MIREMS consultants share insights into what makes them great at their job.
Lucas, Portuguese Language Consultant, Director of Human Resources:
“First of all I might be a singular case from the point of view that I was a newcomer with low perspectives when I was hired. I spent a lot of time reading guidelines, reading my papers, searching for sources and for anything that could possibly fit into a report.
I drove deep into all possible media that was offered me and tried to make it as productive as possible. If I am to list the keys to my success in this business I would point out:
“I see the job as a partnership - not just another job - and I enjoy what I do. The fact that we keep moving forward as a team and that our business is running well makes me feel happy and ready to take the next steps because this horizon seems very bright. This company already means a lot to me and it plays a very important role in the pages of my short story as an immigrant.”
I drove deep into all possible media that was offered me and tried to make it as productive as possible. If I am to list the keys to my success in this business I would point out:
- Having time to devote to learning the job;
- Having a great interest in language and culture;
- Strongly believe in shared success between MIREMS and myself.
“I see the job as a partnership - not just another job - and I enjoy what I do. The fact that we keep moving forward as a team and that our business is running well makes me feel happy and ready to take the next steps because this horizon seems very bright. This company already means a lot to me and it plays a very important role in the pages of my short story as an immigrant.”
Salvatore, Italian Language Consultant:
“In simple terms, I believe the "necessary" (but not "sufficient") elements that make me a good consultant are:
- Time available (a commodity that is becoming hard to find, as my other professional and personal commitments continue to grow);
- Genuine interest in languages and diverse cultures;
- Language skills (being a translator has helped a lot in my specific case);
- Receiving adequate financial recognition for all of the above;
- Moral reward deriving from progressive corporate expansion.”
Blythe, Spanish Language Consultant, Sources Director
“I believe that I achieved success because I combined self-motivation with interest and experience in news and media analysis. As an experienced freelancer, I didn't expect or need a lot of hands-on care. I am used to training by thoroughly reading training materials many times without the option of too much direction and consultation with anyone. I had the patience and motivation to start with a small amount of work at the beginning in hopes of getting more as time went on. I enjoyed the job right away as it combined my interest in news, culture, languages, current affairs and Spanish in particular.
As a result of my first-hand and family experience with immigration, I do have a personal interest and feel a link to all of the immigration-related material associated with this job. I felt a lot more connected to the company after meetings with other consultants, which creates a team atmosphere and is not something generally associated with freelance work. I enjoy the sense of being part of a team at MIREMS and feel that what we do has meaning, which is important in terms of job satisfaction.”
"I also benefited from starting the job at a time in my life when I had the proper time and focus to dedicate to it. I believe that dedication, self-motivation, language skills, cultural awareness and an interest in continuous learning are all needed to succeed as a consultant at MIREMS.” -Blythe
As a result of my first-hand and family experience with immigration, I do have a personal interest and feel a link to all of the immigration-related material associated with this job. I felt a lot more connected to the company after meetings with other consultants, which creates a team atmosphere and is not something generally associated with freelance work. I enjoy the sense of being part of a team at MIREMS and feel that what we do has meaning, which is important in terms of job satisfaction.”
"I also benefited from starting the job at a time in my life when I had the proper time and focus to dedicate to it. I believe that dedication, self-motivation, language skills, cultural awareness and an interest in continuous learning are all needed to succeed as a consultant at MIREMS.” -Blythe
Julia, Language Consultant, Client Service Director
"I really enjoy this job, and I think part of what makes this job so enjoyable for me is that I have a genuine interest in languages and diverse culture. I also appreciate how this job is so flexible, allowing me to work from practically anywhere with internet, and being able to fit this job into my life."
"I started off with just a couple of sources, and I learned by reading a list of keywords by myself, the keywords list was smaller back then. When I did have any questions, I just emailed the editors for answers. In the beginning I remember just clicking around on the intranet website to get familiar with it."
"This job definitely requires a certain amount of learning. This learning part differs for everyone, in my case, I mostly just had to learn the names of ministers, government departments and programs, as well as how to use the Intranet to submit reports. But I’m self-motivated, I’m committed, and I knew that it would eventually pay off and get easier and faster as I improve. We provide a lot of support to the new recruits now when it comes to training and the use of keywords, and we even pay them for their efforts."
"I started off with just a couple of sources, and I learned by reading a list of keywords by myself, the keywords list was smaller back then. When I did have any questions, I just emailed the editors for answers. In the beginning I remember just clicking around on the intranet website to get familiar with it."
"This job definitely requires a certain amount of learning. This learning part differs for everyone, in my case, I mostly just had to learn the names of ministers, government departments and programs, as well as how to use the Intranet to submit reports. But I’m self-motivated, I’m committed, and I knew that it would eventually pay off and get easier and faster as I improve. We provide a lot of support to the new recruits now when it comes to training and the use of keywords, and we even pay them for their efforts."
"After a month or so, I was given the opportunity to take on more sources. By then I had a much better idea of how much time I would need to devote to additional sources, depending on if they were tier 1 or tier 2, so I only took on what I knew I would be able to handle along with my school work." -Julia