The Asia Pacific Headhunter

Why The Buddha Doesn't Give Referral Fees

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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.

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.

Friday Links

Some great articles for you to take in over the weekend:

Evidence from Japan that companies that offshore operations are more successful at maintaining and growing their domestic workforce. This is worth a read for all the anti-offshoring types. Offshoring has been a big issue in Japan since the 80's thanks to all the manufacturing done there. And while the study can't say what type of employees are hired in the domestic operations, the results do show that perhaps not offshoring is a bigger risk to the growth of a company in their country of origin.

Immigrants Fuel Workforce Growth in Canada - Canada's foreign-born population has reached it's highest point in 75 years with 20% of the population born overseas. They have given a much needed boost to an ageing workforce.

South Asian Blood Sweat and Tears in the Middle East - A damning article on the treatment of nearly 600,000 Sri Lankan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, and the UAE. The Sri Lankan government reports that 50 domestic workers return to Sri Lanka "in distress" every day! More needs to be said about this, it's disgusting that this type of abuse of workers continues.

Indonesian Economy on The Rise But Jobs Scarce - Quick article on economy growth in Indonesia but also how that growth has been confined to certain parts of the country. In some cases people can make more money offering themselves as passengers to commuters so they can use the car pool lane, than they can from working near their homes.

Dow Chemical cuts 1000 jobs - Includes leaving the automotive sealers business in Asia. Hardly even causes a blip on the share price which always seems to be the case when there are layoffs.

UK Investment Bankers Predict Doom in 2008 - But they still think they'll personally get bigger bonuses!  You've gotta love their optimism. Not that those bonuses weren't bad last year either.

Indians and Filipinos Happiest People in Asia - Who would of thunk it? Filipinos in particular are happy about their career prospects and families but are most of all happy about their health. Unfortunately they came last in "preparedness for retirement". Still at least they aren't unhappy about it.

Where Do The Highest Paid Executives Live?

We really live in a mobile world nowadays. In particular many people will consider working not only different careers but also in many different countries during their career. There is no doubt that Asia is seen as an excellent area to move to and work for many people, at the same time many people in Asia are very interested in working in other parts of the world. The spirit of adventure drives many but if you are also interested in the power of money you might want to check out the Hay Group's 2007 World Pay Report available here (beware the link goes to a PDF download).

I like this report because it doesn't just show salary levels, it takes into account the cost of living and tax in each country to reveal disposable income levels - the true purchasing power of executive salaries for 46 countries in North America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific. The results might really surprise a lot of people. The USA is 24th while countries like Russia, Turkey and Thailand are all in the top 10. From within Asia Hong Kong is 3rd while Thailand is 8th, Singapore 9th and China 14th. If you've been thinking hard about taking your executive skills off the beaten track then this might make you even more interested. While you might take a pay cut to go to many places your purchasing power may make up for that cut.

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Experience.com provides information on internships and entry level jobs.

The Single Most Powerful Question in Recruiting

Link: The Single Most Powerful Question in Recruiting - Articles - ERE.

Dr. John Sullivan has been called the "Michael Jordan of Hiring" by Fast Company so I think  it's worthwhile noting what he feels is the single most powerful interview question a Recruiter and hiring manager can use:

"What criteria will you use to determine whether to accept a job offer?"

Dr. John Sullivan hits it on the nose with his analogy to car salesman when they ask the customer" What is it going to take you to get into this car?"  Without asking this question of a candidate it's like putting any kind of car in front of a prospective buyer without knowing what kind of car he wants. Sportscar or family van? Does he want to go off roading or does he want an energy-efficient commuter car? Only a rookie sales person wouldn't ask this and in an employee's market it's only rookie Recruiters who forget to ask this too. The information is useful for quite a few reasons (which John notes in his article) but in my opinion it's most useful for "crafting your sales pitch", and "getting managers to change the job".

In extremely tight labor markets the ability to change a job and the way you present to a candidate are going to be key factors in getting them to choose you over another company. I find that doing this in hindsight (asking them what they want in the offer stage) is often seen as reactive by candidates and they sometimes question the legitimacy of the changes. But if you can get this question in early then you can really smooth the process.

Now from a candidate perspective, this question is just as important to you. Knowing that good employers truly value what you want should be a catalyst for you to take the time to really isolate and prioritize your wants when looking for a new opportunity. The more clear you are of what you want - what points are essential and which ones are negotiable, I think the better results you'll get in your job search.

Find thousands of Bilingual jobs at LatPro.com.

I'm Looking for a Researcher or Sourcer in Asia

I am looking to find a Recruiting Researcher or Sourcer who works the Asia Pacific market and who is interested in contract work. I might even consider someone who doesn't yet have any recruitment experience but has a background in online research of some kind, especially if you have some strong skills in other areas. I started out my career in sourcing and I so I think I can give someone a lot of help in getting up to speed.

In the US there are quite a few name sourcers and candidate generation firms. But in Asia Pacific in my experience it's an area where most recruiters do a lot of their own research as well handling all other aspects of a search (I know I do). If you do this kind of work now within Asia Pacific and would like to look at a "virtual" gig please let me know. I've also had a request for recommendations of firms who specialize in name generation in Asia. So if you know any please feel free to leave a comment!

Attracting Candidates with Job Satisfaction

Link: AdlerConcepts.com: Articles & Resources - Job Satisfaction as a Recruiting Tool.

When you're deciding which job to take, what factors do you consider? Sure, money is important, but at the end of the day money won't keep you at a job where you don't feel satisfied, or feel that you haven't made any accomplishments or progress. It wouldn't keep you there if management gives you no direction or support. That's why job satisfaction is such a big factor to weigh in. In last week's AdlerConcepts newsletter, Kathy Barton explored what the common denominator is for all management approaches to motivating employees: setting clear goals.  When people have clear goals to work towards, they can gage their progress and truly feel satisfied when they accomplish a task or can sense progress towards it.

How can you use this in recruiting? Adler talks about the 30% solution when hiring - which is offering a candidate a job that is 30% better than their current job - in terms of challenge, growth and compensation. Here's how job satisfaction is factored in:

The concept of greater job satisfaction can easily be added to the 30% solution. Just using a performance profile is a positive differentiator. Since a performance profile focuses on what a candidate would DO in the job, rather than the attributes the candidate HAS, you can talk about how your company has a commitment to providing its employees with clear goals. Discuss with them the specific things that the candidate would need to do to be successful in the job. Then tie these goals to company strategy and how it benefits the company's clients and you've just "branded" the job, giving it even greater value. . . The 30% solution also helps you tap into a candidate's desire for greater challenge and satisfaction from the job. 

The big draw is to show how the company will help and support the candidate accomplish what they have to stretch for in this new role. Add a competitive salary, benefits and other fun perks and you have a great job offer a wise candidate couldn't turn down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ADS

Most of the software designers today prefer getting certifications like 70-290 and 312-50 to their credit. This is because their education leaves them unaware of search optimization or what needs to be done to register domain. They cannot distinguish between a net call and a pc phone. Just knowing about windows backup is not enough now.

Why You Should Give Referrals

I had an interesting question the other day from a candidate: "Why would anyone give you a referral when you get paid a huge fee and they get nothing?" I thought this was a great question and one I should really address.

Many would be surprised to hear that a lot of people give out referrals. And by far, most referrals I get are from senior candidates. That's right - senior candidates are easily the most open about not only giving referrals of people they know, but also giving what I call "blind referrals". This is when they hand out names of people who they think are reasonably good or worth talking to but aren't necessarily their personal contacts.

For senior candidates I think they see their ability to give referrals as almost an example of their strength and knowledge in their industry. It also shows that in their experience, they realize the importance and value of giving referrals as well as the long-term gains.

But to get down to the reasons why executives should give referrals: It's all about goodwill, reciprocity, and networking.

Goodwill. There's nothing really to explain here. When you help someone, it's a good thing. Becoming a referee for that person, referring that person to a recruiter for an opportunity - in the end, it's all for the benefit of that person - whether or not a new job actually materializes. The fact is, the person you helped is better off by having had at least a chance to consider an opportunity. If you gave a referral to a recruiter, you've no doubt  bestowed goodwill to him or her, and as you'll soon see, is a good investment.

Reciprocity. The Law of Reciprocation is powerful. I got this from Dr. Robert Cialdini, a widely recognized expert in negotiation studies, who said the power of reciprocation is extremely strong and should be used when presented with a moment of power; that is, when you have just done or given something beneficial to someone. When they thank you, it's up to you to seize that moment of power and respond:

"I'm sure you would do the same for me if I needed it."

That's the law of reciprocation. As it turns out from Dr. Cialdini's research, people will reciprocate when receiving a gift, advice, or help from someone, no matter how much time has passed from the initial giving. In what ways? Well, if you helped a colleague or former manager by referring them to a recruiter, or offering to be a referee for a potential employer, they may return the favour by looking out for your best interests as well.

Networking. This widens and the ties strengthen from you giving referrals.

The key is to give to them first. And the easiest way is to refer them to a key person, or give them a referral if they need one for a new opportunity.

Hopefully, this answers the question. While it's hard to think past the short-term outcomes, like a referral fee, look to the long-term gains of having a quality relationship with someone in your network who can reciprocate goodwill to you when the time comes. It's an investment that benefits everyone.

 

Recruiting & HR@ iTV Japan.com

Link: Recruiting & HR@ iTV Japan.com.

Thought I'd introduce this website resource for those interested in Japan: itvjapan.com - Japan's first internet television network for business executives and provides business news, interviews and analysis with Japanese business experts and opinion leaders.

In addition to the HR & Recruiting channel, they have various business programs such as Doing Business in Japan, Sales Force, Tokyo Insiders, and more. It's another interesting way to learn more about human resources, recruiting and business in Japan in addition to blogs and rss feeds to news providers.

The current interview is with Ken Cogger, Global Head of Recruiting at Nikko Asset Management. He talks about "candidate as guest" in which the candidate is the center of focus and treated "as a guest" throughout the whole recruitment process - ranging from the little things of their first reception to the client's office to providing timely and relevant feedback if possible. The point is maintaining momentum of interest throughout the process, selling the candidate on the company so that the candidate has a positive experience with the client. After all, not all candidates will get hired, but when they leave the recruitment process, they come away with a positive impression of the  company and recruiter. And in a candidate's market, candidates talk - so as a recruiter, you're really doing sales, marketing and PR for your client. You've got to focus on the positives of the company and help the client continue that "candidate as guest" approach right through employement and employer relations to retain talent.

Btw, I have the say the quality of the streaming media is really good - very clear and sharp.

Top 10 Success Factors with Onboarding

This was brought to my attention by a comment from Sue Edwards, president of Clearing the 90-Day Hurdle, an onboarding coaching service that deals with all the challenges of a new hire (especially senior executives) - for the employer, the employee, and recruiter. They address a lot of the issues of being a new hire, hiring someone new, and easing the transition into a successful one.

It's clear from the number of hits that my post on Onboarding keeps getting, onboarding is  a concern for a lot of companies who realize the value of keeping the talent they've spent so much effort, time and money in recruiting. They realize why it's just as important to invest as much time and effort into retention and development of staff.

From their website:

A lot can go wrong in the first 90 days after a new executive hire or promotion. Would it surprise you to learn that at least 40% of new leaders fail to meet the expectations of their new role?

• Desired results are not achieved within the expected timeframe

• Difficulties in assimilating to a new culture and earning credibility are barriers to success

• Productivity and employee engagement are negatively impacted

Research conducted with over 20 executives shows clearly that:

• There is remarkable agreement on the most important behaviours for success in the first 90 days — regardless of the interviewee’s industry, gender, internal or external role.

• Providing new hires with the "secrets to success" in their first 90 days is critical to enhancing the ROI on recruitment and re-training costs.

• Even exceptional, talented new hires are often unaware that some of their well-intended behaviours are potentially derailing.

For more insight, there is a free report on Top Ten Success Factors and Seven Deadly Sins for Leaders Transitioning into Organizations, based on Edwards' experience of coaching leaders-in-transitions for small businesses up to Fortune 500 multi-nationals, along with in-depth research with senior executives, human resources leaders and recruiters. So far I've received positive feedback from people I've passed it on to (with her permission of course!).