Tips for Recruiters in Asia

Advice for Recruiters in Asia

Know the Job

It is amazing how many companies advertise a position without really knowing what exactly the job is and who they are looking for. The Job analysis, Job description and Person Specification are the basic building blocks of effective recruitment.

This is not to over-stress structure and there is a lot to be said for creating an open and flexible specification, especially with the fast changes and opportunities inherent in the recruitment market. But make sure that your "open specification" is based on solid research and knowledge rather than laziness. A job and person spec based on outdated job descriptions or analysis is perhaps even more of a sin.

Every time a position becomes available or is created, there lies an opportunity to re-engineer the function and role of the position. We find this can be best achieved by:

• Involving staff in analyzing the job. Talk to people holding significant roles relating to the vacant position. This should include the supervisor of the job, peer level job holders, people who will report to that role, and even the person vacating the job.

• Ask what the key critical areas of the role really are

• Ask what the difference is between a person that could fulfill the job effectively and a person that could not. Focus on behaviour rather than attitudes or feelings. (ie. What would an effective person DO rather what would an effective person SAY or THINK.)

• Use a simple job analysis method which provides a structure to the exercise

For example we often use the Types of Work Model to achieve this. In fact you can analyze your own job as an example by following the example here. This mirrors one of the processes we use, but there are also many other structured tools available and of course you can always develop your own, but tools like this offer a standardized way of comparing jobs and how they relate to the structure of the organisation.

Internal or External Recruitment?

Promoting from within rewards your best performers and sends a message to the rest of your employees that the company both rewards good performance and repays loyalty. Promoting from outside can bring new blood, new ideas and excitement into your organisation when it seems that energy is decreasing. At the very top levels, promoting from outside and sometimes from a completely different industry can energize an organisation. One example of this was the appointment of James Strong, who had previously been successful in mining into the CEO position at Australian Airlines (now Qantas). Though questioned at the time, the new ideas and contacts from a completely different organisation provided new ideas, directions and a mission that transformed an organisation to become more competitive.

Because business opportunities and experience changes very fast in Asia, cross-industrial recruitment at senior levels should be considered seriously.

Don't economize on Reference Checking

Perhaps one of the most boring and arduous tasks in effective recruitment is Reference Checking. Unfortunately it is one of the most critical. As most of us know a written reference is hardly worth the paper it is written on. Yet we still ask for it because if somebody cant get a friend to write something good about them, there is clearly something wrong! Cases of where recruitment decisions became disasters abound! Let's just add a couple more from our files to make your hair curl and convince you of the absolute importance of this phase.

The golden rule is always to broaden your reference search. Go much further than the referees cited on the application. Talk to people you know in the company the new appointee has worked before. Use your networks to research diligently the activities of the prospect. Use informal methods such as taking out previous bosses to dinner or the Karoake. You will be surprised the information that will surface in informal settings.

Keep up to date with job market management and professional information

Availability of management and professional talent in Asia is going through major change. Due of course to the record growth rates in the region, other important trends are due to the changing economic bases, income disparities, labor shortages, and a need to develop local talent rather than expatriate staff. Some maybe controversial points to keep in mind while surfing these changes:

• With the increasing independence of Asian business, the worth of the traditional expatriate package is being questioned. Expatriate recruitment involves a great deal of risk, and careful management if it is to work. For more detail see our Expatriate page.
  Asian rather than Western expatriates are highly valued. They are less likely to experience culture shock, and multi-language skills are highly valued.

  Expatriates should be used to train and develop as well as to do the job. When they finish their contract the value of their time continues.

  Both Western and Asian expatriates are more willing to accept local salaries and conditions in lieu of traditional expat benefit packages.

  Asian expats who have worked overseas and wish to return home are increasing and of high value.

  If you wish to employ Western expats, those who have already established a home base in your country, perhaps having purchased property and married locally, and are approaching the end of their present contract are far better risks than those who have visited for short periods or not at all.

  Local prospects who have roots in your own country, know the culture and have local contacts are often looking for new century organisations that can offer opportunity, training and involvement rather than salary package alone.

  Do not underestimate an Asian education in comparison to a Western education. There are several fine schools, including MBA schools in the region, producing graduates that are more aware of Asian issues.

  Given the above, nothing beats experience. In our experience the value of an MBA is overestimated. Certainly the quality of MBA degrees are highly variable, so not all MBA's are created equal. Some schools are highly theoretical and others are more practical. Do not fall for the trap of assessing an MBA on prestige and name alone. Quality goes up and down. Our advice is to ask for SAMPLES of work that a candidate has completed on their MBA. That focuses on the bottom line, ..or a "sample" rather than a more vacuous "sign". (See our discussion in Step 5 on signs and samples).

  Top talent is willing to travel. For example many have reported successes with Singaporeans working in Malaysia for the greater opportunities, and Malaysians working in Singapore for greater financial rewards.

• Work Permits of course are the be all and end all. Be aware of the formal (and informal!) procedures and regulations here.

To find the talent, Networking is again the answer. Talk to others at your club or at meetings about the job market and where the talented individuals work. For graduate recruitment, identify the top universities or training institutions in your area and how practical their graduates are. The Asia Pacific Management News posts regular news items about employment markets, salaries, and education. Recent items include data on Comparative Salary Growth, Sustainability of this growth and predictions, some controversial judgements on the Marketing and Advertising Profession, Education and the market for executives and managers in Asia.

If you do not belong to the appropriate industrial association make sure you do. Newsletters and trade journals are great sources of information as well.

If you do not know more about your industry than your applicants you will be in a poor bargaining position. And several will know more than you...because we are advising them to!

Perhaps the best place to start here is the Asia Pacific Management Forum which is the Internet's major networking and resource centre for managers and professionals in Asia. (Maybe we are a little bit biased but best to see for yourself). The Asia Pacific Management Forum provides commentary on the latest news that affects professionals in the region, advice about business travel from a band of offbeat columnists, and links to major regional newspapers and Asia-Pacific Management sites. You can also get involved in various discussion groups and network with similarly minded colleagues.

The unique contribution of the Forum is that it is also backed by the resources of Anbar Management Intelligence, which provides abstracts and full retreival of over 20,000 articles from over 150 business journals. Because of this you can retrieve on-line articles about management theory and practice, search the summaries of articles, and see the practical research that is going on in the area of Asian management.

A visit to the Asia Pacific Management Forum weekly will keep you up to date with the major issues in Asian management and organisational development and expand your on-line contacts.

Asia-Pacific Global-minded employers expect professionals and managers to be completely up to data with latest developments in their field, especially as it effects their own industry and region. As employers, you would expect your managers to have well thought out views on management style and direction. Many in the region feel that a unique management style needs to be developed for Asia, which combines our cultures and traditions with the realities of globalisation. This is the mission of the Asia Pacific Management Forum.

There is also much information available on the Web that will help you. There are various job listing services which usually charge a fee to companies to search their database and provide the opportunity to job seekers to post their resume for free. This may be useful but the quality of resumes and their recency is highly variable. Many daily newspapers also post their Situations Vacant column on the Web. (Try the Bangkok Post and Sun (Malaysia) for examples).

Our own resume service is visited by over 3,000 people a month who are specifically interested in job prospects for professionals and managers in Asia. This service is different again in that it allows job seekers to post resumes for specific vacancies that are currently being recruited as well as generally. As posters are usually senior management, the postings are not made available publicly and are made available to Orient Pacific Century clients only who have engaged us to search for specific applicants.

We have provided below a list of Asian focused job resources of all types below, at present unreviewed. Bear in mind that the Web is not yet mainstream for job seekers. You will find most activity is among individuals who use the Web professionally, or for other reasons related to the unique capabilities of the Web (such as global reach). Expect a dispraportionate amount of Internet, IT and Computer professionals, university students (particularly from the US), academics, YUPPIES and CHUPPIES, and so on. Nevertheless the Web is changing daily and the profile is becoming broader. Our Web resume service for example attracts many high level management professionals in all industries including construction, petroleum, telecommunications, IT, education and economic development.

Orient Pacific Century
Asian Career Web
Asiaville
On-Line Career Centre
Internet Professionals Association
Global Job Net
Asia-Net
Malaysia On-Line

Emphasise Behaviour in Selection Methodology, not attitudes or personality

While attitudes and personality are important to how well a new appointee will fit in, we tend to rely on these when what we are really interested in is performance and behaviour. The maxim that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour is very important here.

The great majority of employers will put a lot of credence in the final interview. The research on Selection techniques however show the opposite. The selection interview has a very low validity when compared with other more structured techniques. While space dose not allow us to go into more detail here, the following methodologies which focus on behaviour (what people do) rather than attitudes (what people say) are all worth considering.

• Structured Application Blank
• Accomplishment Record
• Simulations
• Pre Interview Case Studies
• Critical Incident Methodology
• Assessment Centres
• In-basket tests

One test we use is the Team Management Index, which focuses on how a person may work in a team as well as management style, and has been validated among many groups throughout Asia. And again, there are sure to be other instruments that meet this criteria as well.

The same cautions that apply to Psychological Tests also apply to techniques such as handwriting analysis, birthdate analysis and Fung Shui interpretations. Often a false sense of security is given to recruiters by using scientific or cultural techniques like these. Often this is false security. Handle with care.

Am important principle in Employment Psychology was written about many years ago in the Journal of Applied Psychology which categorized tests such as the above as "signs" and the behavioral techniques like those listed above as "samples". A sample of behaviour has much better predictive validity than a "sign" of behaviour.

Make the Interview Work for you

Even though, as we have seen, the Selection Interview is a poor indicator of future performance, it is a common method and while we are using it best to exploit it to its best potential. First of all, if the interview has any real contribution it is (again) in providing a sample of behaviour. It can give an indication of:

• Interpersonal SkillsPersonal Presentation and Appearance
• Confidence
• Verbal Ability
• Conceptual Ability
• Preparedness

• Using real case studies and asking applicants to describe what they would do
• Using an interview panel comprising those who will work with applicant
• Training the panel in basic interview techniques and making sure they know the job specification, person specification, and key critical performance areas.
• Asking the interviewee to prepare material before arrival (eg... a case study)
• Structuring the interview based on a structured application blank
• Noting down what needs to be achieved in the interview before starting
• Allowing the interviewee maximum opportunity to talk. (use pauses, wait for the applicant to finish speaking)
• Have a list of key questions at hand

When it is better to use Professional Recruiters

Depending on the situation, it is sometimes better to use the services of a Recruitment agency. The fees for recruitment vary from 18% to 30% of annual salary for a successful appointment and there is usually a guarantee of 6 months. Doing it yourself has some advantages including saving time on briefing the agency. Advantages of using an agency include:

• Confidentiality when you do not want your competitors to know you are recruiting
• Recruitment agencies are specialists in recruitment methodology, resulting in higher success rates
• They usually have up to date knowledge on the employment market, salaries and benefits
• Head hunting expertise
• Broad contacts make Reference Checking more effective
• Better knowledge of advertising channels and recruitment market

To see how this reflects itself in our own work, click here for more details on our approach and the reasons behind it.

Recruitment is only part of your Organizational Development Process

Recruiting done in isolation from your overall organisational or HRD strategy is bound to fail. The employment market in the great majority of Asian countries is volatile with turnover rates of over 50% annually not unusual. While your recruitment process may be highly effective, the real test is whether you are able to retain those you recruited so well. A common reason for applicants wishing to change jobs that we hear is that their previous company did not value their contribution or failed to exploit their potential. The value of the salary package and benefits may not be as all-encompassing as some would have us believe.

The up and coming talent are looking for training, participation in the overall strategy of the organisation and a say in how their job is managed. Now we call this re-engineering, empowerment and quality. Ten years ago we called it job enrichment, job participation, and autonomy. However the principles are still the same. Employees who feel involved, that they have some influence on the way they do their job will repay this by staying longer and giving loyalty to the job.

One way to achieve this is by instituting a team culture in your organisation. An on-line tutorial taking you through various exercises and ideas is available here. Significantly, while excellence in recruitment is the key concern of many in Asia at present it may be reacting to the symptom rather than the cause of high turnover rates and poor performance. The golden rules here are:

• Involve other organisational units in developing your recruitment process

• Before recruiting, develop a development plan (training, career development) for that position as well
• Make sure that recruitment is integrated within your organisational mission, strategy and HRD plan
• Make sure you have a plan for retention as well as recruitment

Finally check what we are advising Job Seekers. Much of this information is useful for you too.

This resource was developed by Rod Davies, Principal of Orient Pacific Century as a service to Company recruiters in Asia. OPC offers management and professional recruitment services in South East Asia. Bookmark this page for developments planned in the next month.

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