The formulation of cooperative alliances is the key for entrepreneurs
to find the exit from the bottleneck of the economic crisis
Mrs. Maria Petrakis gives advice regarding the ways of business development in order to be protected by the economic crisis from her position as a manager at the Chamber of Commerce in Herakleion being responsible of the Service and Business Support Office.
Businesspeople -she referred in an interview to “In-On” magazine- have to overcome their fears and follow the path of development. More specifically, we urge them to move on to the formulation of cooperative alliances (clusters), which are business co operations of similar or /and complimentary products regarding export matters, commissions and marketing and also to the adoption of innovative ideas with the aim to find the exit from the bottleneck of the economic crisis with the least possible losses.
The Chamber -she continued- stand by them by providing not only proposals of support and development but also through pressing the central administration to reduce the tax rates along with the banks so as to have a positive profile regarding the financial support of the businesspeople. Additionally, the Interim Management Agency, the so called Development of Crete that was created by all the Chambers of the Cretan Region is responsible for the management of the Community Funds aiming at the modernization of businesses. At the same time -she clarified- another field which is aided by the Chamber at present time is the issue of business executives who should be careful when presenting their C.V in order to find a job relative to their qualifications.
More particularly, she stressed the steps needed to find a working position:
When we are in front of a committee of evaluators we must keep in mind that they have already read our C.V. Imagine a rough, badly formatted resume with a plethora of spelling mistakes describing our “achievements”. Maybe someone should provide a cover letter to be attached to the resume. Or should our C.V be differentiated relatively to our aims and targets along with the post we are looking for?
Usually, interviews start “smoothly” with questions that concern the personal status so as to break the ice and “warm up” the candidate. However, the danger that lies here is to feel extremely comfortable and forget our role but most importantly the role of the assessors! This time the risk is to be received as arrogant or insolent. On the other hand, extreme modesty can be received as lack of confidence. Therefore, we should be ourselves, but please remember to project the positive parts of our personality.
One of the traps the evaluators use regards their attempt to bring the candidate in a difficult position and irritate him/her so as to see how he/she reacts under stressful conditions. Do not panic! Regulate your breathing, smile and try to buy time.
Also, improper references, demanding high salary without this to correspond to previous experience or qualifications and seeking employment in the higher ranks of the hierarchy with no experience gives a negative impression. This is one of the biggest mistakes that candidates often make who may have the typical qualifications, yet lack the relative experience required in senior positions.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Maria Petrakis is an economist graduated from the University of Macedonia. She holds a certificate of Specialization in Public Relations from the University of Athens, while she is a post-graduate student in the Administration of Tourist Enterprises at the Hellenic Open University (HOU).
Today, she works as a manager at the Chamber of Commerce in Herakleion being responsible of the Service and Business Support Office. Her position allows her to come in touch with local businessmen’s daily routine. She focuses on providing information and counseling and feels the pulse of the market and shares the concerns of the businesspeople.
It is her belief that ongoing training constitutes a constant challenge because through it we follow the developments. Maria Petrakis cares to update the level of her knowledge by being constantly trained all these years. At the same time, she deals with training business people and business executives for 20 years now regarding issues of Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Business Administration etc.
Source of publication 14th edition In-On