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Елена Денисова-Шмидт, Барима Дашидоржиева УДК 81'23
как иностранные компании розничной торговли нанимают
на работу сотрудников: некоторые культурные особенности1
В данной работе впервые продемонстрирована модель лакун как инструмент анализа культурных особенностей объявлений о вакансиях. В качестве примера были использованы некоторые вакансии иностранных компаний розничной торговли.
Ключевые слова: модель лакун, иностранные компании, набор персонала, объявления о вакансиях
Elena Denisova-schmidt, Bairma Dashidorzhieva
how international retailers recruit employees in Russia: some cultural peculiarities
The lacuna model has been tested on many different kinds of texts, but not yet on job ads. using selected job ads from foreign retailers operating in Russia, the authors show the advantages of this research instrument and its potential.
Key words: lacuna model, foreign companies, recruitment, jobs ads
1 This is a slightly revised version of material already published in [Denisova-Schmidt 2012b]. 136 вопросы психолингвистики
1. Theoretical framework
A lacuna (Lat.: lacuna) is a gap in intercultural communication. The lacuna model is a research tool created by Sorokin and Markovina [1989], further developed by Ertelt-Vieth [1990, 2005], Panasiuk [2005], and tested through practical research in many fields [e.g. Zhel'vis 1977, 2006; Donec 2004; Sternin, Sternina 2005; Bykova 1998; Turunen 1997; Grodzki 2003; Grodzki, Rehman 2006; Grodzki, Ludwig 2006; Denisova-Schmidt 2007a, 2012a; Dashidorzhieva 2011]. Ertelt-Vieth established a more rigorous classification system. This model is theoretically grounded in cultural anthropology (Geertz), semiotics (Posner), and communicative activity theory (Tarasov). Ertelt-Vieth has classified lacunas according to two dimensions, the first of which encompasses three major subcategories: mental lacunas, activity lacunas and object lacunas; the second, axiological lacunas.
Mental lacunas are differences in cognitive and affective states.
Cultural-emotive lacunas: feelings and attitudes (= object-related) and their intensities, e.g. shame, pride, interest, and disgust.
For example, many Russians become homesick, even when they are away from home for only a few days [Ertelt-Vieth 2005]. Attention lacunas: continuity and intensity of any activity (lacuna of concentration, Grodzki 2003).
For example, when watching television, Germans seem to concentrate less when watching typically American commercials (cowboy imagery, etc.) [Grodzki 2003].
context lacunas: term-oriented, role-oriented, status-oriented, room-oriented, person-oriented knowledge (among other things, Auto-/Heterostereotypes), simple/ complex (scientific and subject theories, common sense, etc.).
For example, different meanings of the concepts of 'friend' and 'business partner' [cf. Ertelt-Vieth 2003; Lyskow-Strewe, Schroll-Machl 2003; Denisova-Schmidt 2007a]. Mnestic lacunas: memory; forgotten,
(unconsciously) displaced, (purposefully) taboo knowledge.
For example, when in one country people quite vividly remember who started and who was involved in World War II, while in others they do not [cf. Ertelt-Vieth 2003]. Language system lacunas: lexical, phonetic, grammar, syntactic.
For example, there are three definite articles in German, while English has only one and Russian has none.
Lacunas of activity recognize different ways of processing information, talking, moving, and other activities.
Language usage lacunas: the opening the conversation, conversation topics, conversation strategies, etc.
For example, one's salary might be a very typical topic for smalltalk in Russia, while it would be unusual for many Westerners to discuss [Denisova-Schmidt 2009b]. Paralinguistic lacunas: prosody, pauses, etc., and body language lacunas: mimic, kinetic, position in a room, body distance, etc.
For example, smiling in different cultures: Japanese smile more frequently than Europeans; they do it to signal respect and attention to the person they are talking or listing to [cf. Ertelt-Vieth 2003].
Lacunas of (unconscious/semi-conscious) daily routine: in private, semi-public, and public areas.
For example, taking a shower in the morning or in the evening. In Germany, a woman might ask a man to urinate sitting down, while in Russia this is very uncommon.
Lacunas of behavior: interpersonal, somewhat reflected, in private, semi-public, and public spaces, etc.
For example, mixed-gender saunas in German-speaking countries.
Lacunas of etiquette: unwritten rules (also by speaking), and consequences if these rules are broken.
Russians will start any phone conversation with 'Alio!' instead of their own name or the name of the organization.
Thought style lacunas: abstract-logical
versus concrete-empirical; linear versus circular, etc.
Lacunas of means of identity acquisition: verbal, mimic, gestic, kinetic, areal self-presentation; with attributes (see object lacunas below).
For example, in the Russian academic community, scientists introduce themselves (or are introduced) by giving their names and the number of their publications. In Germany academicians use the title of Doctor as a part of their names and many professors even outside of the academic community like to be called by their title, which would be frowned upon in other countries [cf. Ertelt-Vieth 2003].
Lacunas of means of identity description: dismantling or development of speaking partners (see identity acquisition or speaking strategies above).
Lacunas of oral communication: informal texts and social conventions (telling, smalltalk, gossip, rumors, etc.); strong codified texts and social convention in institutions (job interviews, oral exams, seminar discussions); relative codified texts in different contexts (reports, stories, explanations, discussions, hierarchical communications connected with role related knowledge); parents/children; students/teachers; students/professors; officials/ functionaries/the public; different formats in electronic media (news, talk shows)1.
Lacunas of virtual texts and pictures (with changeover to written texts, thus object lacunas): chats, newsgroups, emails, SMS, homepages, media portals, etc.
object lacunas are differences in objects, the human body, and the environment.
Lacunas of fixed texts and illustrations: letters, business cards, books, magazines, packages, instructions, advertisement, street sings, tombstones, etc. (attention should be paid to: author, receiver, distribution, content, material, format, weight, colors, fonts, picture quality, design tools, etc.)
Lacunas of subtexts: titles, reference blocks, indexes, tables of contents, breaks, illustrations, footnotes, etc.
Lacunas of space: geographical space (country/village/town; cultivated/uncultivated; used/unused areas; working forest/virgin forest, etc.); public room; residential/industrial area, inside/outside district (buildings, design and lay-out of a road, places, parks, bridges, etc.); public/private buildings, interior, working/ living areas, etc.
Body lacunas: form and color (figure, skin, hair, face, lips, eyebrows, beard, etc.); attribute (hair-cut, make-up, clothes, bags, etc.)
Food lacunas: different types of meat and fish, fruits and vegetables; dishes, drinks, spices, etc.
Axiological lacunas are the culturally-based meanings of the aforementioned lacunas. Ertelt-Vieth has taken the lacuna model and linked it to Geertz's approach, thus allowing her to connect two descriptions of cultural concepts and analyze them together from both the insider and outsider perspective (Symbolanalyse). Geertz states that not only are facts important in cultural anthropology, but also the meaning of these facts in one particular culture (Figure 1).
One of the first impressions that many Westerners have when visiting Russia is that Russians do not smile very often (lacuna of activity). They are an unsmiling nation and hence seem to be unpredictable; one should be on the alert (axiological lacunas for Russians). Actually, Russians do not smile because in Russian culture, «смех без причины -признак дурачины» (Engl.: 'laughter without any reason is considered a sign of foolishness') (axiological lacunas for western people). There are many (almost classical) consequences for dealing with Russians. So, for example, when the first McDonalds in Russia was opened, the Russian staff was trained to smile. Russian employees had many difficulties with this; one even said: «люди подумают, что мы полные
1 See in [Grodzki 2003] details regarding commercials (movie, TV, internet): production (time, length, structure, image sequence, and ton sequence), message (product shown, action of protagonists), appeal (rational/emotional, sexiness, status, safety, target group).
Lacuarts of Activity
Mental Lacunüs
Object Lacunas
Figure 1. The Lacuna Model according to Ertelt-Yieth [2005].
дураки» (Engl.: 'people will think we complete fools') [Ter-Minasova 2000].
are
2. Research Design
For this empirical study we selected job advertisements from international retailers operating in Russia. The selection was based on relevant studies provided by Euromonitor. Thus job ads of the following companies were considered for the empirical study (Figure 2):
The job ads were taken from the Russian websites of these companies and the job portal HeadHunter.Ru, which is widely used by international companies operating in Russia [Balakirev 2008; Denisova-Schmidt 2008a,
2008b]. In order to consider the job profiles of different position levels in and outside of Moscow in one company in my selection of job announcements, we tried to take into account the following issues:
1. a job ad from different hierarchical levels inside the company:
1.1 at least one position at a low level;
1.2 at least one position at the middle management level;
1.3 at least one position at the specialist
level;
2. a job ad from different places within the country:
2.1 at least one position from Moscow;
üfocerv Retallen
ООО Auchan, representee the brand
'Anchan' {France)
Non-G roce гу P eta i I ers
ООО IKEA bios, representing the brand 'IKEAJ (5weden)
ООО Obi Franchi&lng Centre, representing the brand гОВГ (Germany\
ZAO Stockmann, representing the brands 'Stockmann', '5eppalarr 'Hobby Hall'., 'Бестселлер', 'Nike'
'LindexJ (Finnland)
Cash and Carry/ Warehouse Clubs
Cash and Carry/ Warehouse Clubs
Figure 2. International Retailers in Russia.
2.2 at least one position from the Regions.
In this way we investigated 71 job vacancies announced during the same time period (January-June 2009).
3. Empirical Results
3.1 current Trends on the russian Market
Some employers give gender and age indications for potential candidates, for example, OBI is looking for male sales associates in the age group between 19 and 45: «Мужчина, 19-45 лет» (Engl.: male, 19-45 years old). In Germany and other EU countries, OBI might have grave consequences for these desired prerequisites. The Allgemeine Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (AGG) - the German Law about equal opportunities - has prohibited discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnic background, sexual identity, age, gender, religion or philosophy of life, and disability since August 2006.
Some employers explicitly require Russian citizenship: «только для граждан РФ» (Stockmann) (Engl.: only for Russian citizens), «гражданство РФ» (Engl.: Russian citizenship) (Auchan), «Для всех вакансий необходимо российское гражданство» (Engl.: Russian citizenship is necessary for all vacancies) (Metro Cash & Carry). Indeed in 2007 a new regulation came into force for retail employees in Russia whereby grocery retailers selling alcohol must hire only Russian citizens. The immigrants unofficially involved in retailing in all formats had to be completely eliminated by 2008. Many retailers unofficially employed immigrants from CIS countries and paid them lower wages than Russian citizens.
Many companies try to attract new candidates with such offers as employment according to the Russian Labor Law: «оформление по ТК РФ» (Engl.: Employment according to the Russian Labor Law) (Stockmann) and «соблюдение ТК РФ» (Engl.: Compliance with the Russian Labor Law) (Auchan). Not all companies in Russia stipulate the Russian Labor Law, in spite of the fact they must follow this law in order to
operate in Russia legally. In the retail sectors, employees rarely might find a company that satisfies the Labor Law's requirements. So, for example, according to the Labor Law, full-time employees should work no more than 40 hours per week and receive extra pay for any additional hours required. Most retail employees, however, work more than eight hours a day, and few retailers pay overtime. Workers do not defend their rights, as labor unions are still collectively weak in Russia.
Most companies include in their job ads some very important considerations for Russian employees in their decision to apply for a job and to stay with the company [Denisova-Schmidt 2011a, 2013]:
A good and friendly atmosphere in the company: Having a harmonious collective is very important for Russians: «дружный коллектив нашей компании» (Engl.: friendly collective of our company) or «отличный коллектив» (Engl.: excellent collective) (IKEA); «ответственный, профессиональный и увлеченный своим делом коллектив» (Engl.: responsible, professional and fascinated by its job collective) (Auchan).
Good working conditions: Enough space, security, parking, access to a cafeteria. Only in Moscow and St. Petersburg are transport accessibility and time spent by getting to the workplace indicated: «Комфортабельные условия работы в современном главном офисе» (Engl.: comfortable working conditions in the modern main office) (Metro Cash & carry).
Long distances from home to the workplace (approx. 2 hours by train under very bad conditions or in traffic jams) are a huge problem for big cities in Russia, especially for Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Moscow underground is overloaded, due to the fact that there are too many people in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This point is reflected in jobs ads as well: «предпочтительно проживание в районе расположения гипермаркета» (Engl.: residence near hypermarket preferable) (Auchan). Most job ads mention the work location, indicating which metro station is
nearby, and whether the company provides corporate busses from these metro stations: «корпоративные автобусы от станций метро Речной Вокзал, Сходненская, Войковская, Алтуфьево» (Engl.: corporate buses from the metro stations Rechnoi vokzal, Skhodnenskaia, Voikovskaia, and Altuf'evo) (Metro Cash & carry).
Professional and personal development:
training and further education: «возможность обучения по современным технологиям и повышения уровня профессиональных навыков» (Engl.: the option to study in accordance with modern technologies and growth of professional abilities) (Auchan), «гарантированная возможность профессионального развития, обучение и тренинги» (Engl.: guaranteed possibility of professional development and training) (IKEA), intensive training program (IKEA), «обучение за счет компании» (Engl.: training paid by the company) (Metro cash & carry).
Fey et al. [1999] found that some managers would even forgo a one-time bonus of 2,000 USD in order to receive one week of training abroad. Some foreign companies might underestimate the importance for Russians to go abroad. For many people is more important to go abroad than to receive training [cf. Denisova-Schmidt 2008b]. Hence some companies offer the opportunity to work abroad: «перспектива работы зарубежом» (Engl.: Possibility to work abroad) (IKEA).
Internal rotation and promotion based on performance, knowledge, and career growth: «возможность профессионального и карьерного роста» (Engl.: the possibility for professional development and career growth) (Auchan); 'professional and career opportunities within Ikea group' (IKEA), 'opportunities for international career and professional development' (Metro cash & carry).
open and accessible information
dissemination concerning the aims, goals, strategy, and (possible) changes in an organization: «... свободное и открытое общение. Вся информация, как о
достижениях, так и о неудачах, доводится до сведения всех сотрудников» (Engl.: free and open communication. All information about advantages and disadvantages are brought to the attention of all employees) (Metro cash & carry).
A good fixed salary and competitive social benefits are important to Russian employees, and firms with non-competitive salaries and social benefits will have difficulty attracting, motivating, and retaining employees.
a good fixed salary: «конкурентный уровень заработной платы» fEngl.: competitive salary) (OBI), «стабильная заработная плата» (Engl.: stable salary) (Auchan), «конкурентная заработная плата» (Engl.: competitive salary) (IKEA).
The salary and social benefits market is changing very quickly and is not easy to monitor. This issue has been addressed by some companies: «пересмотр зарплаты 2 раза в год, полугодовая премия» (Engl.: salary revision twice a year, bonus every six months) (Auchan). Moreover, some companies will offer an official salary: «официальная заработная плата» (Engl.: official salary) or ««белая» заработная плата» (Engl.: 'white' salary) (OBI). Some Russian companies tend to pay official and unofficial salaries. Russian enterprises have a long tradition of keeping two sets of books: one with the actual results for internal usage and one with the desired results for external audits and/or reports to Soviet ministries (cf. Suutari 1998). There are still some reasons for paying in official and unofficial ways: e.g. reduction of social taxation and additional options for non-authorized work on holidays, vacations, and overtime hours. The reality of unofficial income is even accepted by international banks operating in Russia and providing loans for Russian citizens.
competitive social benefits
All retailers attract job seekers with competitive social benefits, but only a few of them specify what social benefits the employer is ready to offer: «льготное добровольное медицинское страхование сотрудников и их детей» (Engl.: subsidized voluntary medical
insurance for employees and their kids) (Auchan, IKEA), «льготное питание» (Engl.: subsidized meals) (OBI, Auchan), «льготный транспорт» (Engl.: subsidized transport) (Auchan, IKEA), «бесплатная униформа» (Engl.: free uniform) (Auchan), «бесплатная одежда несколько раз в год» (Engl.: free clothes several times a year ) (Stockmann), «скидки на продукцию компании» (Engl.: discounts on company products) (Stockmann), «Компенсационный пакет - 15% скидка для персонала на продукцию компании, подарки от компании, корпоративные мероприятия, дополнительные дни отпуска» (Engl.: Compensation package: 15% discount on Company's goods, corporate gifts, additional vacation days) (IKEA).
3.2 The Job Profile of 'Ideal' Job candidates
The retail industry accounts for around 6% of all employment in the Russia (Goscomstat). There is, however, a lack of qualified retail staff. In 2005-06 only 54% of retail employees in Russia had specialized or higher education. According to our empirical investigation, any educational degrees (even at least high school) are not required at the low level by retailers at all. Almost half of all employees were parttime, with no specialized retail training (cf. International Labor Organization LABORSTA). Job ads prove this too: «трудовые договоры от 12 до 40 часов в неделю» (Engl.: labor contracts from 12 to 40 hours a week) and «опыт работы необязателен» (Engl.: professional experience is not obliged) (Auchan). As a result customer care is often poor, and customer service and advice unprofessional.
The ideal candidate at the low level for retailers is a person who resides near a hypermarket «проживание в районе расположения гипермаркета» (Engl.: residence near hypermarket preferable) (Auchan), is aware of products sold by a retailer: «знание ассортимента» (Engl.: knowledge of a variety of products) (OBI) «увлечение модой» (Engl.: fascination with fashion) (Stockmann) «интерес к
обустройству дома» (Engl.: interest in interior design) (IKEA), and takes an active role with customers on the job: «проявлять активность в работе с покупателями» (Engl.: takes an active role with customers on the job) (IKEA) «люди, способные приложить максимальные усилия для удовлетворения пожеланий покупателей» (Engl.: people able to make maximum efforts in order to satisfy customers' wishes) (Stockmann). Professional competences such as training and professional experience or methodological competences such as applying specialized knowledge and problem solving techniques are hardly required.
The ideal candidate at the specialist level for retailers is a person who has an appropriate degree, specialized knowledge, and professional experience. Russian employers seek people with computer literacy: «хорошее знание Exсel» (Engl.: good knowledge of Excel) (OBI), «уверенный пользователь ПК» (Engl.: confident PC user) (Stockmann), and good English skills: «чтение специальной технической литературы на английском языке» (Engl.: ability to read specialized technical literature in English) (Stockmann), «знание письменного английского языка и умение общаться на английском языке» (Engl.: knowledge of written English and the ability to communicate in English) (Stockmann), «разговорный уровень владения английским языком» (Engl.: 'speaking' level of English) (IKEA, Metro Cash & Carry).
Some required personal competences include enthusiasm for innovation: «обладание чувством стиля, интерес к индустрии моды» (Engl.: styling sense, interest in the fashion industry) (Stockmann). Expected social competences are the ability to work under clear guidance: «предоставление отчетности в Центральный Офис с периодичностью, указанной в процедуре «KVI/LPI Price Checking"» (Engl.: providing reports to the main office at a frequency stipulated in the 'KVI/LPI Price Checking' procedure), and «предоставление сканированных копий печатных изданий конкурентов, в соответствии с их периодичностью» (Engl.:
providing scanned copies of competitors' printed brochures according to their frequency) (OBI).
The ideal candidate at the middle management level must fulfill the similar requirements as the ideal candidate at the specialist level, including education, professional experience, computer literacy and language proficiency. Most of the companies ask for specialized education; for example, the head of the customs department should have a degree in law or customs law (Stockmann); and a Senior Lawyer (IKEA) - a degree in law from one of the best Moscow universities.
candidates at the middle management level are expected to have working experience in a similar position: «опыт работы в должности менеджера (директора) магазина от 1 года» and «аналогичный опыт работы не менее 5 лет» (Engl.: at least 5 years of similar professional experience) (Stockmann) or in the same area: «опыт организации работы и управления отделом» (Engl.: experience in work organization and department leading) (Metro cash & carry), «опыт работы в продажах от 3-х лет» (Engl.: professional experience in sales at least 3 years) (IKEA), 'working experience in large international/ Russian company in the field of real estate from 3-5 years is required' (IKEA), «опыт работы от 1 года (желательно в ресторанном бизнесе fast food)» (Engl.: at least 1 year working experience (preferably in the fast food restaurant business)) (Auchan). This means Russian employers are looking to learn from their employees.
Job seekers are expected to train and develop their staff in the area of their specialization: «обучение персонала» (Engl.: training the staff) (Stockmann, Auchan), «supporting and training other lawyers, incl. in the regional offices», <фазвитие сотрудников (обучение, делегирование полномочий, контроль выполнения поставленных задач в соответствии с индивидуальным планом развития)» (Engl.: employee development (training, task delegations, supervising assigned tasks in accordance with individual
development plans) (IKEA).
Expected personal competences include the achievement of assigned goals and results (Stockmann), the ability to take decisions, the spirit of enterprise (Stockmann), and mobility (OBI). Desired social competences are excellent leadership skills (OBI) and the ability to work independently and in a team (Stockmann).
3.3 cultural-Based Peculiarities (the detailed lacuna Analysis)
Mental lacunas
context-lacunas: role-oriented and room-oriented.
Some companies require mobility at the middle management level:
Mobility is a very crucial point for the Russian market. Russians are not very mobile. Many of them usually do not get any support from their families. It is socially very difficult to move away from home and the infrastructure does not support commuting. It is really a big challenge, especially if a person has a working partner or sick parents. Russians do not move very often within Russia for many reasons, including the importance of social networks and the legal requirement to have a town's propiska ('formal permit of residency') [Denisova-Schmidt 2007a, 2011a, 2011b]. Many Russians would however consider internal rotation outside of Russia (Western Europe and/or North America) [Denisova-Schmidt 2008a].
language system lacunas
Jobs ads:
a. Content and Structure:
There are no full sentences, only phrases. The job-seeker is not addressed directly; there are only passive constructions in use.
b. Russian vs. English:
The majority of the ads are written in Russian, but some of them are in English. Notably, this is the sign that the job advertisements were prepared by expatriates working in Russia. Due the lack of time and/ or language competences, the HR department did not translate them into Russian. Russian texts often have English words or expressions, however, for example «опыт работы от 1 года
(желательно в ресторанном бизнесе fast food)» (Engl.: at least 1 year working experience (preferably in the fast food restaurant business)) (Auchan) [cf. Rathmayr 2002]. c. Team vs. Collective: Some companies offer «корпоративные мероприятия» (Engl.: corporate events) (IKEA) and «работу в команде» (Engl.: work in a team) (OBI, Auchan, Metro Cash & Carry), while other companies use traditional words -«коллектив» (Engl.: collective) (IKEA and sometimes Auchan).
Lacunas of activity Lacunas of (unconscious/semiconscious) daily routine:
a. Most companies explicitly require PC literacy and modern language skills:
The modern language skills and PC proficiency of Russian job seekers are usually not very high. PC literacy and modern language skills are important in Europe as well, but many Employers in Europe expect potential candidates to be able to use a PC and seldom ask for it explicitly in job ads. Job candidates with computer literacy are not common in Russia [Klokov 2007]. Moreover, job candidates who are able to speak English well are also not that common in Russia [Klokov 2007]. Computer literacy and language proficiency should be checked during the job interviews, however [cf. Denisova-Schmidt 2011a].
Only two jobs ads (written in English, likely by expatriates) use the common term to determine modern languages skills 'Fluent English' (IKEA and METRO Cash & Carry). Other jobs ads' authors seem to be unaware of the terms used by CEFR (for example, B2) or ACTFL (for example, advanced mid) and require barely a 'speaking' level of English: OBI:
знание английского языка -разговорный уровень (желательно)
(Engl.: English knowledge -speaking skills (preferable)) Stockmann:
... умение общаться на английском
языке
(Engl.: ... the ability to communicate
in English) IKEA:
английский язык - разговорный (Engl.: English - speaking skills) разговорный уровень владения английским языком
(Engl.: speaking level of English)
b. Some companies expect their job candidates to take an active role with customers on the job:
IKEA:
проявлять активность в работе с покупателями
(Engl.: takes an active role with customers on the job) Stockmann
люди, способные приложить максимальные усилия для удовлетворения пожеланий покупателей
(Engl.: people able to make maximum efforts in order to satisfy customers' wishes)
Traditionally, Russian shop assistants were unfriendly and even rude. There have been some significant, if slow changes since 90s, however: the so-called 'new Russian politeness' [cf. Rathmayer 2008a, 2008b].
c. Educational diplomas and other certificates can be 'obtained' by means other than performance:
When some employers ask for driver's licenses, it means a job candidate is expected to drive, often using a corporate car. It is very important to verify whether a person can drive and has at least one year of driving experience. Otherwise a company might face many challenges. Driver's licenses could be 'obtained' by means other than performance [cf. Denisova-Schmidt 2011a].
Lacunas of behavior in semi-public and public spaces:
Many Russians often work in fields other than their education degrees. This peculiarity could be proven by some evidence, especially at the middle management level:
Most of the companies ask for specialized education; for example, the head of the customs
department should have a degree in law or customs law (Stockmann); and the Senior Lawyer (IKEA) - a degree in law from one of the best Moscow universities.
Object lacunas
Lacunas of fixed texts and illustrations: job advertisement
a. Announcements in print media:
Announcements in the print media are
rarely used as a recruitment tool: There are no national newspapers commonly read by all job seekers in Russia. If a company is looking for someone outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg, an announcement should be placed in the regional papers (cf. Denisova-Schmidt 2008a).
b. contact persons:
Jobs ads usually do not contain any contact persons for possible questions job
seekers might have. These include e-mail or fax numbers for sending a CV (there is an option to apply online through certain job engines) and very seldom a phone number for additional information.
4. Conclusion
The lacuna model allows the determination of cultural-based peculiarities in the recruitment techniques used by foreign companies operating in Russia, and seems to be applicable to such texts as job ads. In the long-term perspective, the model could be tested on other business texts, such as job descriptions or employment contracts. Moreover the study results allow a unique opportunity to observe current trends on the Russian market and create profiles of 'ideal' job candidates.
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