General Questions

1. Why have you decided to stand for AIESEC Romania? What will be your contribution to the MCteam and what do you expect to learn from the experience?

I have decided to stand for AIESEC Romania because during my term as Vice-President on TalentManagement in AIESEC Craiova, our EB team managed to be closer to the national network and seethe opportunities that lie beyond our LC. This year, I really understood the importance of the AIESECnetwork and the size of this organization and I want to be part of somethig bigger. Further more, Iam very passionate about the area I’m applying for and I’ve been passionate ever since I joinedAIESEC.

My contribution to the MC team will be in terms of experience in the Talent Development area,responsibility, committment and ideas. I have worked in the TD area for two years now and I’veaccumulated a lot of experience that can be of great use at AIESEC Romania level. Furthermore, if Iam to recommend myself for something, it would be responsibility – during my EB term and duringthe entire time spent in AIESEC, I have proven this responsibility through the tasks I’ve assumed andfulfilled. In terms of committment, I am entirely commtitted to AIESEC and to bringing mycontribution to its growth, to brining an impact and to achieve something. Concerning ideas, I am thekind of person that can come up with initiatives and alternative ways of doing things, thus brining afresh approach.

As an experience, for myself, it matters in terms of learning more about Talent Development fromhaving access to the external network. Furthermore, being in the MC team of AIESEC Romania meansaccepting a much bigger challenge than at local level, which can develop me in terms of efficiency,leadership, resilience and the list can continue. Ever since I joined AIESEC I said to myself that I don’twant to be just a member, but a person who does something, who people know for something, whobrought a real contribution to this organization. And AIESEC Romania is the next step in achievingthat.

2. Create a proposal for AIESEC Romania 2012-2013 strategy that should cover the next points (a,band c):

a. Make a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threads) of AIESEC in Romania. The pointsabove have to be evident in the plan you create and the correlation between them too.

Strengths WeaknessesCreation of a working team of LCPs;Preparation invested in the LCPs team;Two new LCs that gained membership;Aligned recruitment campaigns in the country;MC EVS accreditation and some LCs EVSaccreditation;MOSes on new programs implemented before IC;

Engagement and Life-Long Connection stagesdefinition and development;Qualitative national projects (Grow, MoneySense);Qualitative reception process on ICX;New partnerships launched in RYLF;Presence of the MCP in Steering Team;Development of the reintegration process –

Problems regarding retention in EB teamsacross the country;Low GN collaborations;Low number of GIPs on Incoming andOutgoing;Only few LCs apply for Grants;Instability in the coaching system from MC toEbs (no stable EB coach);No investment plan for AIESEC in Romaniaand cash-flow instability;Decrease in members’ preparation (nofunctional area conferences), no alignedEducation Cycle;MCVP TM elected later and without previous

members start to take more than one program;Strong visibility in the external environment – DinuPatriciu awards, the promotion of RYLF and mediapartnerships like Trilulilu;Growth in GCDP;Development in the Alumni involvement;Many applicants for MCC and possible applicantsfor MCs abroad;Growth in TMP & TLP.

EB experience (lack of guidance or directionsfor LCVPs for a while);Unhealthy internal processes (differencesbetween planned and achieved objectives) –according to Clustering Model, most LC areunder the minimum criteria;Instability regarding the new structure atboth MC and EB level;Late Recruitment plan for autumn and lack ofproper preparation for the LCs;Incertainty about AI information (regardingthe platform and its standards);

Opportunities ThreatsEuroCo 2012 for partnerships and positioning;Candidates for MCC in future MCs abroad;Exchange accreditation;Many Grants providers;Lack of jobs for students – possiblity of promotingGIPs;Partnerships with Universities at local level;Pool diversification – increase in GIPs;Alumni Development VP in most EBs – increasingthe collaboration with alumni.

Financial crisis;No current LC to organize RYLF 2012;Educational system changes foreseen fornext year that might affect our pipeline andour highschool p-boxes;Initiatives from AI that don’t resemble theones we’ve been unfolding this year;Different EB structures in LCs that may bringproblems in accountability system, problemsin alignment of campaigns;Low results on Bacalaureat this year;Weak educational system – students going tostudy abroad;Other programmes for students: Erasmus,Work & Travel.

b. The 3 main priorities for your area(s) based on the general SWOT analysis. What strategieswould you propose for each one and what results would you like to see in each of those prioritiesat the end of your term?

Members’ EducationDue to the fact that in the current year, there has been no functional area preparation delivered atnational level, one of the priorities for next term is educating our members and ensuring their abilityto deliver the proper results for the organization. To this purpose, we must create a solid NationalMembers’ Education Cycle and Conference Cycle, or at least a standardized framework, based onassessing the gaps that each LC has in their system and coming with different approaches to solve it.This implies: feedback from the EBs on every conference agenda and assessment before creatingthem, webinars on different areas for LCs that are in need of preparation and guidance,encouragement of SOL campaigns, NTT delivery, promotion of international opportunities and R&Rsystem to facilitate the access to these preparations. Furthermore, as an MC team we need to investmore in our EB preparation. Due to the fact that this year the biggest challenge that we have is tomake the new AIESEC Romania structure function, we must make sure we have all the know-how,processes and instruments to transition this change. This implies a strong collaboration with the MCVP Organizational Development in terms of establishing the most proper accountability system,considering the different structures. It also implies preparation on the new platform and the

processes that are being developed at national and international level, establishing a functional LCcoaching system to offer support to the LCs that have difficulties in implementing this structure.Moreover, we need to improve the Leadership experience we offer to the EBs and create a strongand competent Top Management team in each LC.Growth in Team Leader Program experiences – number and qualiryAIESEC offers young people the opportunity to explore and develop their leadership potential, so aconstant focus of the organization should be to offer as many TLP experiences to our members aspossible and ensure a qualitative experience. This implies a Leadership Development programcomprised of: Leadership preparation in conferences, EB preparation on Leadership, support in fastprototyping implementation, externalization of processes through our projects: teams of students orpupils coordinated by an AIESEC member, or leadership and project management-based initiativesfor students in order to increase the number of people recruited for TLP exclusively. Furthermore, atransition is required from long-term positions to short-term ones, in order to be able to give eachmember the opportunity to explore this program. In terms of results, I would like to see a growth innumber of applicants per leadership positions and an increase in TLP experiences delivered, to atleast 1000 at country level.Development of Engagement Pool and Recruitment ProcessDuring the current term, the Recruitment process has changed according to the new structure andthe need for members is higher than in the past year. Due to this fact, we must make sure wedevelop a proper Engagement stage, in terms of creating initiatives to engage students beforerecruitment and in terms of creating standards for this stage so that it is clear to everybody.Furthermore, the recruitment process needs to be improved in terms of LC preparation on theprocess and support from the MC and NST in terms of providing materials in due time: interviewguides samples, Train the Interviewers guidelines, activities for induction on programs, Career Planfor each member and clearer guidelines on how to recruit for programs. The expected results, for theend of the term would be an increase in the number of members that are selected in AIESEC and thenumber of experiences that they take and also Career Plan for 80% of the members of AIESEC inRomania.

c. The external opportunities you can capitalize from your position to get the vision you propose inpoint (b).

For Members’ Education we can capitalize on external preparation, especially from alumni in keypositions that can help us not only in terms of delivery in conferences, but also in terms of agendamanagement, feedback and so on. Furthermore, we can capitalize on our alumni network forinvestment in the R&R system for members to attend national or international conferences. Anotherthing that we can benefit from are the different programs that other NGOs or Institutions develop onthemes of AIESEC interest: functional area preparation, volunteering, leadership. We should promotethese opportunities and give our members the chance to not only gain know-how from AIESEC, butalso get out in the market and gain external perspectives.In terms of Leadership Development, we can use companies in delivering preparation for our

members, but another strong stakeholder that we can benefit from are other NGOs. We can increaseour number of TLP experiences by partnerships signed with other NGOs that can be a strong providerof human resource for both TLP and GIP.Concerning the Recruitment and Engagement Pool, we can use the HR companies that we havepartnerships with, to receive feedback on the process and consultancy for improvement. Anotherstakeholder that we can use are marketing companies, to see what appeals to students and how wecan capitalize on that to attract their attention.

3. What is the role of MC? What should be the role of MC? What actions can you take as an MCteam to fill the gap?

The role of the MC, in general, is that of giving the directions in which the country must head for acertain year, estabilish together with the LCs manners to get there and offer support for these LCs, interms of guidance and preparation, to ensure a proper functionning. To this point, AIESEC Romaniahas developed a lot this year through an MC team that collaborated with the LCs and especially withthe LCPs and established a good foundation for the next terms. What I believe should be improved,however, is at the level of involving the LCPs in more and more decisions and problems of the AIESECnetwork, to make them aware of the national reality in due time so that they can take action.Another thing would be the MC involvement at LC level. This year, due to all the changes in structureand experience, a lot of local committees had trouble adapting and thus their performancedecreased. What I would do, as MC member is propose the old LC coaching system, wether LCcoaches are MC members or not, because this way, the coach of an LC can get close to their realityand suggest ways of improvement.

Another, very important role of the MC team is to represent AIESEC in Romania at InternationalLevel. Here as well, the current MC team of AIESEC Romania has managed to create a strong imageof our country, through the presence of the President in the Steering Team, through thedevelopment of the new AIESEC experience, and many more activities. The only thing I wouldimprove here, would be to facilitate the connection between our LCs and Romanians in MCs abroad,in order to develop our International Programmes especially, but also in creating strong contacts inthe AIESEC International network.

4.What strategies does AIESEC Romania need to follow to increase performance for theELD programs? Please specify at least 3 strategies for Domestic Programs (TMP&TLP) and 3strategies for the International Programs (GIP&GCDP).

Domestic Programs [TMP & TLP] International Programs [GIP & GCDP]Develop Engagement Activities Capitalize on summer peak

In order to increase our engagement pool, wehave to come up with initatives such as BigPictures or Social Nights to involve studentsbefore recruitments and thus ensure a properpipeline of members for AIESEC.

We should create national initatives and supportLCs in local initatives as well, which arecustomized according to the summeropportunities and create special GCDPrecruitments for this peak, according to theprofiles on the platform.

Conversion from GCDP/GIP to TMP/TLP Pool diversificationIn order to increase the number of people whotake on more than one program, we need todevelop a proper Career Plan, competenciesevaluation before and after the internship, well-structured reintegration process.

For GIP growth, we need to focus on new poolsavailable on the platform and assess the localand national market to see which of these poolsare approachable. Furthermore, we need tocreate special promotion campaigns for theseopportunities, to students who are proper forsuch and internship.

Encourage initiative International PartnershipsIn order to grow, especially in terms of TLP, weneed to encourage our members to takeinitiative in creating projects. To this purpose, weneed to invest in fast prototyping andpreparation through the Conference Cycle orwebinars, and Rewards & Recognition at national

We need to establish more partnerships, at localand national network as well. To this purpose,we can benefit from EuroCo 2012 which will beheld in Romania, and from building a strongerrelationship with Romanians in MCs abroad, tostart building MC to MC partnerships.

level for the most actively involved members(similar to Team Leader Award).

5. What are the competitive advantages that AIESEC Romania has in the international network?What can we do to maintain and/or increase them?

AIESEC Romania is a strongly positioned country in AIESEC International and this fact is due to severalfactors such as:

The changes towards AIESEC 2015. The fact that AIESEC in Romania has changed its structure andmanner of doing things to reach the 2015 vision is possibly the strongest competitive advantage thatwe would have in the network, especially if we improve this structure and make it work perfectlyduring the next MC and EB terms. Furthermore, the fact that we’ve begun to develop theEngagement and Life-Long Connection stages before AIESEC International is also a very powerfulstart that we must capitalize on next year, in order to make them functional.The presence of the MCP in Steering Team. The fact that the current MCP is actively involved inAIESEC International is not only a strong point in terms of visibility, but also access to informationand to bigger opportunities for people from AIESEC in Romania. In order to increase this point, thenext MC should apply for Global Support Teams as well, in an even higher number than the presentterm, to increase this point even more.EuroCo 2012. The fact that we are organizing an international conference in Romania this year alsogives us a very strong point in the international network, due to the fact that we ease theparticipation of all the LCPs at this conference, but we can also establish stronger partnerships andattract more internationals to our country, not to mention that we would be positioned as a strongcountry, that can invest and bring its contribution to AIESEC International.Strong provider for MCs abroad. Last year, AIESEC Romania was one of the strongest providers ofpeople for MCs in other countries. To increase at this level, we must make sure to promote MCpositions to our Ebs at the end of the term, collaborate with the Romanians that are now in MCabroads to ensure a healthy pipeline for AIESEC International. Furthermore, we should encouragethem to take on opportunities even higher than MC abroad.Packaging of the AIESEC experience. AIESEC Romania is one of the countries that has managed tocreate an attractive product from the AIESEC experience and our members usually take more thanjust one program. We have strongly developed the Team Member and Team Leader programsamong our members, but we need to work even more for the International Programs, especially inGCDPs for our members, as a normal stage in their AIESEC experience.