Name : Matt De Luca
Position : Managing Director (JobNet.com.mm)
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When was your first visit to Myanmar?
How has your impression changed since your first arrival? I’ve been here for 2 years and Myanmar has turned me into a much more patient and empathetic person. It takes time to familiarize with the way things work here, but there is no doubt that Myanmar is a country full of opportunities. Among other things, technology and the internet have brought unparalleled change and opportunities, and whoever is planting the seeds now can often enjoy the advantage of being one of the early movers.
How did you end up as the current position?
I met my current business partner in Yangon and a few months after we started JobNet.com.mm. Our group also owns Shweproperty.com, the leading online real estate group in Myanmar.
What are your role and responsibilities? I am a very hands-on person and I get involved a lot in operations. Especially for digital businesses like JobNet.com. mm and for where Myanmar is at, it’s like going through where most developed nations were 15 years ago all over again, but at five times the speed. I spend most of my time with my leadership team but I also enjoy sitting down with new recruits and involving them as much as I can in the decision making process.
Please explain to our readers about jobnet.com.mm
JobNet.com.mm is a job advertising website where companies and job seekers meet each other. Companies advertise their vacancies and people who are interested can apply directly. It’s like an online job fair, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When a candidate applies for a job, their application goes directly to the employer advertising it. If the employer is interested in the candidate, they will contact him or her directly. We don’t stop any application because we are not a recruitment agency. Our goal is to create a marketplace with the widest choice of high quality and real jobs from real companies. Some job portals advertise many inactive or fake jobs in order to attract candidates, but we believe that’s unethical, builds distrust from job seekers and in online recruitment.
What are the current projects that your team has been working?
We are always working on many projects, from organizing events to developing new technology or services that will make JobNet even stronger and allow us to better service our market.
How different working here in Myanmar compared to other countries?
Some things move quite slowly, while others quicker. Finding the right talent tends to be a slow and daunting process, whereas having access to business leaders can be fairly straightforward. There is a general sense of excitement and optimism that is common to most business leaders that I have met. This creates a very positive atmosphere to work in for most top employers in the country.
How is jobNet.com.mm service different from others?
We are the most visited job portal in Myanmar, meaning that we are able to make our customer’s job vacancies more visible than any other solution in the market.
What are the long term objectives of jobnet.com.mm in Myanmar?
To be the fastest and most effective way for people to move up and advance their careers in Myanmar, and for Employers is to be the most obvious choice for hiring talent.
What are the best three solutions to boost Myanmar human sector?
There is no quick solution. However, as a start, international practices in education, a more professional work ethic inside and outside the workplace, and continuous improvement and training will help to raise the standards.
From a business standpoint, what do you feel are the biggest challenges facing you and your team in Myanmar in next 1-3 years?
Educating the customer base that is still not online will be a challenge, talent shortages which every Employer experiences and achieving a sustainable size and expanding nation-wide.
Please give your comment on Myanmar’s human resource sector?
The HR field in Myanmar has come a long way in the last decade, but even more so in the last 4-5 years. Technology has the potential to make HR departments and companies as a whole more professional and efficient, and it will be exciting to see how this will happen in the coming years. I have no doubt that if companies will want to be competitive, they will have to embrace technology to streamline processes and have a more analytical approach to problem solving and an understanding of what’s going on. There are still large firms that don’t know exactly what’s going on in their workforce because there is no tech systems to keep a record, and there are still many firms that rely heavily on expensive and outdated traditional channels to hire people.
If you could change one major government policy, what would it be?
It would be ideal to make purchasing property in Myanmar a lot easier for foreigners, in a transparent way and without too many restrictions.
How are you enjoying your days in Myanmar ?
I’m loving it. I also like being involved in the local tech community and in projects that aim at rehabilitating colonial buildings downtown.
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