How to prepare a Resume to Work in Greece

This is a short guide to help you. How to prepare a resume to work in Greece.

The key focus of your Greek Resume should be to persuade the employer to invite you for an interview. Therefore your Greek Resume is amarketing tool, which should be adapted to the market in which you intend to use it.

Networking in a foreign country might sound difficult, but in Greece this is the way it is done. It will certainly prove its worth and you will probably realise that it is not as difficult as it seemed.

Within a short period of time you will most likely become part of their network of recommendations and you will also be making lots of new contacts and maybe some friends along the way.

There are no strict rules for a Resume in Greece. It is usually between three and five pages long.

Greek Resume are exhaustive and detailed, and normally arranged in chronological order.

Practical experience is considered very important.

Many Greek companies use application form instead of Resume's.

Work permits in Greece

• EEA citizens are free to move and work wherever they want to within the EEA (including Greece).
• You must apply for a residence permit to work in Greece. This is valid for five years and should be issued within six
months of your arrival.
• Contact the Greek embassy in your home country for more information on work permits.

The application procedure in Greece

• Newspapers are an important source of information, particularly for office workers and intermediate-level jobs.
• The most important route to employment is through personal contacts. A temporary job might help with this networking.
• The Greek public employment service, Organismos Apasholisseos Ergatikou Dynamikou (OAED), has the monopoly on
vocational placements in Greece.

The application letter in Greece

• The Greek application rules are not very strict.
• The letter should be short, formal and polite.
• Copies of diplomas, three references, a health certificate and a certificate of absence of a criminal record accompany the application in Greece.

Dos

• Put everything in your CV that makes you an interesting candidate. More paper looks impressive to a Greek
recruiter.
• Provide examples to illustrate your achievements in Greece.
• Be prepared for three to six interviews in the application process.
• Look interested – ask questions.
• Ask for clarification if you don’t understand the question you have been asked.

Don’ts

• Sit until invited in an interview.
• Feel offended by questions about your personal situation – these questions are quite common in Greece.
• Underestimate the importance of the Greek language and cultural heritage to the Greek.
• Criticise former employers.
• Go over the top – stay calm and stick to the facts.

Management culture in Greece

• Most companies in Greece are relatively small and led by one manager.
• There is a vertical hierarchy with very little responsibility in companies.
• Comradeship is an essential part of life in Greece.
• Many small organisations are very flexible, as they have learned to
• Anticipate the fluctuations in the Greek economy.
• During a meeting, it’s important to make yourself heard.
• The Greeks believe you should ‘pass’ time, not ‘use’ it.
• Punctuality does not seem to be very important.