It’s a Client’s market….really?

It’s a Client’s market….really?

How many Recruitment Consultancies, Consultancies and Candidates are being told that the current recession means that it is a ‘buyer’s market’? ie: the Client can cherry pick. Ok, so perhaps this is true in parts, certainly the downturn has hit certain industries harder than others, causing redundancies, and an influx of candidates. So the common perception (and that reported daily) is that there are now thousands of candidates available to fill a few vacancies, hence putting the client in a very strong position.

I would like to air a word of caution to all those believers of the above scenario. Firstly, not ALL sectors have been hit as bad as say Finance, Banking, Manufacturing etc, and Secondly, the recession did not change the issue with demographic problems overnight, i.e.: the countries who face a shortage of talent through demographic issues i.e.: the population not replacing itself (think Japan, think Singapore, think most of Europe) did not suddenly have an influx of talent for those industries where it remains difficult to source people. My experience (if it is worth anything) is showing that a number of clients are jumping on this bandwagon of ‘It’s a buyers market’, and using this as tool to squeeze margins. Clever move, I can’t really blame them. However I do exercise caution.

Time for an example, I had a client in the Construction industry, who promptly pro-claimed that ‘it’s a buyer’s market’ and that ‘they have the pick of the bunch’…after careful consideration, the following conversation proceeded:

Me: ‘ok so you feel you have a lot of choice in the market now?’
Client: ‘yes, we are receiving a lot of CV’s daily, we literally can’t get through them”
Me: ‘ Right, so lets focus on this requirement of yours, you are looking for a Senior Tunnel Design Engineer, yes?”
Client: ‘ Yes that’s right”
Me: ‘ Ok so do you believe that there is a huge amount of Senior Tunnel Design Engineers available for your job, due to the downturn? I believe your position has been unfilled now for 6 weeks?”
Client: “ Well it’s more difficult to find those sort of people, but there are lots of other Construction candidates in the market”
Me:” But not many Senior Tunnel Design Engineers right?”

Ok so you get the gist. My point in the above dialogue was to subtly point out to the client, that not ALL sectors and positions were affected by the downturn. The downturn did not suddenly created a massive pool of Senior Tunnel Design Engineers, who were made redundant by their previous companies. Not at all. Good people remain difficult to find across most industries. The issue is that decision making has slowed down, and not that ALL clients across ALL sectors for ALL jobs have the luxury of ‘Cherry Picking’. This leads me to my next point.

If you are one of these people who have wrongly made the above assumption and used the ‘hype’ to cover over the facts, then beware. 2 things may have happened (if you were overly wreck less) 1) you may have squeezed your suppliers margins and 2) you may have treated certain candidates below acceptable standards. If you have done any of the above, I would say beware of the following in months/years to come:

1) Recruitment Consultancies may have discounted their fees for you, however I’m fairly certain that this will be a temporary move. As soon as the market returns (and that it will), the same old problem of being able to find good talent on time, will return, putting the Candidates back in the driving seat NOT the clients (sector specific of course, but generally speaking). Thus making the Recruitment Consultant’s role far more difficult and time-consuming, therefore this will reflect in a raise in the fees. Be prepared and enjoy your discounts whilst you can

I feel for those companies, HR departments, Recruitment Consultancies, Hiring Managers etc, who behaved with subtle arrogance, during these current hard times. People have memories, and they won’t forget about the companies who treated them well and those that treated them badly. Those visionary people and companies who invested in enhancing their ‘Employer of Choice’ branding during this downturn, well done! I firmly believe your efforts will not go un-noticed. Those who didn’t return calls, emails, and generally treated jobseekers with dis-respect, then beware, as I believe the candidates may remember this in years to come, and this may stop certain candidates from joining certain companies, long when this recession is over and done with.

So in summary, Clients and Recruitment Consultants, treat people well on the way down, as you never know who you may bump into on the way up again!

3C Synergy Buys 1 and Gives 1

For a company who have only been around for 2.5 years and launched in Singapore 6 short months ago, 3C Synergy have made an impact in more ways than most.

Being the only Chartered Building Consultancy specialising in recruitment for the ‘built environment’, 3C Synergy have taken their responsibilities one step further.

Imagine if, for every recruitment placement made in the construction industry, fruit trees are planted in India, or for every person who is found a job, a child’s education is paid for in Africa.  This is the story that 3C Synergy is creating, and is the vision behind the Buy 1 Give 1 scheme, which 3C Synergy proudly participate in as a business member.

According to the Buy1GIVE1 website (www.buy1-give1.com) “B1GI is the home of the most powerful, ‘impactful’ and change-making giving process in the world. It is now a global ‘movement’ bringing together businesses, charities and consumers in a way that has simply not been done before”

Tristan Courtenay is one of the Directors of 3C Synergy, who states that “getting involved with B1G1 means that every time a recruitment placement is made, a specific contribution is made to a worthy cause selected by us. The novel concept is based around transaction based giving”

So far 3C Synergy have planted fruit trees in India, purchased radiation therapy for cancer victims and paid for their children to remain in education during their parent’s therapy, they have also provided meals for rescued children in India, sponsored a child’s education in Africa, purchased therapy sessions for the ‘Daughters of Cambodia’, and planted trees in Borneo.  According to Tristan, 3C Synergy have managed to positively contribute towards environmental and humanitarian causes, as “we believe our business has a duty to act responsibly and that we can use our influence to positively impact the wider global community”

Co-Director Dee Allan said that 3C Synergy researched several charities and worthwhile causes prior to launching in Singapore, as “we didn’t just want to come to Asia and simply make recruitment placements, we felt we could use our business and our own voices to create awareness and get involved with projects which are related to our sector. For us, since we operate within the construction, engineering and real estate sphere, it made sense that we contribute towards environmental causes. Also we are in the business of recruiting talent for our clients, hence we felt educational projects for children was directly relevant, as the children of today are the future for tomorrow”

They beauty of 3C Synergy’s transaction based giving, is that all stakeholders are directly involved with the contributions made. According to Tristan, “Our clients and candidates are a huge part of the contributions we make, as it is the ‘marriage’ between the two which makes a successful placement.  Once the placement is made we are able to contribute a % of the fee received towards a worthy cause.  We are also able to get all our Consultants involved, as they have the choice of which worthy cause to contribute to for every placement they make.  So at any one time, we will be contributing to a variety of causes, which are chosen by the Consultants who are making the placements. It is a win/win for everyone involved, and creates a positive environment for all of us to work within”

From a business perspective the B1G1 model of ‘transaction based giving’ is a great way for businesses to participate in over 500 worthy causes worldwide.  Despite the economic downturn, it is still possible to continue contributing, as according to Dee “the B1G1 model is sensitive to the economical and business challenges facing companies today.  The contributions we make are relevant to the sales we make.  If we are having a challenging month, we will contribute on a smaller scale, however when we are doing more business, our proportion of contributions increases relative to our sales, hence the act of ‘giving’ is totally flexible and ‘moulds’ around the health of our company’s output, at any given time”

3C Synergy will continue to make transaction based contributions, despite the global recession, and aim to make increased contributions towards environmental & education projects worldwide.  “We also hope to participate in a trip to India with the B1G1 patrons, where we will contribute our time as well as money for community projects”

According to Dee, The late Anita Roddick said it in a nutshell, ‘ If you think you are too small to make an impact, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room’  “We live and work by this phrase, and believe individuals and companies can make an impact despite their size or scale of contributions”

To find out more about how Buy 1 Give 1 works, visit www.Buy1-give1.com and to find out more about 3C Synergy’s work visit www.3csynergy.com

Breaking News! Employer Of Choice Podcast Series

EMPLOYER OF CHOICE- PODCAST SERIES

Hi All, apologies for the lack of regular blogs, we have been busy recording and releasing our new Podcast series titled’ Employer of Choice’

The series is aimed towards HR, Business Owners, Executives, and Decision Makers.  Whilst the economic climate is changing daily, it is important to understand that several industries will be facing an impending ‘War for Talent’, broadly speaking due to changing demographics, lower fertility rates and an aging population.

Our 3C Synergy podcast series aims to provide tangible, creative and often low-cost solutions to the SME and larger firms, on how to become ‘Employer of Choice’.

The podcast series can be subscribed to via I Tunes (Search Employer of Choice and/or 3C Synergy) or perhaps easier, you can subscribe to the sessions, via the link below.  I hope you enjoy the sessions, and i look forward to hearing your feedback.

http://www.3cgoldstar.com/3C_Synergy_Employer_of_Choice_podcasts/3C_Synergy_Employer_of_Choice/3C_Synergy_Employer_of_Choice.html

Breaking News! Top Dog Podcasts

TOP DOG- PODCAST SERIES

Hi All, apologies for the lack of regular blogs, we have been busy recording and releasing our new Podcast series titled’ Top Dog’

The series is aimed towards Jobseekers, Candidates and generally any one who wants to improve their career prospects.

Our 3C Synergy Top Dog podcast series, aims to provide tangible, creative and proven ideas on how to improve your interview technique, negotiate a pay rise, search for a job overseas, analyse your own body language etc.  All ideas lend themselves to candidates improving their career prospects and becoming ‘Top Dog’ in their own right.

The podcast series can be subscribed to via I Tunes (Search Top Dog and/or 3C Synergy) or perhaps easier, you can subscribe to the sessions, via the link below.  I hope you enjoy the sessions, and i look forward to hearing your feedback.

http://www.3cgoldstar.com/3C_Synergy_Top_Dog_podcasts/3C_Synergy_Top_Dog_Podcast/3C_Synergy_Top_Dog_Podcast.html

Construction, Oil & Gas Singapore review 2008/2009

2008/2009 Review and comments on the Singapore/SE Asia Construction, Oil & Gas market from a recruitment angle.

1 CV, 4 formats ‘Get yourself noticed’

Blog for 3C Synergy

One Resume in four different formats sounds heavy handed, however if you are to show off your ‘shining armour’, this is the ‘guerrilla’ job application tactic you should be using.

Traditional press and targeted publications will never be replaced, and are still widely referred to by applicants searching for a job (hence why you are probably reading this publication) As we all know, the wonderful internet dramatically changed the nature of job searching, by offering online search and application channels for job seekers.  Now, with the adaptation of Web 2.0, job seekers are offered additional avenues to apply for jobs, using forums such as Facebook, My Space, You Tube, Twitters, Second Life etc

One format of resume is no longer an adequate way of presenting yourself when it comes to applying for jobs both online and offline.  How will you stand out from others, if you are still using your traditional format resume for an online application for instance, or vice versa?

So here are the 4 main formats of the same resume, which you should be storing as part of your arsenal, when it comes to your job application strategy:

1. Print version- This should be concise & factual, designed using bullet points, showcasing your relevant highlights, created with professionalism in mind.  It may be printed & posted, or hand delivered during fairs, conferences, exhibitions etc. This is the most commonly used resume today, which is also used to make email applications. To stand out from the norm, you may consider using a photo, portfolio or even a short video to showcase your talents/projects.

2. A ‘Quick Scan’ version- The less glamorous sister of the Print version, the ‘Quick Scan’ resume is without fancy typography, limited formatting, and no creative designs.  Here, simple paragraphs and bulleted lists will suffice.  Often used when you wish to present a short ‘profile’ or summary of your skills.

3. An E-Resume- A carefully worded resume used when uploading your resume on an online job-board database. It is designed to be ‘searchable’ when the ‘bots’ and computer search engines set a criteria to identify suitable resumes.  The use of key words is the strategy here. Key words are the focus on any resume that is to be searchable on the web.  These are words which employers type or pick from a drop menu. They are also primarily nouns such as key skills, software packages, project type, etc. Verbs and adjectives are not frequently used to form search criteria.  Therefore resumes that are worded around verbs & adjectives minimize their chances of being highlighted.

4. The Plain Text Version- This resume is ready to be copied and pasted, time and time again, as plain text, into an online form on a company’s website or posted onto an online job database/s.  This really is the ‘no frills’ version of all resumes, as it is designed to ‘repeat’ the same information across various websites.

Essentially there is no need to re-write a resume 4 times, but simply store 4 different formats of the same document.  It is not worth using a ‘Quick Scan’ resume when uploading your resume online, or using an  ‘E-Resume’ for a postal application.  Planning your job application strategy, ultimately saves you time, and perhaps more importantly will help you get noticed, so you can bag that all-important job opportunity.

Tips & Tricks contributed by Dee Allan, Managing Director of 3C Synergy, a Chartered Building Consultancy specialising in Recruitment for the Built Environment.

Don’t make an enemy out of a Recruiter

I felt compelled to write this blog due to a disturbing ‘silent’ but true notion, which seems to exist within the recruitment industry.

Many recruiters daren’t not speak of it, most clients daren’t not think of it, but I am about to shatter the illusion which exists within the relationship which exists between Client and Recruiter.  Client’s may find this blog disturbing, and Recruiters may challenge my honest view here, however my assertions are not based upon opinion alone, but on basic ‘human nature’ principles, and the basis of ‘human survival’.

Whilst I operate within the Construction, Real Estate and Property realm, generally speaking we are facing a global talent shortage.  The ‘War for Talent’ can be put down to several factors, Shortages being caused namely by changing demographics, Baby Boomers ageing, an obvious decline in birthrates and  global migration of talent.  Then we have the very ‘deliberate’ and enterprising practices such as Global Executive Search (a flowery way of saying Head hunting), cross-border hiring, and recruitment outsourcing, which all affect the ‘movement’ of talent.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say they cause ‘shortages’, as these practices may cause a shortage in one area, but they feed another area.  So I opt for the word ‘movement’ for these particular practices.  Naturally others crucial factors such as sophisticated technologies also come into play, as they affect ‘demand’ for human manpower, as many low-skill positions are made obsolete.

Ok so without digressing too far from the main point of this blog, I have presented macro-level reasons for talent shortages and movement, I want to take this a step further and discuss one particular strand of talent ‘movement’ reasons at micro level. Perhaps clients (and even consultants) haven’t considered the point that Recruiters play a huge part with causing movement shifts where cross-border recruiting and migration is concerned.  Their actions contribute directly to candidates moving from one company/country to an another, and on a more serious level, recruiters actions can seriously distort the ‘average’ salary values in a given period, as many candidates (speaking mainly white collar workers here) are given a % increase in salary to move, or worse offered a % increase to stay, thus the artificial increase in salary can distort the given average for a region in a give period, until data is collected over a longer period of time to display an average.

Anyhow, you are probably wondering where I am going with this, but I will tie all this assertions together later in the blog, at the moment it is important to present some facts, so you have a good understanding of why I am about to make my point below.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of working with MNC’s, SME’s and Start-ups.  I have personally recruited talent for some of the most iconic and ground breaking construction and infrastructure projects spanning 3 continents.  I don’t want my medal just yet, but as a recruiter I have worked on ‘filling gaps for clients, which have directly impacted on my client being able to complete their projects.  Without my Architect on that particular phase of the project, what would  the impact have been to Mrs Client X?  Without my Health & Safety Manager on that Petrochemical project, would the project have been ‘approved’ by authorities in time for completion, for Mr Client Y, and without my Commercial Manager on the Casino project for Mr Client Z, would the cost savings, final accounts and cost litigations have been completed in time for handover?  I actually don’t know the answers to these questions, but what I’m trying to point out, is that Recruiters don’t just ‘fill a position’ or ‘recruit a body’ or ‘find someone a job’.  These are the ‘superficial’ solutions a recruiter is involved with, and is often the level which ‘Clients’ operate at.  What I mean is, too many client’s view Recruiters as a necessary evil because they believe Recruiters perform the aforementioned ‘superficial’ tasks, for what they believe is an inflated fee.  I totally disagree with these viewpoints.

For me  a Recruiter is engaged to ‘fix problems’ caused by talent shortages.  When I’m given a brief from a client, I ask them what the ‘cost’ to their business will be if they ‘do not’ find this person in a month, 3 months, a year etc.  I ask them to describe the problem caused (if it is not already present), if they are to not fill their man power requirement on time?  Usually the answer is a hybrid of the ‘project will fall behind schedule’ and this will directly ‘impact the cost’.  Readers please note, the construction projects I work on are multi-million dollar projects, just one day delay on a projects of this scales results in thousands of dollars of loss, straight off the bottom line!  This makes my recruitment fee look like a puny ‘raisin’ as far as costs are concerned.

It’s a simple shift in mind-set, too many clients focus on the ‘cost’ of the recruitment fee, instead of the ‘cost’ impact to their project if they don’t find this person.  Usually the people thinking like this, are HR professionals, or middle management, who can’t ‘see past’ the recruitment fee.  However scarily enough, some Directors and MD’s also operate on the superficial levels when engaging a Recruiter.  That said however, many Directors, MD’s, Business owners have a more strategic view of a business than middle management, they are more likely to appreciate the ‘cost’ to their business if a project falls behind schedule, or if they can’t ‘win’ a tender due to shortages of man-power.  Then and only then does the recruitment fee become irrelevant, as the cost of NOT having that person on board, is far greater than the cost of hiring them in the first place.  It is these supply/demand dynamics which has made Recruitment a multi billion dollar industry worldwide.

To me (and other professional recruiters), it is hugely disappointing when a Client can’t see the value to be added by a Recruiter, not just with recruiting talent, but with providing overall market advice (often for free).  A professional Recruiter (note I use the word professional, as our industry is full of people who give our industry a bad name and I can’t call those individuals ‘professional’) can seriously ‘add value’ in many different ways.  As I tell my good clients, I am the ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground, as to what the localized market is doing, I can advise on salary movements, recruitment drives/campaigns, and market shifts, perhaps more interestingly though I’m able to provide competitor analysis (for very good clients only), and give clients ‘exclusivity’ on candidates, again this is reserved for the premier clients only.  None of these ‘Consultative’ approaches cost anything extra by the way, it’s just ‘human nature’ that you look after the people who look after you.  I have no qualms with going the extra mile for clients who value our service and treat us with the same respect we give them.   Now how about the clients who don’t operate on a win/win basis?

Perhaps now is a good time to refer back to the title of this blog ‘Don’t make an enemy out of a Recruiter’ .  When I first started out in recruitment, I recall making a routine call to a client, regarding an upcoming residential project they were running.  I clearly caught this Director at a ‘BAAAAD’ time, as just as I had got my name and company out of my mouth, and he proceeded into a huge shouting spiel, littered with the four letter word, coughing out expletives about how he ‘hates Recruiters’, how we are the ‘Scum of the earth’, ‘Shit at our jobs’ bla bla bla bla, then he put the phone down on me.  Naturally I was speechless, but actually on a more ‘humane’ level, I was actually quite hurt.  In those inexperienced days, I took rejections personally, and aggressive stances such as this clients comments, could move me to tears.  I’m pleased to say I handle such situations far better these days, but it took me a while to shift my mindset.

My change of mindset is directly related to the title of this blog.  It took me a while to understand that I actually didn’t ‘need’ to work with everyone.  In fact I began to understand, and respect my own role as a Recruiter far more.  I began to appreciate that there are generally three broad types of clients, Client A) you work hard on and take on their problems as your own, and then there is Client B) whom you utilize for finding talent for your Client A, and lastly there is Client C) whom you haven’t discovered yet, or is unaware of your services.

The interesting thing about these groupings is that they are dynamic, Client A could become Client B and vice versa, nothing is fixed and nothing is given.  Now for the interesting part, Client B is usually a client who has been given the opportunity to work with you, but doesn’t wish to, or is a typically a client who favours another consultancy, or is a client who has annoyed the Recruiter at some stage in the past.  The problem that all the Client B’s have is that could be in danger of becoming prime targets for having their people head hunted by Recruiters.  After all they probably haven’t given time of day to the Recruiter, so the Recruiter inevitably has no loyalty or regard for the client.

Becoming a prime ‘hunting’ ground for a Recruiter is bad news for a company.  Recruiters have the power and influence to target candidates and offer them alternative employment with competitors or on projects overseas.  Putting it bluntly, they could potentially ‘rip’ the heart out of an organization by targeting key star players.

Indeed I know one such Recruiter who had no shame in admitting that a particular Contractor had been dishonest with him, and taken on a candidate through another agency, despite him being the ‘introducing’ agent.  From that point onwards, this particular recruiter mapped out this Clients entire office in terms of staff names. Over the next 3 years, he set out targeting the employees of this firm with alternative options.  He even boasted that so far he had a 60% ‘success rate’ of recruiting people from this client, and luring them away with better opportunities.  Did the client know why his staff were leaving? Did the client realise who was behind his staff attrition rates? Did the client realise that his company was delibrately being targeted so aggressively by one individual? And lastly if the client was aware of all of the above, did he/she realise that this situation was caused by his dishonesty in the first place?

Now I’m not suggesting that this is the right or wrong way to go about things, however in the bloody world of business, I feel we must be careful, fully aware and totally accountable for our actions.  Humans are fragile creatures by nature, and all sorts of feelings are conjured when one feels ‘hard done by’.  Whilst I can appreciate (but not understand) that some Clients don’t feel Recruiters add value to operations, a Client has to be careful how they portray this message.  Said in the wrong way, to the wrong person, on the wrong day, and you could end up being moved into the ‘Client B’ pile, and before you know it, you could be shedding staff quicker than Paris Hilton’s strip tease.

This topic is by no means over, I will continue with more damning examples from the recruitment industry in a separate blog.  For now I wanted to lay the foundations for a debate on this topic. I know Clients will have their stance and many ‘honest’ Recruiters will agree with my assertions.  The overall message I’m trying to put across is that in today’s day and age, where there is a very real global talent shortage, causing a ‘war for talent’, shouldn’t Client’s be rallying their allies?  A Recruiter can be an very important ally to a business, whether you recruit through them or not.  Make an enemy out of a Recruiter however, and you could find your business being plagued by a ‘silent disease’, causing you to loose your star players.  If you are smart you will find out the cause of this problem and remedy it before the problem causes irreversible damage.

All comments are welcome

What did you have for breakfast?

So what did you have for breakfast today?

Being a Director of a niche SME, I am often asked what my main gripe is within the working environment.

Before I totally reveal my hand on this one, I feel compelled to let you know why I felt it necessary to blog on this topic.

Everyday millions of business decisions are made, millions of transactions take place and millions of interactions are created.  Out of these various business scenarios, I often wonder how much time and money is lost due to factors such as sickness, inefficiency or plain incompetence.

Several countries release data giving indicative figures on the millions of dollars lost out due to employee sickness.  However how can one seriously substantiate the cost of lost business when it comes down to inefficiency or incompetence?

This leads nicely to my next point.  Focusing on efficiency and inefficiency a little more.  What actually makes someone more efficient over someone else?  Can efficiency be taught/learned?  How does someone actually recognize that they are acting in an inefficient manner? How does one substantiate the true cost of inefficiency in the work place?

This blog by no means aims to offer answers or solutions to any of the above questions.  Instead I simply offer my personal viewpoint on the matter.  Whilst I’m not in a position to discuss the effects of inefficiency on business worldwide. I think I’m fairly qualified to discuss the cost of inefficiency to our company 3C Synergy Asia.

As you may have guessed, my main gripe in business is inefficiency.  Thank fully we run a fairly slick machine in our company, so try not to allow room for major errors.  Inefficiency (I’m sure) has different meanings to different people.  For me (without over complicating things) inefficiency simply means doing things the ‘long way round’ and missing key information.  As recruiters we are trained to ‘ask the right questions’.  It was only when I became a Director of 3C Synergy Asia, that I realized the true cost of ‘not asking the right questions’ in our industry.  For me, failing to ask the right questions, costs us time, which in turn costs us money. Simplistic view I know, but why flower things up.  This is fundamentally the base of inefficiency for me.

Put simply, not asking the right questions in recruitment can cost you dearly, and I’m fairly certain this is the case within all other industries.  For us, we could potentially lose a candidate if we don’t find out what their key motivators are, what their ambitions are, what sort of company they do/don’t want to work for, what their personal commitments are, so on and so forth.   Where our clients are concerned, we may loose out on sourcing for key job opportunities if we fail to find out why the position is vacant, what key attributes they are looking for in a person, what the structure, career progression opportunities, training and development structure is etc  If we miss any of these details, if can cost us a valuable opportunity in finding the right talent for the right job.  This is commercial suicide for a boutique consultancy such as ours.

Missed opportunities caused by the lack of asking the right questions is a huge problem for companies/industries world wide.  But I wonder to myself, how many companies actually realise this? Let alone do something about it?

For us it is simple.  Becoming more efficient and operating in a ‘slick’ manner can be learnt and is taught within our small yet punchy outfit.  Right from the outset we play a very fun, yet informative game with our potential recruits during their final stages of their interview. As employers, this light-hearted game (which I will reveal shortly) gives us an opportunity to ascertain training areas for our new recruits.  We also get a closer look into their questioning technique.  The tool helps us make a final decision on hiring the Consultant, but also indicates the training required to bring the candidate up to speed.

OK so what is this game?  Well it isn’t anything scientific (or is it) or anything overly technical or fancy, but aside from playing a full game of monopoly with our potential new recruits, we find this exercise is stimulating, fun and it gives us additional insights into how our Consultants ‘think’ and process information.

Just before I reveal our exercise, can I add that I read somewhere (perhaps someone can verify this) that we are no more than 7 questions away from getting the information we require. I don’t know if this is true, however I keep it in my mind as an ‘average’ when I go about my daily duties.

Armed with the above ‘un-confirmed’ knowledge, we set about to play the exercise which I call ’Who am I’?

‘Who am I’ is played by 2 players (can be played by a group, however in our interview scenario we play it one on one).  Player 1 (Employer) starts by writing down the name of someone famous, male/female, dead or alive, human/animated character etc on a piece of paper. This paper is then folded and put away (Player 2 should not be able to see it)  Player 2 then proceeds to ask a series of questions, to which Player 1 can only respond with a Yes or No.  The objective is for Player 2 to find out who  Player 1 is (or the name which Player 1 has written on the piece of paper)

Now, we are not ‘meanies’, so we don’t set a time limit, nor a question quota, on the questioning task. However in the real business world, It is often the case that you have a limited period of time to gather information correctly. This may be during a meeting with a client or customer, or during a phase of a project etc.  In business you most definitely do not have an endless period of time to complete a task, make a decision, or conduct research.  So time is key! Therefore utilising time correctly by asking the right questions in the first place is paramount to being efficient.

Going back to our game, It becomes fairly evident early on if Player 2 is struggling to at least ‘narrow down’ the shortlisted names.  For example, using an over simplified version of ‘Who am I’, lets say Player 1 writes down George Bush on the piece of paper. The following transcript between Player 2 and Player 1 could narrow down the answer:

Player 2    “Are you a human” (this clearly rules out all animated characters, Micky Mouse, Daffy Duck etc could all be eliminated from the equation)

Player 1    Yes

Player 2    Are you Male? (kiss goodbye to the ladies)

Player 1    Yes

Player 2    Are you from Europe? (Clever question tries to pin the geographical location of the person, by eliminating entire continents)

Player 1    No

Player 2    So are you from America? (Trying to narrow down the location)

Player 1    Yes

Player 2    Are you an entertainer on the screen? (This question covers movie and tv stars perhaps)

Player 1    No

Player 2    So are you a sporting personality? (now trying to pin point the profession on this individual)

Player 1    No

Player 2    Do you work in Politics?

Player 1    Yes

Player 2    Are you George Bush?

Player 1    Yes

So the example above shows that 8 questions later, Player 2 gets the desired response.  Now apply this to business.  Are you/ your staff applying careful questioning techniques when you go about your daily tasks?  Are you using time efficiently by preparing intelligent questions which gather the information correctly.  This form of questioning is often referred to as the ‘Funnel’ technique.  I personally don’t care much for the text book titles, however the cost of not using the right questioning technique, I can only imagine runs into its millions.

For us, we think it is time well spent, understanding (as much as we possibly can) how our Consultants gather and disseminate information they are presented with.  We then proceed to offer training for those who need to focus on their questioning techniques.  We strongly believe that this is the foundation of working more efficiently.  So far, it has worked for us, identify the training issue, train the person, evaluate the response, and monitor the work, then re-train if you have to, until the service offering is sharpened.

I don’t by an means suggest that we have got it 100% right, but I can say with some integrity that we do make a conscious effort to recognise that our Consultants operate at different levels of efficiency, and to create a sharp yet flexible approach, we take a dedicated approach towards improving the efficiency levels of each individual Consultant, which begins with their ability to ‘ask the right questions’, and build rapport with individuals and organizations we come into contact with.

My business and recruitment mentor from old, trained me to ask the right questions. She had it drilled in me to ultimately find out ‘What my candidate & client had had for breakfast’. She may not have meant this literally, but what she was ingraining from an early point in my career was to extract quality information by asking questions and developing a rapport.  I do this till this day.

How well do you and your employees know your customers, suppliers and associates.  Would you say you know  ‘What they have had for breakfast’?  Or are you operating on a superficial shallow platform which has no foundations for growing relationships?

I would be interested to know everyone else’s thoughts on this?  Since questioning techniques is an age old adage, what other factors do clients consider make their employees more efficient/inefficient?

So you want to become the Employer of Choice do you?

What message is your company really sending out in all its communication material?  Most companies are flying their flags sky high to push sales, or shouting out from rooftops about their service or products.  Well there is nothing wrong with this strategy, indeed a hearty slap on the back for making the effort, as some companies don’t even get this far. However, the one single message that often gets shuffled beneath all other layers of messages orbiting from companies, is the message concerning the company’s attitude towards its employees.

Let’s explain this notion with the use of an example.  Your business is thriving, you are meeting/exceeding your business plan objectives, your bank loves you, other banks want to court you, your shareholders can’t ask for more, your company on the face of it looks like the ‘cat who got the cream’.  That’s all fine and dandy until you realise that you need more people to sustain the smiles.  So you think to yourself, ‘we will just hire people, everyone will want to work with us’ and you start the recruitment process. However what slowly transpires during your rounds of interviews, is that the intellectual buff sitting opposite you, has been ‘doing his/her own rounds of interviews, and visiting other cats (who by the way, also believe they have got the cream) and that you my friend, are not in sole existence.  In fact in suddenly dawns on you, that you have COMPETITION (shock horror), when it comes to enticing talent in your direction.  All of sudden you find yourself in a Dutch auction or ‘salary war’ to put it more bluntly. Your ‘key hire’ has the power at this stage, not you.  So how can you swing that sea-saw back in your favour?  Is it too late at this stage? Or should you have thought about planting those ‘We are the employer of choice’ seeds, long before this interview came to fruition.

Now, with a pinch of luck and if you are a smooth talking interviewer, who can convince this key hire that they should go with you instead of your opposition, then you may stand a chance of them accepting your offer. However beware, desperation and bitterness can often weigh in with this approach if not used elegantly.  My advice is to not let it get to this stage in the first place.  If you can adopt a strategy that develops your reputation as an “Employer of choice” then you will find people are herding in your direction, wanting to work for you and putting the choices firmly in your hands. This can put your company in a powerful pole position!

Why not try and consider your own impressions of a few household names. If you are a creative, innovative, free spirited kind of person, you may be enticed by a company such as EBay. How about a company with a cutting edge and fresh attitude, someone like Google perhaps?  I’m fairly certain you can draw up a list of companies which appeal to you, and many others who wouldn’t stand a hope in hell in getting you through their door.

This in turn begs the question, why is it that people want to work for certain companies over others?  The likes of Google and EBay, literally get thousands of job applications and really have the opportunity to get the pick of the crop.

So how do you get your company known as an employer of choice?

It’s fair to say that the big blue chips spend a chunky slice of wonga on their marketing budgets.  It’s also fair to say that not all of us have that sort of money to channel on branding, at least not initially.  The good news is, that you can still build your brand without robbing Peter to pay Paul.  The key is to be creative.

First things first, do you have a company brochure? If not, then invest in some form of company information be it online or off-line. The next task is to review your company brochure, as if you were a potential employee. What messages does your corporate communication send out?  Does your company come across as being at the forefront of training and development? Do you come across as a proactive, aggressive or green employer?  (None of these images are a bad projection, as you will more than likely attract individuals who function well in that environment)
Are you even aware of the image you’re projecting? Are you clients and customers aware that you consider your staff as assets? Clients and customers are the best ambassadors for your company, a positive domino effect is likely if they positively view you as an employer.

Wherever possible you should be making yourself known.  There are literally hundreds of opportunities to do this.  Universities, career fairs, exhibitions, giving speeches etc.  Taking Universities as an example, you should have a presence during the ‘milk rounds’, and remember you are there to paint the picture about your company being an employer of choice.  Get it wrong and cold shoulder potential candidates though, and you will find graduates saying they would never work for a company like yours due to the way they were treated at these kinds of events.  Then the negative domino effect begins, and they tell another 20 of their friends how bad your company is, over a beer down at the student union.

It basically comes down to the age-old adage of communication. Having a communication strategy gives you a definite edge over the competition.

The person at the top of the tree, the MD or CEO, often sets the “tone”.  Essentially it is these individuals who set the culture in place.  A hollow mission statement or textbook company values is not enough to attract the talent.  You need to ensure that all messages leaving your office, be it online or offline, written, spoken or heard, define your brand and ethos. Whether it’s your letterhead, or the pay slip your employees receive, the message has to be clear, constant and concise, no matter who

Ships passing through the night?

Ships passing through the night? or do companies recognise talent when they see it?

This is an ‘open’ blog, as I really would appreciate some insights on this one.

My question is, can HR really spot star talent? I know it may sound like an absurd question, but seriously are HR teams geared up for spotting the ‘A Class’ type of candidate? The reason I ask this is because I have witnessed HR fulfilling the task of recruitment, like they would go about their daily supermarket shopping ie: with a tick list of things they want.

I have actually taken it upon myself to ask my clients and their HR teams the same questions. They say the right things of course. However speaking with some of my own HR friends, I have found that they are often in a catch 22 situation, as they are under pressure to ‘save time’, so often perform a rigid check-list, which often misses out the ‘softer’ more subliminal messages, which help us recruiter ascertain the stars from the norm.

Sometimes, candidates may not even get past resume stage, ie: HR can’t see the prescribed formula that some of them apply, therefore the resume goes in the bin. What about the fact that some people have transferable skills? And what about the fact that sometimes it may not be best to go for the ‘perfect’ fit, but to go for the ‘surprise fit’.

I feel sometimes there could be a dilemma for our HR friends, especially the ones who are more ‘CV Processors’ as opposed to ‘CV Extractors’. This begs the questions, if HR are indeed unable to spot Star talent, then is this because of one of the following:

a) They actually don’t understand what they are looking for?
b) They themselves are the wrong people in charge of recruitment?
c) They don’t appreciate/care what the full impact of what ‘bad hiring’ means for the bottom line
d) They have had inadequate training?
e) Everything above

Don’t get me wrong, there are some fairly slick HR teams and companies out there, who are doing a darn fine job of attracting and retaining talent, but I could count them on both hands only.

Do companies really recognise talent or are they ships passing by each other through the night?
Please share your experiences