The Asia Pacific Headhunter

When I Grew Up I Wanted To Be......

If this doesn't make you think about your career and what you thought you'd be doing when you grew up - nothing will.

Personal Coaches for Career Development

In my business I see the career pathways and experiences of many people. And over time I've used that experience to build up an understanding of what kinds of things successful people do to develop their careers.

I've always thought having a great group of mentors is really important. But recently I've run into more and more people who are taking advantage of personal coaching as well. I think that coaching has found a real niche at work for motivated employees in that many find themselves "self-managing" more and more.

Generally in the modern company, the more efficient and effective an employee is at their work the more likely their Manager (if they are competent) will be very hands off in managing them. Mentally this is fine for these types of people - they can handle it. But often it's when they reach a crossroads that they realize they'd benefit from having a dedicated professional to regularly discuss their career, their skills or any other issue whether it be work or personal life.

The benefits include:

• The Coach is a third-party who is only interested in the best result for you.
• The Coach has led people who have similar issues through to a successful result.
• They have a stronger holistic view of you rather than just focusing on your work (this is particularly useful if you feel you lack work/life balance).
• They often have multiple techniques they can bring to the various issues you face.

One of the issues you'll have if you believe you can benefit from a Personal Coach will be finding one that fits with your needs. I think that's a tough problem as you really have to have a rapport with your Coach. They aren't going to be able to give you all the answers without your input so you'll have to be open to sharing a lot in order to get the most out of the time.

I've personally had a Coach for the last year, Kristine Carey of Bill Baren Coaching. Kris is absolutely amazing and I highly recommend her. In particular her ability to provide a variety of solutions is incredible. I've never came away from a conversation feeling like it wasn't beneficial. Obviously, Coaches like Kris have great life experience but I think that professional training is also an important factor.

In my research I noticed a lot of Coaches without any visible professional training. I found that somewhat strange and eventually gave them a miss until I found one who did.  Another important point for me was the offer of a free session. I think the best Coaches will be happy to do a session to discover whether you are a match for each other. I'd be wary about jumping into a big package with any Coach who wasn't willing to talk to you in detail before money changes hands.

If you have a Coach you recommend then make sure you leave their site in the comments. Like many professions word of mouth might be the very best way to find a quality Coach.

Why The Buddha Doesn't Give Referral Fees

Image Via Flickr

The Buddha states there are three gifts you can give a person. The first is a material gift. Perhaps if someone is suffering you give them some money or food to help them, which is truly a wonderful thing. The second is know-how. The gift of know-how is one that eases suffering by teaching so a person can stand on their own two feet and support themselves.  This is also a wonderful gift. But the third and greatest gift is the gift of non-fear.

Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese zen monk, peace activist and mindfulness teacher explains in the excerpt below (link) the gift of non-fear:

  In 1991, I visited a friend in New York who was dying, Alfred Hassler. We had worked together in the peace movement for almost thirty years. Alfred looked as though he had been waiting for me to come before dying, and he died only a few hours after our visit. I went with my closest colleague, Sister Chan Khong (True Emptiness).

    Alfred was not awake when we arrived. His daughter Laura tried to wake   him up, but she couldn't. So I asked Sister Chan Khong to sing Alfred   the Song of No Coming and No Going: "These eyes are not me, I am   not caught by these eyes. This body is not me, I am not caught by this   body. I am life without boundaries. I have never been born, I will   never die." The idea is taken from the Samyutta Nikaya. She sang   so beautifully, and I saw streams of tears running down the faces of   Alfred's wife and children. They were tears of understanding, and they   were very healing.

  Suddenly, Alfred came back to himself. Sister Chan Khong began to practice what she had learned from studying the sutra The Teaching Given to the Sick. She said, "Alfred, do you remember the times we worked together?" She evoked many happy memories we had shared together, and Alfred was able to remember each of them. Although he was obviously in pain, he smiled. This practice brought results right away. When a person is suffering from so much physical pain, we   sometimes can alleviate his suffering by watering the seeds of happiness that are in him. A kind of balance is restored, and he will feel less pain.

  All the while, I was practicing massage on his feet, and I asked him whether he felt my hand on his body. When you are dying, areas of your body become numb, and you feel as if you have lost those parts of your body. Doing massage in mindfulness, gently, gives the dying person the feeling that he is alive and being cared for. He knows that love is   there. Alfred nodded, and his eyes seemed to say, "Yes, I feel your hands. I know my foot is there."

  Sister Chan Khong asked, "Do you know we learned a lot from you when we lived and worked together? The work you began, many of us are continuing to do. Please don't worry about anything." She told him many things like that, and he seemed to suffer less. At one point, he opened his mouth and said, "Wonderful, wonderful." Then, he sank back to sleep.

  Before we left, we encouraged the family to continue these practices. The next day I learned that Alfred passed away just five hours after our visit. This was a kind of gift that belongs to the third category. If you can help people feel safe, less afraid of life, people, and death, you are practicing the third kind of gift.

The gift a Recruiter can give to their candidates and all the people they deal with on a daily basis encompass these three gifts. They can provide actual jobs, the know-how to get a job, but the third and least acknowledged gift is the gift of non-fear. Encouragement to those on the journey, encouragement to those trying to push through a fear. That fear might be unemployment, but it may be something else. I know that many Recruiters get caught up in the money side of the business. But I truly believe that you'll not REALLY enjoy this business until you see the opportunities you have to practice all three gifts.

So remember this next time you are asked to pay a referral fee. The reason the Buddha doesn't pay for referrals is because the Buddha has other gifts to give that are much greater. You also have the opportunity to give these gifts. If you are only seeing this business as one to exchange material gifts you are missing out on giving so much more.

Bilingual Japanese Online Job Boards

Just to add to my previous post Top 15 Japanese Online Job Boards, another generous reader and Tokyo-based search consultant Gary Bremermann of Robert Leonard Consulting, commented on two other Japanese online job boards that are bilingual. In addition to Daijob.com that was mentioned in the Gomez report, Gary recommended:

careercross.com - Tokyo-based online job board aimed at the niche market of bilingual jobs for Japanese and English speaking professionals. They have listings for full-time, part-time and temp jobs.

ecentral.jp - Aimed at bilingual professionals seeking international jobs in Japan and employers requiring bilingual candidates. They've partnered with the ACCJ, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.

And to add to that:

Jobba.net - a job board aimed at Japanese speakers for jobs world-wide.

Thanks Gary for your input!

 

Top 15 Japanese Online Job Boards

First of all, a big thanks to reader and freelance sourcer Bernd Kestler in Tokyo for generously sharing this find with me!

If you're interested in the Japanese market either as a jobseeker or employer - which job boards would you go to? To help sort through the different online job boards Gomez.com, a provider of on-demand web application experience management solutions, ranked 15 Japanese job boards based on user nominations and for ease of use, volume of information and content, site security and feeling of trust, and comfort in interface and service.

Here's a list of the top 15 job boards in Japan (all sites are in Japanese only except for Daijob!):

1.  Mainichi Communications (http://tenshoku.mynavi.jp)
2. Intelligence, Ltd. (http://doda.jp)
3. Recruit Co. Ltd. (http://rikunabi-next.yahoo.co.jp)
4. PROSEEK, Ltd. (http://www.proseek.co.jp)
5. SoftBANK Human Capital Corp. (http://www.ecareer.ne.jp)
6. Career Design Center Co., Ltd. (@type) (http://type.jp)
7. en-japan inc. (http://employment.en-japan.com)
8. Career Nikkei (http://career.nikkei.co.jp)
9. Mixi, Inc. (http://find-job.net)
10. Create Co., Ltd. (http://www.d-dj.com)
11. I & G Partners Inc. (http://green-japan.com)
12. JS Corporation Inc. (http://shigoto.js88.com)
13. Aidem Inc. (http://www.e-aidem.com)
14. Daijob, Inc. (http://daijob.com) In English see here (http://www.daijob.com/en)
15. Antique, Inc.(http://www.q-jin.ne.jp)

To see the fully detailed report compile by Bernd, you can download here:

Download japanese_online_jobboard_ranking.pdf

Get paid for going on a job interview

Getting paid to go on a job interview... by the company that's interviewing you???! Sounds like a far-fetched fantasy for candidates, but that's what start-up NotchUp.com is basing it's whole business model on. Candidates (preferably happily employed ones) can sign up for free, put up their (LinkedIn) profile and calculate what their interview fee would be with an interview-price calculator. This is based on your industry, job, highest educational degree, years in industry, time in current position, and current salary.

This platform is meant to cut out the recruiters and headhunters. Since companies need only pay the interview fees set up by the candidates they choose to interview, the comparable fees are supposedly lower than the recruiter's traditional placement fee which is a percentage of the new hire's first-year salary. As a recruiter, I should really discredit this model (after all, it's going after my job!), but I'm a fair person and see that everything has its merits and disadvantages.

First off, sure -- throw money into the mixture - and changing the roles of who gets paid, you'll get some interesting results. I'm sure in some cases companies -- esp. start-ups who's future depends on excellent talent can save money in placement fees by paying lower interview fees. Passive candidates (happily employed who are successful at their job) who otherwise would not put their profile up may be enticed to put their profile up if there's money in it for them. In it's best light - it may work well over regular online job boards and with a companies that work with lame recruiters who just slap up job ads everywhere and wait for whatever comes in - only to send out high-volumes of low-quality candidates to their client.

Now, here's where I see the model lacking:

First off, the point is to attract good candidates right? Good people aren't attracted just by a few hundred dollars for their time. They are attracted to good opportunities that help grow their careers and their strengths. I'd say 9 times out of 10 the candidates I recruit are attracted to the opportunity, the challenges, and the company rather than just the money.

Secondly, recruiting and headhunting isn't just about getting the right candidate to the job or vice-versa. I doubt any recruiter would be paid just for that. (Contingent recruiters usually get paid ONLY when THEIR candidate gets hired, and they usually provide a guarantee for up to 3 months - it varies of course). The hard work doesn't end there (which is where NotchUp does). Job interviews don't automatically lead to a job offer. And a job offer doesn't necessarily lead to a successful hire. There's a whole process in making the successful hire go through. Recruiters and headhunters manage people (candidates, HR managers, hiring managers, other decision-makers), people's expectations, timing, and other factors that are crucial in making a successful hire. A lot of wasted time, energy and money (in terms of lost productive work time for everyone) happens not only in the search for getting that first interview, but in the follow-through that happens after the initial job interviews. This is another part of where recruiters and headhunters provide value and service.

In the end, I seriously doubt this online platform will make a dent in the demand for good quality recruiters and headhunters out there who provide very targeted, high quality service for their clients. It certainly won't replace third party recruiters. If anything, this will probably become just another tool for recruiters to use in research.

Take control of your career: How to Recession-Proof your job in a Slowing Job Market

I just did a google news search on "job market" and the top results were all about stagnation, talent demand-supply tension, and impending recession:

From Forbes: "Japan's job market recovery at a standstill as companies battle higher costs"  
From Economic Times, India: "Shrinking Job Market"

From Viet Nam News: "Job market suffers from shortage of skilled staff"

From BBC: "New dip in US consumer confidence"

All a bit negative, but then I saw this article from SmartMoney.com: Four ways to keep your job during a slowing job market. While there may be some worry to job cuts (depending on which industry you're in), you still can do something about it. It's important to always be positive, to be prepared, and to perform strong. To "recession-proof" your job, here's a recap of SmartMoney.com's advice:

1. Make yourself indispensable. Best way to do this is to maintain a good relationship with your boss, along with other managers. Make sure they know your up-to-date accomplishments, skills and how you give value to your company. The decision-makers who know how good you are will back you up and vouch for you when it comes to letting people go.

2.Don't be high maintenance. It's human nature, isn't it? High-maintenance people drain you, and make things unpleasant. So even though you perform well, if you're a difficult person to work with, causing problems either through constant complaining or being a "stirrer", you will be on the top of the list when it comes to downsizing, no matter what the official reason may be.

3. Stay busy. This is a given. It also counters the number one step of making yourself indispensable. Show your managers how good you are by taking on assignments and getting involved in projects. Of course, you don't want to bury yourself in work where you can't produce or perform, so be realistic, keep communication open and try your darnest to impress.

4. Do damage control. If the worst does happen - their advice especially for 45-60 year-old employees who may be laid-off, try to negotiate a lower salary to stay on. Although not ideal, it would keep you from having to look for a job when the market is down and also something that's much harder for people in that age group.

Here's what I'd like to add to these steps:

1. Always keep an open mind for opportunities. Whether it be within your company or outside. This means maintaining good relationships with key people in your industry both within and outside of your company, including headhunters & recruiters.

2. Being creative and flexible in your career path. When they suggested making yourself indispensable, that included giving an updated resume/CV to your boss. Take stock of where you've progressed and grown in your career, your accomplishments, newly acquired skills and expertise and gauge it against your overall career goals. Where do you want to be? How close have you gotten? Or how far did you stray? Are the goals still the same as when you made them? Have you found that you've acquired all these new skills that you enjoy and want to pursue even further? Perhaps apply them to a growing industry that won't face big hits as other industries - like green tech or biotech? Consider other locations where the market is still strong? Keep an open mind for opportunities with a creative outlook and where you could go.

Are you part of a MicroTrend?

We're always looking out for new upcoming trends. Magazines publish Top Ten lists of trends of the past and upcoming year, the decade, the millenium. I'd go so far as to say trendspotting is a trend -- take a look at Forbes which has a whole section on Trendsurfing.

We love numbers too. They validate why we do things, why we should do things or which course of action to take. And so armed with numbers, Mark J. Penn's Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Today's Big Changes identifies some pretty interesting and diverse "microtrends" -- groups that are emerging in all areas of life. Heard of "Extreme Commuters" (people clocking in more than 90 min. each way - even one who does 372-miles round-trip every day!!!), "New Luddites" (young, urban & employed who refuse to use computers, cellphones, etc.), "Neglected Dads", "Archery Moms" (rise in interest and participation in niche sports and decline in the big sports: baseball, basketball, hockey) and "Cougars" (older women dating/marrying men at least a decade younger)?

A polling analyst and strategist for over 30 years, Penn's been consulting with politicians and corporations, specializing in discovering and targeting niche groups (think "Soccer Moms" during the Bill Clinton era). In MicroTrends, he identifies 75 groups who, although relatively small in number (say 1% of a population), will have a large impact on society as a whole (when you consider the US population to be 300 million, that 1% is pretty big). A common trait these groups share is that they are under the radar at the moment and are being under-served in terms of policies, services or products. And while they're mostly in the U.S., there are lots of microtrends emerging in other countries such as Vietnamese entrepreneurs, Chinese artists and the rise of Indian women in politics and business.

These microtrends are somewhat similar to  Chris Anderson's The Long Tail, where there are all these niche market segments of people who have interests that may seem bizarre or so completely off the beaten track. We should all take note of these important untapped markets, especially entrepreneurs, corporate managers, and policy makers.

It's an interesting read - a neat insight into how things will change and kind of a "heads up" for those in the position to take the opportunity to serve these niche groups.

And as many people do at the beginning of the new year, they take stock of where they are in their career and gauge how far they've progressed towards their goals or whether they want to change their direction. By keeping an open mind to opportunities opened up by these microtrends, you could find yourself in a new and exciting position, company, or career that you hadn't planned on.

Happy New Year!

Just like to wish you all an exciting and adventurous 2008! I think this year will be a challenging one for everyone but there are great opportunities out there and I think it's probably a really good time for those of you considering what you want out of your career to take stock and make some decisions. You might want to try asking yourself the following five questions to start the year:

1. What did I achieve in my career last year? (give yourself a pat on the back).
2. What would I really like to achieve in the next year? (push yourself).
3. How can I achieve that where I am now? (planning for it).
4. What is the long term goal that achieving this will support? (big dreams).
5. How can I achieve my long term goal where I am now? (more planning)

The best thing about planning like this is it will help you keep a weather report on whether or not your current employer is helping you achieve your dreams. If it becomes increasingly difficult to plan to achieve what you want where you are then you need to start considering new places to work. Don't be overly keen to move though, the ability to creatively develop your job in any workplace can give you some very valuable skills as well. You also need to factor in some other important points that may be just as valuable as you getting the chance to achieve your goals. Good examples of that would be, the quality of mentors you have around you, and also the growth prospects of the company you are with. Both these factors can sometimes out weigh your goals because of the huge opportunities they can provide.

Again, all the best in 2008 and thanks to all of you who have been so supportive of this blog over 2007.

Why I'm Blocking Facebook Beacon and How

I like Facebook. It's allowed me to get back in touch with a bunch of friends from the past, and it's also an easy way to keep up with what they are doing. But after reading about Facebook Beacon this morning from Om Malik, I've decided to block and opt-out of their new Beacon feature. I'm sure it might be somewhat useful, but I have to draw the line at separate companies sharing my shopping details with each other without asking me first. It's just too much and I think they've really crossed a line by creating the system as an opt-out instead of opt-in. I don't think we should have to agree for you NOT to do something that I might not like. If my son was to punch a friend and then claim that his friend never opted-out from getting a beating do you think that would fly with me?

If you'd like to know how to opt-out and block Beacon then the following links will help. I'm a Firefox user so I used the BlockSite addon as well as opting out, the link below from Wikihow will show you how to do both. If you're not a Firefox user now I highly recommend you try it, you can download it here. Fingers crossed that keeps me covered.

Detailed instructions and screenshots for opting out of Facebook Beacon.