On the surface, companies headquartered in Moscow and other large centers have adapted western HR and recruiting processes but cultural differences that color our perceptions about work affect everything and the slightest scratch brings them out.

- Russia only has 10 years of commercial for-profit experience ? even so the early years were chaotic and economically hard for everyone. Business knowledge is prized but on a par with the much earlier times in the US. There just isn't any history for the majority of the professionals to have a context for what they do.

- Fewer than 20% of the population is solid middle class. Ignoring the wealthy 1%, the remainder of the population is seriously struggling to make ends meet. The difference between living well and living on the edge is narrow and it still isn't certain whether the middle class is winning and growing. But I would bet the ranch on the folks we were priveledged to meet.

- Highly educated, Russians are reasonably more available and willing to work (and they stoically put up with more BS than similar counterparts in the US). They might talk about a talent shortage and complain about too many unqualified candidates to sort through just like their counterparts here but the reality doesn't map to either US or European circumstances when you dig into the details.

The conference days were unlike anything I've experienced in the US. There were full (plenary) sessions and concurrent sessions just like the US. There were breaks (2) and lunch but unlike the US they lasted a few minutes. We went non-stop from 8am-6:30pm. Speaker after speaker got up and tackled their respective topics with barely a minute's prep between the final applause for the last speaker and the new speaker's introduction. They squeezed every minute.

The speakers were professional, but with little flare in their approach- instead they pushed more deeply into their content. Company practices especially were shared with significant detail. The most amazing thing was watching the audience reaction. Rapt attention for hours. Eyes were just as wide at 6pm.US attendees are slackers by comparison. We would have demanded a great deal more entertainment with our content ?in a much shorter period of time.

The questioning at the end of a presentation was a wonderfull experience for me and followed a structured form- first, the attendee formally stood and complimented the speaker on their "excellent and informative" presentation. Usually a learning point was mentioned that was "valuable" and then the "question" would be asked, pointedly. The questioner making it clear that their experience was not in agreement with the speaker and was their some additional proof of the speaker's cliam. Sometimes they got it, sometimes not but I loved every minute of it.

A few differences about the practice of HR and staffing in Russia.

- Testing is the norm not the exception. The background of many HR and recruiting professionals includes a strong psychology component. I think their appraoch to psychology still retains a vestige of  the Soviet approach and that it compliments rather than contrasts their connection with public relations and marketing.

I think Russian HR professionals are struggling to define their HR role as leaders who create an environment where people are motivated to work versus working as an extension of their leaders to convince people to work hard under the difficult conditions they find themselves in. This dichotomy is an underlying part of the questions we were asked about America and goes directly to how their society is changing. We heard speakers focus on the importance of branding and authenticity or about the need to develop programs that improve onboarding of workers at all levels and, at the same time, we also heard a debate over how to manage the content of an employee magazine to motivate rather than inform.

Back to the testing ? an accountant with three to five years experience from a decent university would only be hired after a "panel" (slate) of finalists completed a battery of tests- often both skills and personality focused. This is a common practice in nearly every firm. I've no doubt the testing is based on concurrent validation practices but few firms have done an ROI that includes whether the use of tests for all job families really correlates with performance differences in their firm. Diversity is not an issue. Diversity is an immigration issue.

- Russian firms and multi-nationals operating in Russia  are just as requisition driven as any of their US counterparts- maybe more so- but paper is their norm. Few of even the largest firms have operating ATSs and even those that do admit they don't use them until the recruiting process is complete. Obtaining resumes in a digital format is likely one of the main problems. Access to the internet through work is common enough but no one is going to be spending their day surfing the web unless it is work oriented. Fewer professionals have good access from home and outside of the largest cities, the world is very different.

- Recruiters working on approved openings might consider internal candidates?but succession planning and bidding systems are at very early stages-  preferences for an internal candidates over external applicants isn't as evident. External candidates are simultaneously sought and evaluated.

- Social networking sites aren't unheard of (several atendees are on Linkedin) but "direct sourcing" techniques aren't pursued  aggressively and external recruiters are more likely brought in. Sites like Headhunter.ru and other jobboards are used along with newspapers and other typical sources as their US counterparts.

I suppose I was most surprised that the people I met seemed so much more outgoing, open about their feelings and passionate about their work than I thought they would be. I'm sure that was sound of the myths of my upbringing breaking .

At the Airport somewhere north of Moscow, Todd and I split up to find our respective flights home. I must have been clueless trying to discern which long line (verry long lines) to get into when a 30-year old accosted me and said "New York?".

"Yup", I replied.

Evgenia Mays introduced herself and said to stand in the line with her as she was returning to Connecticut. Evgenia is a Moscow native who has been working for the last five years at a Russian steel company in the US (100,000 employees worldwide). She is an economist working in sales and providing in-depth analysis to large-term sales projects. She spends 1-week each month in Russia and 1-2 weeks in Connecticut with her American husband. In response to my obvious question, "What about the fourth week?", she said, "China" and proceded to tell me her Chinese was better than her English. She shared that it has been a wonderful ride but it will be harder to keep doing what she is doing as she and her husband consider their future plans. Since seriously wondered if her skills had any value. Yes, I do have her card. We can only change the world one person at a time.

 Postscript: As our Aeroflot plane descended for its touchdown at JFK, a few Americans amidst a plainful of Russians who were sitting in a block near me suddenly broke out into song. Angels in Harlem, a choir group on tour in Russia for 7 weeks were apparently so joyful at the sight of Manhatten in the background that we were treated to an impromptu concert for several minutes. As we touched down everone broke out in applause. Much more than a Russian tradition.

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