She has been in the field for 18 years, and although it may sound like a routine work, she still has a lot to discover. “I'm the type of person who gets excited about new things quickly. I enjoy trying new approaches, technologies, and looking for ways no one has tried before,” she explains. She got into recruitment completely by accident. “I had a part-time job at a bank while I was in college, and when they offered me a position as a receptionist at the recruitment agency that had helped me get the part-time job, I thought, why not? Within a few weeks, I was conducting my first interviews, and even though I was very nervous at first, I got hooked,” she laughs.
Today, she leads a team of five people. “My work is mainly strategic. My job is to move recruitment forward, look for trends, and set up processes. But when necessary, I'm happy to go back to the field. Even after all these years, I still really enjoy it, and I want to understand what my people are going through and keep my feet on the ground.”
When it comes to trends, Aricoma tries to make the most of them. “One of them is definitely visual job advertising. We take photos of our branches, record video greetings from team leaders, and give candidates the opportunity to see where they would be working. The younger generation doesn't want to read long texts; they want to see everything. So we let them see,” she describes.
But the most important and most effective advice is to stay real. “Today, we no longer try to paint a rosy picture of the world. Candidates appreciate the truth. We don't want to sell dreams, we want to show reality,” she says.
There is still a shortage of top IT specialists
This also reflects how radically the IT market has changed over the past ten years. “When I started, it was enough to post a job ad and wait to see who responded. Today, you have to think about your target audience, the format, and the tone of communication. You need to be creative, fast, work with candidates professionally, and remember to provide feedback,” she explains. Specialists with many years of experience are still in short supply.
“There are still too few people who combine experience with a willingness to keep developing. At the same time, more candidates are coming from retraining programs. They often bring enthusiasm and motivation, which is also very valuable for a company.”
People in IT are constantly in demand, which is why it is important not to rely only on traditional recruitment methods. “On our website, we have a ‘Join us’ button where people can register even when we do not have any open positions. And they really do sign up, which I see as a sign of a healthy company. They want to be part of the brand even when we are not actively hiring.”
An employee referral program also plays an important role, allowing our staff to recommend someone who might be a good fit. “This year alone, thirty-three people have joined us through referrals. That’s a great number. When employees recommend us, it means they are satisfied, and that is the best marketing you can have.”
LinkedIn as a professional diary
Last but not least, it is important to be visible online. Tamara can tick this box not only on a professional level, but also on a personal level. Her father worked in IT and was even employed at AutoCont 30 years ago. When she married a gamer, IT officially became part of her life. This is what led to her first wave of popularity on LinkedIn.
“I started writing about what it's like to live with a gamer. I was a new mom, and I originally wanted to write about motherhood, but then I realized that wasn't for my target audience. IT guys don't want to read about diapers,” she laughs.
Today, with more than 12,000 followers, Tamara is one of the most prominent HR personalities on Czech LinkedIn. “I'm not the type to live on social media, but I like LinkedIn. It's professional, authentic, and when you use it wisely, it can change the perception of the entire industry.”
Currently, she is striving to improve not only her team at Aricoma, but also the entire HR field. She openly discusses issues within the HR community on social media. “Recruitment is often underestimated. Some say that we are real estate agents for candidates. However, that is unfair. When the work is done properly, it's a wonderfully human field,” she explains. And the fact that she does it well is proven by the fact that in 2022 she won the Recruiter of the Year category in the Recruitment Awards.
“HR should help people not only find jobs, but also in their everyday lives,” she says. Together with a friend, she founded HRLove Meetup, a charity project in Ostrava that is not only an inspiring HR conference, but also supports hospices and children's organizations. “We want even small things to have an impact. And if we can help through our work, why not do it?”
Escape from the world of code
When she has time off, she disappears into the mountains. “I call it disconnecting. After a week among people, I need to clear my head in the mountains.” She also enjoys traveling, board games, and baking. Last year, she fulfilled her dream for her 40th birthday and went to Iceland with her husband for two weeks. “It was the trip of a lifetime. The landscape, the energy, the emptiness. It was a complete reset I needed, and everyone should do it once in a while.”
Work-life balance. It's an approach she has adopted over the years and promotes not only for herself but also for others. “I often tell my team that taking time off means allowing yourself to actually switch off. Of course, when a project is on fire, we push hard. But that can't become the permanent state of things.”
Tamara Ksandrová is living proof that even in a world full of data, codes, and recruitment data, work can be about emotions, energy, and humanity. And maybe that's why she still enjoys it after eighteen years.