himself in sec-tions “Looking for job” or choose from job offers. Quickly respond to ads, because sometimes they ap-pear only once. Follow the press and take note, when mostly ads are published. Also you can find infor-mation about companies which are expanding their business or open-ing branches in other regions.

• Recruitment agencies.Using a recruitment agency

could save time and provide with information about jobs that are not publicly available because the

agencies work directly with em-ployers.

If you contact the recruitment agency, it will give you a consult-ant.

The consultant will take care of your recruitment: he/she will help you to identify, what type of job you can do and also will help to find it.

But usually the agencies may charge a fee for services provided. It may be a percentage of your fu-ture salary (in some cases the fee is paid by the employer, in other cases – by the employee).

• National Labor Exchange. You can upload your CV, to put a job ad or search for a suitable job on Lithuanian Labor Exchange

website. Your CV will be available to all

registered employers. Also you can automate your job search and to get all information about the latest va-cancies.

• Social contacts / acquaint-ances.

Many vacancies are not pub-lished at all. It is popular to re-cruit familiar people, friends, fam-ily members, former colleagues, schoolmates or people with recom-mendations.

If you are looking for work, tell about it to your friends and ac-quaintances. Many small business-es owners employ only the people they know. Maybe you will be a lucky one.

HOW TO FIND A JOB?

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• Direct contact with potential employers.

One of possible ways to search for job is a direct contact with the company, where you would like to work. Many vacancies are not pub-lished at all. Therefore, it is recom-mended to contact companies and ask, if they have vacancies.

One of the advantages of such a

job search mode is that you do not compete with a number of candi-dates who apply, when a public an-nouncement was made.

Employers tend to ask around and offer jobs for people they know, since it saves time and money. You can call to companies directly or send your CV.

Be active and use at least a few

job search methods. And when you will find an appealing job offer, al-ways consult with your friends or professionals who work in consult-ing and information center PLUS. Adequately evaluate the job offer and make sure that working condi-tions and the nature of it is such as it appeared in the advert. Good luck in your search!

Migration

Every person and family is living in a distinctive and ever-changing life situation. Economic and wage differences between countries promote labor migration.

Ability to establish itself in the European Union attracts thousands of migrants, but immigration to another country is not only opportunities but also responsibility. The most important task is to ensure that immigration is legitimate and useful. Everyone is free to choose a job or business in Lithuania, but the laws of the Republic of Lithuania establish certain rules and employer’s liability for recruitment, both the citizens of the European Union Member States and third-countries. This article provides basic, legitimate work-based immigration requirements. The foreigner, who intends to come to Lithuania to work, shall be obliged to obtain a work permit and a temporary residence permit before entering the country. This procedure which includes obtaining a work permit and a temporary residence permit can take up to 8 months. Application for a temporary residence permit can be considered together with the application for a work permit.

WELCOME TO WORK IN LITHUANIA!

European Union citizens and their family members, foreigners having a residence permit, the third-country nationals who have been granted temporary residence permit in the Republic of Lithuania on the following grounds: Family reunification; the alien is of Lithuanian descent; the alien is under guardianship or he is appointed a guardian; the alien registered a company, organization and is the head of it; the alien is a professional athlete or a coach; an alien conducts research, and on other cases provided by the law – are exempted from the obligation to obtain a work permit. Labor relations of aliens are

governed by the Labor Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and the European Union legislation.

A work permit which is valid to two years is issued by the Lithuanian Labor Exchange at Ministry of Social Security and Labor of Lithuanian Republic. A work permit is issued to an alien, if there is not a specialist in Lithuania who meets the qualification requirements raised by the employer. The employer may enter into an employment contract only with an alien who has a work permit. When the contract of employment was broken, a work permit would

be revoked and on that ground a residence permit would be revoked too. When the work permit expires, the alien must leave the country.

Regardless of the work permit period, a temporary residence permit to an alien is issued for one year. In this case a foreigner who intends to work shall submit an application for a temporary residence permit and represent the documents of his entry purpose (a work permit; employer`s mediation letter; employment contract, which specifies the wage; documents showing that the alien will have a living place in Lithuania) to Territorial Migration Service or the Diplomatic Mission or Consular Office of the Lithuanian Republic abroad. The request shall not exceed 6 months.

On receipt of granted temporary residence and work permit for working in the company mentioned, an alien has to go to the immigration office and apply for a temporary residence permit processing. Only when a temporary residence permit was granted, the alien can start working. If the work permit is issued for a period of two years, an alien, not later than two months before a temporary residence permit expires, may submit a request for extension of a residence permit till a work permit`s expiration.

Foreigner`s work or any other activity is deemed illegal (regardless, paid or not) if he is working without a work permit, contract and residence permit, when it is necessary to have these documents, also if he is participating

in qualification courses, vocational training or is engaged in other activities for which he does not have a permission. Please note that a foreigner cannot perform any other job than that authorized by authority.

A residence permit would be revoked, if it was obtained by fraud, a work permit was revoked, the contract of employment was broken, or it was found that the company fails to comply with the declared activities and the alien’s presence is not necessary to carry out its activities. Code of Administrative law of the Republic of Lithuania establishes liability for illegal work.

Good luck and legal employment in Lithuania!

Psychological issuesBETWEEN SURVIVAL AND SELF-REALIZATION – COMPROMISES SEARCHING FOR JOB IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY

The decision to go to live abroad significantly impacts on a person’s working life or career. On employment and job-related decisions, which a person takes in a new country depend not only his or her economic situation, but also personal growth, self-realization opportunities and the sense of life meaning.

Work helps a person to cover many psychological needs – from safety, self-respect and recognition to communication, knowledge and learning. On the other hand, the situation in the labor market not always allows choose a job that provides all of these needs, so it is important to be prepared to com-promise.

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Changing the place of work and searching for job causes a lot of stressful experiences, increases anxiety, tension and the feeling of uncertainty.

These experiences could be much stronger, when a person is searching for job in a foreign coun-try, especially in such as Lithuania, where the employment of foreign-ers is not common. It is not easy to bear these feelings. Both, the body and the psyche need further efforts to cope with stress and at the same time to maintain hope and rational, purposeful efforts to find a job.

It is important to be strong and don`t let uncertainty, anxiety to be-come a long-lasting or permanent, which may lead to apathy, hope-lessness and depressed state.

From the psychological point of

view especially difficult is the ex-perience of long-term unemploy-ment, when a person can lose not only work, but also the desire and skills to find it.

In this context you should ask yourself: “How long I want to and I can look for work? How long I will have enough patience, hope and, of course, means of subsistence, to look for a job?” In some specific areas, a job search even for local people takes not months, but some-times a year or a few years, so for an alien, it may take even longer. If there is no time, you have to find an alternative solution - the other job which will meet your needs at least temporarily.

With this is related one of the most common problems which face

job seekers from abroad. Often they may need to take a job that is far from qualifications and education acquired in the country of origin. In such cases, however, it is important to find a way of self-realization.

It may be additional voluntary activities related to the former pro-fession, or other leisure activities, which would compensate the lack of self-realization in the main work. In any case, it is important to keep in mind your psychological needs, and, if the work does not allow take care of them, then look for other positive ways.

It may be that voluntary activity which brings joy to your heart, in some time will broaden the range of job opportunities in a new country.

Cultural issuesSOCIO-CULTURAL PORTRAIT OF THE LITHUANIAN EMPLOYER

Foreigners wishing to join the Lithuanian labor market should know some socio-cultural issues that can help in finding a job and better understanding of the fu-ture employer.

Nowadays, since Lithuania re-gained its independence 22 years ago, two main types of employers could be defined: senior – soviet style and youthful – western style.

In the first case, it should be considered that it is very likely that sometimes you will have to have a drink with your employer.

This type of people think that it is a good tone to drink together during collective celebrations, to get some presents from trips (both vacation and business), to organize balls on various occasions: general holidays (Christmas, Easter, New Year, etc.), birthdays, name-days, marriages, children christening, employment occasions, etc.

Meanwhile, youthful employ-ers, claiming to be progressive and modern, tend to replace the boring celebrations into the formation of active teams, so you have to assess that the prospective employer may require you to participate in various physical races or intelligence activ-ities, such as brain-puzzle games, etc.

In both cases it is necessary to demonstrate the success and achievements of your personal life (various diplomas, sports achieve-ments, wedding, birth of children, exotic travels, etc.), while it is rec-ommended to omit problems (it is unlikely that an employer will show understanding, particularly in a large team).

A typical Lithuanian employer thinks (and sometimes loudly re-minds) that overtime is not only normal but also there are at least a few good (or better) candidates willing to work for minimum wage. Therefore, despite the fact that em-ployers are looking for employees, it is likely that they will mention to you about their grace of inviting to an interview. Your role (as well as in any other country of capital-ist culture) is to show confidence in yourself and your skills, even if it does not meet the requirements of the employer.

Often the employer’s require-ments in a job description are not real, and sometimes inadequately absurd, especially in the definition

of education and experience criteria for completely simple and unskilled job.

It is accepted that in Lithuania the majority of young people grad-uated from schools go to the col-leges or universities, so often the employer takes it as a “mandatory” thing and may ask you to show a high school diploma (not necessar-ily corresponding to the scope of work), even when the position does not require university education.

Law issuesWHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR JOB?

First of all, foreigners legally employed in Lithuania have the same rights at work as the citi-zens of the Republic of Lithuania.

Depending on what basis you have lost your job – have you been warned in advance, timely and fully accounted - you can appeal to court in a month.

If you want to increase the chances of employment, it should be useful to have recommendations of common acquaintances, relatives

or colleagues. Recommendations are especially important for senior employers and may even oust from candidates much better educated people.

Of course, in this article we have mentioned only the most prominent types of employers which you are going to meet. But whatever your prospective employer will be, don`t forget that we all are the people and could find an agreement.

Or maybe you had a feeling of harassment at work because that you were a foreigner, practicing non-traditional religion in Lithu-ania, or because of being another race, sexual orientation, national-ity, ethnic origin, social status, and maybe employer treated you differ-ently, unlike other colleagues, and

you were discriminated on listed grounds. Then you can contact the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman in Vilnius, Šeimyniškių str. 1A (Phone number (8 5) 261 2660 or email mvlgk@lrs.lt ).

Secondly, in Lithuania, like in any other country of the world,

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OtherTHE RISKS OF JOB SEARCHERS

Upon arrival to Lithuania I could not find a job. At the earli-est opportunity I went to Centre PLUS and asked its staff for help.

There I was provided with in-formation on job search techniques and the potential dangers of look-ing for a job. Therefore, I want to share with you the lessons and experiences I have gained in the job search. On the Internet and in the press you can find all sorts of job post-

ings, but not all published vacan-cies are reliable.

Before submitting the applica-tion for a job, it is necessary to pay

you were offered. If you were asked to pre-pay for the proposal (for example, to cover various expenses related to your employment), this is the first negative sign that you have to re-fuse such a proposal. A lot of people are deceived in this way: an amount requested from one person does not seem very big, but it becomes huge, when the money is paid by many people.

• Recruitment agencies that promise a lot and do not keep promises First of all always check out the reliability of the employment agency and only then sign any documents, contracts or receipts. Be very careful, if you pay a fee in advance and learn about all the cost recovery terms.

How to find out that a vacancy is real.

attention to the signs that may indi-cate that a vacancy is just a hoax. If you are not sure, whether a job is real, take some time and look for information about the company. Be careful, when you view ads, and pay attention to the following points:

• Forget about the opportunity to get rich quick. If the job ad states that you can quickly make a lot of money, but you do not need any skills and ex-perience, you can be sure that this is just a hoax. Be attentive and carefully read the job offer requirements: if a big reward is offered for a few hours of work, it is a sign that the job offer is flimsy.

• Avoid offers for which it is necessary to pre-pay. You do not have to pay money in advance, unless you know, what

there are a lot of ways to find a job. If you are looking for informa-

tion on job vacancies, the situation in the labor market or seek to ac-quire marketable skills, go to the territorial labor exchange and you will be provided with information on all aspects of labor market is-sues. Territorial labor exchanges provide information to job seek-ers in different ways: individual, in groups, either directly or remotely (via phone, e-mail, Internet, etc.).

Territorial labor exchange spe-cialists inform about the situation in labor market and labor force projections, vacancies and require-ments for applicants, working conditions, functions and terms of payment, choice of profession, the requirements to professions, train-ing and educational opportunities, vocational training, qualifications – how to acquire and improve them, retraining conditions and proce-dures, labor market services and mechanisms, employment support measures and the conditions of par-ticipation, job search (e-services, EURES) and career opportunities. In addition, the local labor ex-changes provide additional services

of professional and psychological consulting.

If you want to find this informa-tion by yourself, at your service there are open communication de-partments near the local labor of-fices or at their premises, youth employment centers, open com-munication terminals of labor ex-change and notice boards.

Also you can use the online services on Lithuanian Labor Ex-change website www.ldb.lt .

There you are offered the coun-try’s largest job vacancies and job seekers database.

Job offers which are recorded every day you can view on the Lith-uanian Labor Exchange website in section “Jobseekers”.

• Check a company or a vacan-cy Find the company’s website on the Internet. Is the website informative? Is there the contact information? Is the information about the job and career on the site? If the company has no website, use your browser to find some information about the company. Search by company`s name (if the company does not want to publish its name, do not turn to it for work) to see, what information you can find. Then, read the comments about the company and its reliability. If there is no name in the ad, but there is a contact phone number, call them to find out the company`s name. • Be careful !If you suspect that offered terms are too good to be true, no doubt about your suspicion. You have always to explore and

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The newspaper is published, implementing the project “Consultation and information centre PLUS” according the European Fund for the

Integration of third-country nationals, annual Programme 2011

CENTRE PLUS · A.Smetonos street 5, room No 302 · VilniusTel.: 85 261 74 82 / 8 605 77 245

Email: centre@tja.lt · www.facebook.com (search for: Centre Plus)Working days: Monday to Friday · Opening hours: 11:30 to 15:30

and 16:30 to 20:30

evaluate any suggestion. Example:

one candidate received an offer from one employer in a very de-tailed job description. The only problem was that she haven`t sent the application form to him. In the proposal description

was hidden a request for informa-tion about the candidate’s bank ac-count, that employer needed to pay for work.

Of course, it was a hoax, but in some cases letters are written very professionally, so if you do not be

careful, you could get into a diffi-cult situation.

I have already found a job, and I wish you to find your own!

E. Zaher