The Asia Pacific Headhunter

Last of the Blog Swap

So the great Recruiting Blog Swap has come to an end. What a great effort from all those involved. My last post this week is on, Microsoft Developer, Tod Hilton's Blog dirtyDogStink (great name). Nice opportunity for me to get post on a blog that has tacit approval from a group of evil overlords (just kidding Tod).  My topic is, "Why all Developers should Blog" and a new standard I am proposing in hiring software developers. If you are interested then get over to Tod's blog and have a read.

Visit Recruit.net to find Australia jobs.

Headhunters could be called Dream Catchers

This week's Blog Swap post is from Julian and Shannon at Exceler8.

It's an honor to be part of Steven's Asia Pacific Headhunter blog this week as part of Recruiting.com's blog swap . As guest authors, our job is to write content along the lines that you would normally find here. In our case we're not recruiters or a recruiting consultant like Steven - our core business is interactive marketing with a focus on recruitment.   In our business we use technology - like blogs - and great ideas to connect companies with employees.  When you spend so much time looking for 'what's next', it's pretty easy to get caught up in the latest technology and lose track of the human element.  But I do have a connection with Steven's part of the world - professionally with the power of recruiting and geographically with the Asia-Pacific region - and it takes me back 30 years.

In New Jersey in 1975, I was six.  My dad taught media studies at a local college and my mom took care of my brother and I while making ends meet doing all sorts of part-time jobs. My favorite of her endeavors was the paper route.  On our daily rounds, I got to fold papers in our '63 Chrysler and bung them out the window as my mum sped (and I mean sped) by the houses and over the hills.  If I did a really good job, my mum would take me over a series of three hills that, when taken with enough speed, induced a roller coaster-like experience.  We didn't ever get airborne but we came damn close.

Around the same time, my mum and dad were both getting antsy to travel, so they started looking for interesting places to live abroad. They favored Australia and New Zealand the most.  Not long after that Dad saw some job ads in the New York Times for a couple of University teaching positions - one in Brisbane and another in Perth.  Soon Dad was talking with college recruiters, finding out more about Australia - the Universities and the teaching positions.  At the time, Australian Uni's were heavily recruiting academics from America and Europe to quickly raise the level of secondary education in Australia.  The Aussie recruiters travelled all the way to NYC to interview candidates like my Dad.  He was offered the job in Perth (and the one in Brisbane) and before long we were having a yard sale and selling the '63 Chrysler.

The faculty in Perth was over 80% foreign.  Dad signed up for a two year commitment, after which we would be free to return to America.  My folks looked at this as sort of a gap year - an amazing chance to broaden their personal horizons and careers.  For the Universities, using quality foreign Professors as mentors and examples for Australian teachers WORKED; and, the quality of education did in fact rise.  The Australian students, the college lecturers, and the professors from abroad were all beneficiaries.  Once the two years were up, the vast majority of the foreign Professors returned to their home country, but a select few opted to stay on.  My family remained and I had the opportunity to live in Australia for 10 years before moving back to America.  While I had big wide-eyed geek dreams of Silicon Valley - my brother, mum, and dad never came back to the U.S.

That idea that my parents had about a different life, in a different place, became a reality because of a job ad in a newspaper and the recruiters that my father worked with.  The stakes were high all the way around, as these recruiters weren't just pitching jobs - they were pitching a whole new life.  They were on the front lines of an innovative recruiting strategy and they made it happen.  Our entire family history changed because of them and we've had an amazingly rich experience living abroad.  From the professional side, a lot of good came from Australia's educational outsourcing strategy and the Aussie schools should be applauded for their vision.

As a recruiter or hiring manager, you should never underestimate the impact that you have in someone's life or the company you're working for. Your actions, making not just a good match - but a great one, for that new Java programmer from Hong Kong whose dream it is to work in Silicon Valley, or vice versa, WILL fundamentally alter that person's life forever.  It will also shape the company you place that Java programmer in - just like the recruiting strategy I shared with you did for higher education in Australia.  Don't let the experiences of a few fill your mind with doubt and negativity.  Acquiring the best people for your organization is vital for our collective economies, companies, and lives.

You never know where and when your life will take an unexpected turn. One day you could be a kid in New Jersey in your mom's big ol' '63 Chrysler and the next playing Aussie Rules Football in a Perth suburb, cricket in Bangalore, or handling a baseball bat for the first time in Kansas City.

Guest Blogger: JobSyntax's Zoe Goldring on Asia Pacific Headhunter

This is a guest post by the talented and extremely influential Zoe Goldring of JobSyntax, as part of  the recruiting blog swap.

What I learned recruiting from India   

At first, as part of this blog swap, I wasn't sure that I would have anything to contribute from the point of view of an expert like The Asia Pacific Headhunter.  Then it dawned on me that I spent a great deal of time in my first job, at a little ole software company you may have heard of in Redmond, Washington, recruiting candidates from international sources to join software development efforts at the US headquarters.

When I first started in the job I had absolutely no experience in recruiting.  I liked working with people and was interested in new technologies, so that helped a bit.  It was exciting to know that I was being given to chance to combine those two interests and learn a new profession at one of the world's leading employers.  Who could ask for more?  My world got completely flipped upside down though when I found out that I was going to be responsible for finding and evaluating candidates from India to come to Redmond.

Looking back, it was probably the best way for someone new to the industry to learn about sourcing and evaluating candidates.  I had to completely change my headspace to think not only about how to find candidates in a completely different country, but also learn about customs and cultures that were completely foreign to me in order to properly evaluate a candidates credentials.  When I was eventually asked to recruit candidates from domestic resources, I found that I had a leg up in finding the proverbial "needle in the haystack".

Along the way though, I learned some interesting things that were helpful in recruiting and doing business in general:

    * Foreign resumes are very different then their US equivalent.  Most folks had pages and pages of information which often started with a picture and personal information such as age, gender, marital status, and number of children.  While this seemed strange to me, I had to remember that in many cultures this information was required on resumes.  A tip for jobseekers interested in positions in the US; consider preparing a separate US style resume when applying for positions.

    * Finding candidates at a distance doesn't have to be that hard.  Spend time researching the top universities, get to know the programs that graduate the best students, interact with professors on campus, offer to sponsor software or host get together for some of the professionals clubs and associations, find the top employers for your industry and start networking with recruiters and HR professionals at these companies.  The list could go one, but be creative in your approach and you will be able to connect with a great network of individuals.

    * Getting the opportunity to spend time in India was probably one of the best parts of the job.  I could learn all I wanted online, or from friends or reading books, but there is nothing like being immersed in the culture.

    * Respect and politeness are underrated virtues in the US.  I'm no heathen, but I was never treated as well as when I was in India.  They also taught me how being respectful can win you points in the business world.

    * When it comes to making offers you should learn how different cultures view money and how people negotiate.  I think that some of the folks I dealt with in India were the toughest negotiators that I ever met.  They taught me how to be a good negotiator and how to present offers.

    * Want to know how to greet someone, offer your business card or what different body language means?  Then Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is a great overview to learn about interacting with business people from different countries.  The biggest lesson I learned was that a head nod that means "no" in the US is typically a "yes" gesture in India.   

Now, my knowledge is fairly limited to India but I would imagine that I probably would have had the similar points to make if I were assigned to another Asian Pacific country or region.  What I do know is that these experiences really shaped the perspectives I have today.  Even more so, they helped me to have a fierce interest in creating a unparalleled candidate experience that planted the seeds for founding the company I co-own today.

Zoë

Guest Blogger:Microsoft Sourcer Jim Stroud on Asia Pacific Headhunter

This is a guest post by Microsoft's extremely multi-talented Recruiter Jim Stroud , as part of  the recruiting blog swap.

Oh gawd!!! Not another meeting…

 

How many meetings have you had this year, this month, or this week? Now how many of these meeting really mattered? I dare say that balanced against all of the resumes on your desk, calls you need to make, requisitions to fill and (insert whatever else here), most of them were either unnecessary or could have been resolved with an email or (most likely) a very short get-together. At least, as far as you are concerned, yes? Well, after sitting in on 14,352 meetings in my ten-year career (more or less), I have a few tips designed to make any mandatory meeting bearable and (dare I say it) more productive.

 

TIMING

 

I would like to make it mandatory that meetings do not last any longer than 1-hour, but I know that such is a fool’s paradise. However, I think that it is not too much to wish for all meetings to top off at a 2-hour maximum. After that, I begin to feel my will to live slowly ebbing away.

 

DIVISION OF TIME

 

Hopefully, this is not overly ambitious, but howzabout cutting up the meeting into thirds? The first third of the meeting is for handling the easy stuff, things most can agree on (or rubber stamp) and thereby give that warm feeling (or illusion) that this meeting is going well and time is flying by. The second third is for presenting the more difficult stuff that will (most likely) be debated and argued and further bantered about. The final third of the meeting is for discussing the points brought up in the second third of the meeting, making decisions and brown-nosing the boss.

 

PRE-REQUISITES TO THE MEETING

 

Prior to scheduling any meeting, please, please pretty please… answer the following questions to yourself.

1. Can this be handled via email or quick instant messaging chat? If so, no meeting…
2. Did you just have a meeting to discuss something similar? If so, you should have brought it up then. No meeting…
3. Do you have all the pertinent information ready for discussion? If not, go get it, but for now, no      meeting…
4. Is there a decision-making procedure in place, or are we there to listen to ourselves rant? If      nothing is to be decided, no meeting…

 

If this sounds like I am anti-meeting, that is because I am. I know that as far as business goes, meetings are a necessary evil. (Okay, maybe evil is too harsh a word.) I have a peeve about wasting time, especially when I have to waste time in a pack and/or I have other things to do (and when do I not?). If you share my peeve, maybe you’ll appreciate this post.

 
Posted with pleasure by:
Jim Stroud
Recruiter-Sourcer-Blogger-Podcaster-Author-Cartoonist-Nice Guy

BLOG: http://blogcharm.com/jimstroud
WEB: http://www.jimstroud.com

Search jobs online at Job Central.

Sales Call that turn into Recruiting Calls - Jim Durbin

This is a guest post by StlRecruiting Blogger and Durbin Media CEO Jim Durbin , as part of  the recruiting blog swap.

I'd like to thank Steven for allowing me to guest post on his blog. While I can locate New Zealand on a globe, my knowledge of Kiwi is limited to a fruit, not a culture.  I do like Kiwi, and I hope to correct my ignorance in the future.  My name is Jim Durbin, I write at StlRecruiting.com, and I approve this post.

New Zealand or the US, certain topics are universal to recruiting, and so I'd like to cover how to handle a typical cold-calling problem - what to do when the target of your call asks if you can find him a job.

Recruiter:  Mr. Executive, this is (insert name here) from Search Niche and I was calling to determine your need for a product manager in your Hong Kong office.  I understand your company is looking for top notch talent, and my network in your area seems to match your company profile very well.

Executive: So you're a headhunter?  I'm glad you called.  I have a job for you.

R: That's welcome news, why don't you tell me a little about your hiring needs.

E: My needs?  I need to get a new job, and I want you to go out and find me one.

At this point, you have to make a decision - are you going to take the time to help this executive?  Are you going to believe what he's telling you?  Are you going to call back in three months and try to fill his position?

I don't want to frighten you, but how you carry yourself at this moment can determine your future success.  It is not easy to find a job for an executive (remember, in our industry, we find executives for jobs - a much different animal).  The chances of your clients needing the skill level and salary range of your cold call are weak, and at this point, you know nothing about the character or suitability of the executive to determine if you would place them.

To make it worse, agreeing to work with a candidate can shut you off from the client company you just called.  If you help him, you've turned a prospect company into a target company.   That's if you can help him.

So what do you do?  Most recruiters will offer some kind of weak response like the following.

Recruiter:  Well sir, I'd be happy to help.  We have lots of contacts at the deepest level, and I'm sure some would be willing to meet with someone at your level. I'll make some calls and see what I can accomplish.

The recruiter will make some calls?  To what end?  So now you've wasted your time and given the executive false hope about a "headhunter" making calls on his behalf.  Chances are you'll never get ahold of the executive again, because without an interview in hand, he's not going to return your calls.

But what if you were bold?  Really bold?  The next time you get the question, "Can you find me a job?"  Answer it this way.

Recruiter:  John (use his first name), I can help you but not in the way you might expect.  I'm a headhunter.  I find people for jobs, not the other way around.  That means the chances of me having a client I trust ready with a job for you is very low - anyone telling you something else is lying to you.  At the same time, I don't yet know you.  I wouldn't pass your name on to my contacts without conducting a full interview on your strengths and weaknesses. 

You're a busy man, and you can't afford to meet every recruiter who might find you a job, so let's do something truly effective.  Let's sit down for dinner next week and talk about what you're looking for and develop a strategy that you can use to find that job you're looking for.  I may not be able to place you, but I can teach you over a meal what you need to know to discretely perform a job search.

At the end of the meal, if you feel I've helped, you pay.  If not, I pay.  It's real simple John. I can teach you to do what I do, and if I'm successful, well, you now know a great headhunter to use when you assume your next position.

This approach is direct, honest, and will tell you if this executive is willing to work with you in finding him a job.  Even if he says no, he will never forget the call.

Guest Blogger: Jobster CEO Jason Goldberg on Asia Pacific Headhunter

This is a guest post by Jobster CEO Jason Goldberg, as part of  the recruiting blog swap.

ok, so i must admit that finding time to maintain my own blog as well as run jobster at a time when we have 3 major "things" happening in the same week is very very demanding on my time ... let alone my living on an airplane ... so you can see where i find tons of time to blog swap :)

 

but anyways ...

 

i'm excited to report that after just 5 days we are already seeing a ton of folks providing unique user generated content on the new jobster.com site.  i've launched many products before in my career but i must say that this one is a lot more special than the ones prior.  i think that is because it's a living breathing organism.  that is, because the users are creating the content minute by minute in a dynamic fashion vs. the old model of pre-packaged and programmed content.  sure, user generated content has existed for a long time now -- especially when it comes to product reviews (e.g. book reviews on amazon.com or hotel reviews on tripadvisor.com), but what we're seeing here is something different.  it's more myspace for the workplace.  it's more wikipedia for careers.  it's new.  and it's growing on it's own.  fun to watch.  and fun to evolve.

 

another interesting sidenote is seeing the global nature of the content.  while most "job boards" take on a local flavor, the content being generated on this "careers site" is taking on a global flavor which knows no borders.

 

on a totally different note, i was going to blog on this the other day on my blog but have not yet so i'll just post it here.

 

if implore everyone to take a few minutes to read jack and suzy welch's column from last week's business week:  "so many ceo's get this wrong."  the short story is that the welch's argue that inside a company there is nothing more strategic than people and because of that, the position of chief people officer should be given the same recognition and access and visibility as the cfo.  amen. 

 

here are some snippets from that article, since you need to be a business week subscriber to view it online.

JULY 17, 2006
                                        IDEAS -- THE WELCH WAY
By Jack and Suzy Welch

So Many   CEOs Get This Wrong
HR   has to be about more than palace intrigue -- or company picnics

If human resources is the   most powerful part of an organization, as you always say, why is its impact   felt in only a negative way? -- Fadi Rahal, Louisville,   Ky.

Because human resources, unfortunately, often operates as   a cloak-and-dagger society or a health-and-happiness sideshow. Those are   extremes, of course, but if there is anything we have learned over the past   five years of traveling and talking to business groups, it is that HR rarely   functions as it should. That's an outrage, made only more frustrating by the   fact that most leaders aren't scrambling to fix it.        

        Look, HR should be every company's "killer app."   What could possibly be more important than who gets hired, developed,   promoted, or moved out the door? Business is a game, and as with all games,   the team that puts the best people on the field and gets them playing together   wins. It's that simple.

You would never know it, though, to look at the   companies today where the CFO reigns supreme and HR is relegated to the   background. It just doesn't make sense. If you owned the Boston Red Sox, for   instance, would you hang around with the team accountant or the director of   player personnel? Sure, the accountant can tell you the financials. But the   director of player personnel knows what it takes to win: how good each player   is and where to find strong recruits to fill talent gaps.

Several years   ago we spoke to 5,000 HR professionals in Mexico City. At one point we asked   the audience: "How many of you work at companies where the CEO gives HR a seat   at the table equal to that of the CFO?" After an awkward silence, fewer than   50 people raised their hands. Awful!

Since then, we have tried to   understand why HR has become so marginalized. As noted above, there are at   least two extremes of bad behavior. The stealthy stuff occurs when HR managers   become little kingmakers, making and breaking careers, sometimes not even at   the CEO's behest. These HR departments can indeed be powerful, but often in a   detrimental way, prompting the best people to leave just to get away from the   palace intrigue. Almost as often, though, you get the other extreme: HR   departments that plan picnics, put out the plant newsletter (complete with   time-in-service anniversaries duly noted), and generally drive everyone crazy   by enforcing rules and regulations that appear to have no purpose other than   to bolster the bureaucracy. They derive the little power they have by being   cloyingly benevolent on one hand and company scolds on the other.

So   how do leaders fix this mess? It all starts with the people they appoint to   run HR -- not kingmakers or cops but big-leaguers, men and women with real   stature and credibility. In fact, managers need to fill HR with a special kind   of hybrid: people who are part pastor (hearing all sins and complaints without   recrimination) and part parent (loving and nurturing, but giving it to you   straight when you're off track).

PASTOR-PARENT types   can come up through the HR department, but more often than not, they have run   something during their careers, such as a factory or a function. They get the   business -- its inner workings, history, tensions, and the hidden hierarchies   that exist in people's minds. They are known to be relentlessly candid, even   when the message is hard, and they hold confidences tight. With their insight   and integrity, pastor-parents earn the trust of the organization.

But   pastor-parents don't just sit around making people feel warm and fuzzy. They   improve the company by overseeing a rigorous appraisal-and-evaluation system   that lets every person know where he or she stands, and they monitor that   system with the same intensity as a Sarbanes-Oxley compliance   officer.

Leaders must also make sure that human resources fulfills two   other roles. It should create effective mechanisms, such as money,   recognition, and training, to motivate and retain people. And it should force   organizations to confront their most charged relationships, such as those with   unions, individuals who are no longer delivering results, or stars who are   becoming problematic by, for instance, swelling instead of   growing.

Now, considering your negative experience with human resources   -- and you are hardly alone -- this kind of high-impact HR activity probably   sounds like a pipe dream. But given the fact that most CEOs loudly proclaim   that people are their "biggest asset," it shouldn't be.

It can't be.   Leaders need to put their money where their mouth is and get HR to do its real   job: elevating employee management to the same level of professionalism and   integrity as financial management. Since people are the whole game, what could   be more important?

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