CIM ON SITE. One person can make a difference

OFF TO MADAGASCAR

“Madagascar/Antananarivo – Wanted: Eco-Tourism / Marketing Expert.” That was the job announcement that caught Michaela Pawliczek’s eye on CIM’s Internet job market in August 2005. The university graduate in business administration, with a major in tourism, was all enthusiasm. At that moment she was going through a period of professional reorientation and wanted very much to go abroad again. Four months later, Pawliczek was starting on a new professional challenge as a CIM Integrated Expert in Madagascar, where of late she has been supporting and advising the Office Nationale du Tourisme de Madagascar with the implementation of Madagascar’s master plan for tourism. “It’s a great experience – great!” says the 30-year-old with delight. Here is how she describes her CIM application process from the first email to the day she left for the job.

“After I was sure that my qualifications were right for the job, I sent the application forms by email and post to CIM, along with a German and a French résumé and cover letter. I soon received email confirmation that CIM would review my documents and wait until the deadline for applications had passed. Right after that deadline, CIM sent me a letter inviting me to an interview, along with information about the Integrated Experts Programme and a questionnaire. I was to fill out the questionnaire and send it back.

The interview took about four hours and was conducted by the human resources recruiting officer and programme coordinator for Madagascar. Psychological aspects were considered as well as my professional qualifications, as were my ideas about how I would want to approach my future assignment and the challenges it involved. Then I went to GIZ in Eschborn for a physical examination at its Medical Examination Centre. CIM reimbursed my travel expenses for the interview. Shortly thereafter, I was notified that I was one of the candidates to be proposed to the employer. For this I had to translate my application documents into French. Not long after that I received word that the Office Nationale du Tourisme de Madagascar had chosen me. This happy news was followed by a thorough counselling session at CIM. I was given more detailed information about CIM and its development policy mandate, the general conditions in Madagascar, and concrete information about what CIM would provide me during my assignment abroad.   

After resigning from my job, I started a course at the Training Centre for International Development Cooperation in Bad Honnef that was geared specifically to my new job. For four weeks I took classes in language, history and cultural background and seminars on conflict management and intercultural communication. About four months after my first contact with CIM,  I was sitting in the plane on my way to Madagascar!”