Minn Yan - The Development of Each Employee Is the Responsibility of HR and the Organization (Head of HR - Operations, Adani Yangon International Terminal Company)

It is not enough for a person to consider himself an HR professional by having a high level of education. It is important to be empathetic and considerate, and one must have a better understanding of the HR philosophy.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

1.  I graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Art, Specialize in Myanmar. In 2012, I received my diploma in Human Resources Management from Ireland. In 2020, Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management in the Yangon University of Economy.

I have been working as an HR Assistant since June’ 2005, then became an HR Assistant Manager in 2010 and became HR Manager in 2012. I have been the Head of HR since 2014. In total, I have more than 16 years of experience as an HR Professional.

 

How did you narrow down on this profession?

Firstly, I find out what exactly my careers that are on my list do, I want to develop people and want to give direction to those missing their goals. So, I find out what exactly I need to do at my job all day. 

If I am working on daily conversation or coaching, I need to know what I will do every single day of my job. I need to talk to a lot of people that do not want to talk to me, or to listen to a bunch of people with questioning backgrounds just to find out. 

I knew that if I chose this career, I wouldn't be able to do it alone, I need a lot of people and their cooperation. Finally, I found my perfect career, I found out where my hobby, my talent, and my commitment were.

It seems onboarding, even in 2021 is a long drawn out process behind the scenes. How do you envision this changing in the future?

1.  In 2021, there were many challenges. Especially in Myanmar. All these things were unforeseen problems, and we had no preparation. Therefore, it is important to take immediate actions to address any issues that may arise. 

    Make immediate adjustments, draw up contingency plans immediately. Decisions should be made immediately, and then plans are made. We must deal with almost everything on the spot. At this time, some things may not be able to fully comply with the policies and procedures set in the past, so they may be temporarily ignored. 

    These experiences have given us a better understanding of how to deal with similar crises or other unforeseen problems in the future. In the future, there will be better plans than now. Contingency plans can be drawn up and managed more effectively. Businesses will be managed to minimize the impact.

What’s one thing you would like to change in how Background Verification is done in India?

1.  I would like to change one thing that how background verification is “try to speak directly with respective’ s referee of the most recent organization”, don’t communicate by email, it can be a fraud.

How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

1   We can handle someone who has lied on their resume in the following ways:

• Speak with the candidate in an informal way first, then note it and check with his/her resume info.
• For any doubt clarification, we can discuss it in our community and candidates’ community.
• We may have connections with someone, maybe a colleague of the candidates, we may approach them.

Verification check.

If we find that candidate has lied on the resume, reject that resume, and highlight in CV database for the future reference as well, also we will have to inform the candidate.

 

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Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

1.  My option on this is, educational background is important, we cannot ignore it. If we select one candidate, we must review all of their educations, experiences, attitude, ethic, working styles, behaviour, competencies, talent, and recommendation are also required.

If we see the recommendations alone, there may be something wrong, it could be that their percentage is high, recommended personal might be a close connection to the candidate then he/she will give a strong recommendation for these candidates, so HR may select the wrong candidate, so if we recruit one candidate, the above things are required and important.

What advice do you have for aspiring HR professionals?

1.  I would like to advise HR professionals as below.

•      It must be managed fairly
•      While hiring each employee, think of their future as the future of the Organization in which the employee is working.
•      Assume that the development of each employee is the responsibility of HR and the organization.

    It is not enough for a person to consider himself an HR professional by having a high level of education. It is important to be empathetic and considerate, and one must have a better understanding of the HR philosophy.

    HR is the trust of employees and is an essential dependence of the organization.

Which is your favourite book and why?

1. My favourite book is “Crime and Punishment” by “Fyodor Dostoyevsky”, because it is a murder story from a murder’s point of view. We need to learn to think for both the perpetrator and the victim. 

    Interviewed by - Bhavana N

I