Interview with Ophelia Kamalyan, Head of the Talent Attracting Department of "Ameriabank" CJSC
The labor market of the financial and banking sector is undergoing dynamic development. What changes have happened recently?
The financial and banking market in Armenia has always been a desirable employer and will continue to be so for a long time. Along with the economic changes, the banking system is also changing. The labor market is not exempt from such changes. Today, the banking system needs IT specialists much more than specialists with financial knowledge. Ameriabank acts as a financial and technical organization and in the labor market we compete with both financial and IT companies. Moreover, good specialists are less than required, and we are struggling to attract them from both leading Armenian and well-established international companies. Thanks to the development of information technologies, our specialists can easily find work in international companies, which often apply for outsourcing services. Thus, Armenia is able to compete in international markets in terms of salaries and bonuses. Professional preferences of young people have changed. If in the past young people preferred financial and economic education, now they are more inclined to get technical education. As a result, finding financial professionals may become a problem in the future. That's why we think in advance to train the necessary professionals to achieve our business goals.
What difficulties do you face when recruiting new employees and what is the bank's policy in this area?
Our task is to attract qualified specialists, and the staffing culture is constantly changing. As I mentioned, we are a financial and technical organization and we are looking for people who can apply their creative thinking equally in both financial and technical fields. Ameriabank is a leader in the field of digital banking operations, and we strive to attract professionals who can develop flexible solutions, taking into account the demands of the modern economy, in order to provide a high-quality and convenient service for our customers. As a result of the active growth policy adopted by the bank's strategy, new jobs are created. In 2018 alone, we created more than 300 jobs. I believe that this dynamic will be maintained, given the pace of our development. Over the past year, the number of our customers has doubled.
Today, the bank has more than 900 employees who are carriers of unique corporate culture and values. As a result of the changes in the value system of the new generation, the selection and adaptation of new employees has become quite difficult. But our team succeeds because we are flexible and never stop learning and sharing our experience.
If we talk about difficulties, of course there are and they are not few. We are not yet known in the tech industry job market, which is why the candidates we want are not applying to us. Instead we address them ourselves. We have some difficulties in searching for unique specialists in Armenia.
We also actively cooperate with the Diaspora and are ready to support young professionals educated abroad to return to Armenia and invest their money in the development of our company and the economy of Armenia. We have managed to attract specialists from Lebanon, Syria and the USA, and we are glad that they are no longer connecting their lives and activities with Armenia. We cooperate with specialized universities (including technical ones), organize visits to the bank for students and schoolchildren, have discussions with them. All this allows them to understand what a job at Ameriabank can give them. American University of Armenia, Stepanavan H. have already participated in the mentioned programs. Tumanyan High School, British International School of Armenia, Armenian-Russian (Slavic) University and other educational institutions. Students studying both in Armenia and abroad have the opportunity to complete the mandatory internship at Ameriabank. In this regard, we cooperate with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the International Armenian Women's Association (AIWA), "Depi Hayk" Foundation and other organizations that can bring young people living abroad to Armenia. Our specialists communicate without any difficulty with young people who do not speak Armenian well or at all. We are able to work in three languages. This circumstance also contributes to repatriation to some extent, which makes us very happy.
We can proudly say that we have already started the 11th "Ameria Generation" program. Through this program, we have involved more than 200 young professionals in 6 years. We plan to implement at least two such programs within a year. The program itself is unique and constantly changing. The purpose of the program is to enable young people to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired at the university in practice. Our most skilled specialists share their experience with them. No less important is the fact that Ameriabank pays salaries to the participants of the program. In our culture, it is customary to empower, educate and support young people. As a result of legislative changes, in the last two programs, we raised the age limit from 25 to 27 years, so that young people can participate in the program after compulsory military service. We are glad that the youth appreciated our step and we already have such participants.
How do you motivate your employees to remain loyal to the bank in the face of fierce competition for professionals?
Since we are the leader of the banking system, we try not only to attract qualified professionals, but also to do everything to make them stay and work with us. We implement motivation systems adopted in international best practice, we have excellent office conditions where it is pleasant to work. We provide employees with sports club memberships, medical and vehicle insurance, and in some cases accident insurance. The bank carries out professional training of employees at its own expense, gives them the opportunity to participate in international conferences, international certification programs. Our employees have the opportunity to use banking services on special, beneficial terms. We organize many team-building events, thanks to which employees get a chance to experience the united team spirit. I would also like to emphasize that everyone at Ameriabank, regardless of their position, is free to express their opinion on any issue, may disagree with the manager, and this is perceived as normal. When looking for new employees, we're not looking for like-minded people. On the contrary, we are looking for people who think differently and approach work, have a different worldview, people who complement us rather than repeat us.
Source: www.lragir.am