A cat has nine lives – what about recruitment companies?

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 - 1:14 pm

It’s amazing what some recruitment companies get away with. What I also find amazing is how naive some clients are. Naive because they believe they can get the same amount of work done on their assignment when they pay less to the recruitment company than to the executive search firm.

I say keep dreaming. It’s like in any other business; you get what you pay for.3483_Chain_padlock_color_web

This article is first and foremost to companies who are using recruitment services or executive search firms to help find and recruit candidates. But even you may be a candidate, please continue reading, this story will reveal the different methods used by the recruitment industry. You owe yourself to know who you deal with.

Here’s how I calculated the “less money” which I mentioned above. Take a compensation of 100,000 Baht per month. If you use an executive search firm with a fee of, say 32%, the invoice will be 416,000 Baht. If the recruitment company is charging you 20%, you pay a fee of 260,000 Baht when you employ their candidate. The difference between the two fees, and the 32 to the 20, is 33 percentage points.

5951_11 film reel silver_lavenderHere’s what you get for your money. The 20% fee:

  • You get a recruiter who quickly works through their candidate data base to find whatever comes close to your required profile. They need to work fast, because only if their candidate is hired by you, will they be able to send you an invoice. They know that you have most likely also contacted another recruitment company, thinking that the second recruiter has completely different candidates in their data base than the first one (which is actually not the case; you see, most active candidates send their resumes to many recruitment companies, thereby greatly overlapping the various data bases).
  • The hit and run methodology means the recruiter will use a few days on the data base or the internet job boards, then throw their spaghetti (read: candidate resumes) on the wall and hope that one sticks.
  • The problem is when no candidates are presented to you within the first week or two. Here’s the secret. The recruiter has in fact already moved on to the next caller in the hope of making a quick sale. It’s the nature of the business when you are paid on successful placements only. The attention span is short. If you have no resumes on your table shortly after you placed the order, be worried because no one is working on your job any longer.

More importantly, what do you get for your money paying 32%:olympic_medal_ribbon_original

  • The headhunter is not in a hurry per se. Executive search firms will appoint a consultant and a researcher to work as a team over many weeks or months. They will have spend considerable time in getting to you know your needs and your corporate culture. They will have analysed what are the key competencies, they will have drafted the chart for your approval, prepared a recruitment plan including the targettted firms where they will go hunting. For them it’s not providing a quick fix but a thorough planned approach to ensure that you get exactly the right person.
  • Executive search firms work on exclusive basis and will not take your order unless you commit to them 100%. During the search process they will contact hundreds of candidates to present your company, the job opportunities, and your employee value proposition. They will be hunting passive candidates and not those who are actively looking for a new job because they hate what they are doing or are between jobs.
  • The headhunters will use a script when they call up. They will use a tested best practice approach that will get passive candidates to listen, to think and confirm their interest in moving forward. From the first contact and through to the face-to-face interview, it is all following a well executed path.
  • Real executive search firms do not use internet job boards or printed media advertising. Only active candidates who are job hunting will be looking there anyway. All the passive candidates, who are not looking for job, will not open the job boards or the job classified. So you will only reach these people by calling them (according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics 16% of employees are actively looking; leaving 84% un-reachable).8448_Pot of Gold_coins_web

It’s my prediction that if recruitment companies only provide and sell data base resumes, and no other value added service, they will quickly use up their nine lives. Curiosity killed the cat, right?

Share

How to prepare for an interview – both sides of the table!

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Wednesday, May 4th, 2011 - 12:30 pm

Well, I suppose it depends on which side of the table you are sitting. Let me start by addressing what you need to do if you are the candidate. How do you survive and impress the very professional HR Manager or the headhunter?8669_Meter_High_web

Then further down in this story, what you as a company HR Manager or line manager can do when an applicant comes for an interview or a candidate for a meeting.

So before you attend your next job interview or meeting, keep this email in a place where you can easily find it. Reading this reminder could be the difference between performing at the highest level during an interview or on the other hand shooting yourself in the foot while making a fool of yourself.

Real HR Managers and headhunters use behavioral based interview technique which is based on the premise that a candidate’s past performance is the best predictor of future performance. You will need to provide detailed responses including specific examples of your work experience. The best way to prepare is to think of situations where you have successfully used the knowledge and skills. You should have developed stories that illustrate your past performance.

Of particular interest is to hear about your most significant major accomplishments (achievements) that relate to what the company or the headhunter’s client is looking for. Things, ideas, initiatives, results – whatever it may be – that you are very proud of and can talk about in detail.8339_7112_fireplace_chair_colorLow_web

Write these stories or examples down. Bring the paper along for the interview and don’t be shy to place it in front of you. You will only come across as a person who gave the meeting some thoughts beforehand and just that will give you positive points in the book. How many times have I met candidates who were told to bring examples of achievements and accomplishments? Instead of bringing a list to help them, they desperately try to memorize it all. But it never works and we are left with the impression of just another ordinary candidate.

To better understand your actual role in the position you are meeting discuss, there will be follow up questions by the interviewer such as: when did it happen, how long did it take to finish, what was your specific role, who else was involved, describe the environment and culture, what was the impact you made, what were the biggest challenges you faced, what technical skills did you use and learn, how did your boss manage you. Again, don’t even try to remember all this in your head. Write them down, bring your notes along, place them in front of you on the table and use your paper for reference.7332_Approved_stamp_red

Interviewers will repeat questions that you were asked earlier or ask questions where the answers are already given in your resume. They do this on purpose for various reasons, one being to allow you an opportunity to present yourself and to open a discussion on the subject.

Most answers during the meeting should be about one-to-two minutes long. If you talk for more than three minutes, you risk losing the interviewer’s interest and you will likely be ranked as boring, long-winded, or too self-centered. If you talk for half a minute, you are most likely considered superficial, incompetent, or lacking interest.

This kind of interview process is less stressful and more enjoyable than traditional interview sessions. No need to think about what they want to hear or what you would do in whatever situation. Simply talk about what you have done in real life work situations.  It’s a good idea to make notes of the stories you want to talk about. Bring your notes for the meeting and also bring your resume; place your papers on the table in front of you for easy reference. Sorry for repeating myself.

You will also notice that the interviewer will likely take tons of notes. That’s a good sign. If you have any questions before your interview meeting, do not hesitate to contact the company or the headhunter. You should of course know who you are meeting, like name and position. If you don’t know that, just call and ask. Check also how many people you will be meeting and how many hours you are likely to spend there.

And now, if you are the interviewer, the HR Manager or line manager, who have invited an applicant or candidate to come and meet you. The easy way, copy the text above and paste into an email which you send to the person before your meeting. Edit the text to change they to we. And so on. And also include in the email the names and positions that the person will be meeting. What’s your address (map) and a telephone number and name to call in case of last minute changes or delays. As simple as that, but believe me, this is how you build your employee value proposition even before you meet the candidates.7821_music_notes_blueLow_web

Share

Applicants and candidates: same same but different

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 - 6:23 am

Why do so many HR people and line managers display an air of arrogance when interviewing people? Don’t shoot the messenger now (that’s me) but applicants and candidates tell me that. I hear horrifying stories about how companies shoot themselves in the foot and simply scare away good people who came to interview.8448_Pot of Gold_coins_web

Now, let me ask you this. When you are hiring people to your organisation, do you see lines of applicants and candidates queuing up outside your company, like shoppers do outside the shop, hours before the opening for the special summer sales?

I have previously referred to a United Nation’s research about the contraction of the labour markets around the world. And how the pool of people entering the labour market is shrinking by the day. Just a few years from now, both China and Singapore will even see their labour market start to contract. That happened in Japan some 15 years ago.

The scary thing is, that if you think it’s difficult to find really good people in today’s market, I’m sorry to say that you ain’t seen nothing yet.  My point is that unless you consider interviewing to also be a sales activity (assuming that the candidate is a match to your requirement) you will likely not be considered a prospect for the applicant or candidate.

Today, they have a choice. They don’t have to come and work for you. Just like you are assessing the applicant or candidate’s fit to the job and your company, so do they assess your performance as an interviewer and the whole experience from they arrived for the meeting.5300_candles_-_red_-_web

Applicants come for an interview but candidates come for a meeting. Read that again. Same same but different. If you somehow get the two mixed up, you may not stand out as the employer of choice that you thought you were.

Applicants apply for a job and are considered active job seekers. Their resume is typically well drafted, is short and to the point, shows lots of bullet points with accomplishments. They turn up on time, well dressed and rehearsed. Be careful though not to succumb to their dance. They might not be what they appear to.

Candidates on the other hand, they come for a meeting. They will be individuals that headhunters (executive search firms) have probably helped you find. Many talented people who I meet in my job, have not had a resume for years. Never needed one. They come to meet our client because they have been nurtured, because they have been presented with an interesting Employee Value Proposition which have cleverly been sold by the headhunter.

5902_10 clapperboard_cornflower

Here are 10 Great Tips how you prepare for your next interview

  1. Don’t use your lobby and reception area for stock keeping. Even worse, don’t block your entrance and staircase with scrap waiting to be picked up.
  2. Inform the receptionist that you are expecting a person at this time of the day. Remind the receptionist to smile and say: “Nice to see you Khun Sombat”. If his name is Sombat :-)
  3. Make sure the meeting room has been cleaned from the previous meeting. Remove half empty coffee cups, paper clips, pieces of paper, pens etc. Wipe the white board and put the chairs back in order.
  4. Be on time for the meeting. Show some respect to the applicant or candidate. After all, the person has most likely taken a half day off to come and meet you. Being late for the appointment is a sin and senior managers simply don’t do that.
  5. Be prepared for the meeting. That is not picking up the resume from your secretary as you head for the meeting room. Preparing means reading the resume, preparing the questions you want to ask, sampling annual reports, brochures or a slide presentation, the evening before for the early morning interview. Or first thing in the morning for an interview later in the day.
  6. Please stop using the Application Form. It’s old fashioned and will kill the atmosphere even before you meet the applicant or candidate. I bet you already have their resume so use that wisely. If it turns out that you like the candidate and wish to move to a second round, then at the end of the meeting you may pull the application form out of your hat. If you have to. Even better, wait with these forms until the first day of employment and resist becoming a victim of some silly HR procedure.
  7. Switch off or mute your mobile telephone. Tell your staff that you cannot be disturbed and cannot write cheques at the same time you concentrate on assessing an applicant or candidate. It’s a Do-Not-Disturb hanging on the door handle.
  8. Use behavioural based interview technique which is based on the assumption that past performance and behaviour is the best predictor of future performance and behaviour. They also say leopards don’t change their spots. Questions start like this: Tell me about a time where you, what was your role in, give me an example of when you, describe the part you played in. You should ask for a specific example in a real instance of the candidate’s own action that illustrates, suggests and proves competence in a particular quality such as sales, service, problem solving etc.
  9. End the interview by telling the applicant or candidate what happens next. When do you intend to let them know the result of your process? Keeping the promise of giving feed back is another small piece of the puzzle. You are almost there (if you have done the first eight things on this list). Don’t loose it now.
  10. Return to your desk. Write your observations from the meeting / interview. Make a few points as a conclusion to your assessment of the applicant or candidate you just met.

3483_Chain_padlock_color_web

Share

This is not headhunting

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 - 9:30 am

It seems every Tom, Dick and Harry call themselves headhunters nowadays. Even what some do at best, is shopping on the internet and electronic job boards. Don’t be fooled because there are headhunters and then there are headhunters.4400_Office desk_color

It’s of course not really important how we in the recruitment industry like to see ourselves. It is what you, dear reader, define who’s who in our business. Fees in the recruitment industry vary from 10% to 35% of the candidate’s first year’s income. That corresponds to approx. 1.5 month’s salary and up to 4.5 month’s salary. What’s the difference you may ask?

There is no hidden agenda, there is nothing unusual, and there is no best kept secret. It’s like in any other business model, you get what you pay for. The more you do yourself the cheaper it is. The more you outsource and the more you want others to help, you will obviously have to pay for their time. Trust me, there is no Happy Potter & Partners in the recruitment business who with a bit of magic turn out great talented candidates. Finding people can be done the easy way or the hard way. But mostly the hard way.apple_laptop_working

So the easy way is to use a popular internet job board where you buy a piece of real estate to present your job requirements and your company. That is an incredible efficient way of buying resumes. If you have used this service, however, you know that to find the needle in the haystack you will spend hours to read through the pile of applications that is spamming your inbox. Most people in job boards are below 40 years old, have less than 10 years work experience and earn less than 100,000 Baht a month. Not the place where you find senior managers.

Another option is to rely on a data base recruiter who will find you the best they have on file. That means not necessarily the best qualified candidate in the market. This is often a relative quick process as all it takes is to shop around in the data base to find what comes close to your requirements. As this service is typically contingent on you hiring a presented candidate, the incentive for this type of recruiter is to find anything that just remotely looks like your profile.

It’s like throwing spaghetti on the wall with the hope that one sticks. If you use this option and do not get any resumes within a week, start being concerned. The reason is most likely that nothing came out in the data base search. Your order is now put on the backburner waiting for a miracle to happen, i.e. a new resume comes in which appears to be what you are looking for. This business model is all about turning requests for resumes around as quick as possible as the recruiter is only paid if you hire their candidate. There is no time or incentive in using weeks to search. This is FMCG, Fast Moving Candidate Goods in play.9528_Blackboard - WebRes

5925_contracts_biscuitThe US Bureau of Labour Statistics say that only 16% of the labour market can be called active candidates, so that’s the people who are looking for a new job. It also means that the difference of 84% are not actively looking and therefore will not search the job boards, they will not look in the newspaper job classified section. If you work with recruitment companies who use media advertising, the advertisements will expose your company to a relatively small part of the labour market. And that is for sure not people who are in good jobs and who are happy where they are. Perhaps one may claim the opposite to be true.

There are just short of 200 companies who are officially registered with the Ministry of Labour and who hold a license to provide recruitment services. The law which regulates the recruitment industry is the “Recruitment and Job Seeker Protection Act”. It regulates all types of recruitment companies, from brokers sending Thais overseas to database agencies to executive search firms.

The original Employment Act was enacted over 40 years ago, back in 1968 (2511), and was used for enforcement of overseas employment service businesses. Due to an increase in incidents where Thais were left in trouble overseas, often without passports and money that were held by unscrupulous brokers, the old law was amended to become the Employment and Job Seeker Protection Act B.E. 2528 (1985). Amendments have been made several times since then.

To start a recruitment company you must first register with the Ministry of Labor to obtain a license. Names of all staff working in the company must register with the Ministry of Labor by submitting an application, photo and a clean criminal record from the police. In addition any staff with client contact must also hold a special Identity Card.4701_pen_pencil_cup_sage

The juristic person of a local recruitment and employment service provider must be a Thai national, and the company must deposit 100,000 Baht as a financial guarantee with the Registrar Officer.  An overseas employment service provider, which is a company sending Thais to work outside of Thailand, must be a company limited or a public company having fully paid registered capital of not less than 1 million and a financial guarantee of 5 million deposited with the Central Employment Registrar Officer.

Recruitment companies are required to submit a monthly report of activities to the Ministry of Labor as well as keep on site several other reports that can be inspected by the Ministry of Labor.9534_Hands up - WebRes

Share

Did you show your accomplishments in your resume?

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 - 8:30 am

I finished last month’s message by explaining you the difference between accomplishment and achievement. Here it is again:

An achievement is a goal that you have reached.

An accomplishment is a job or project that you have completed successfully.

The best resumes I see present a list of bullet points showing examples of what the candidate has done, accomplished or achieved. But just one or two lines with the job responsibility. Thank you, perfect, don’t stop, do it again. This is exactly what the model resume is meant to be, a show case of what you were able to do with your job description.1132_aeroplane_sky

We also call it “deliverables” and it defines why you are considered extremely successful in your job. It’s the real stories of your career and about great on-the-job performance. And what it is not: personal attributes like skills, experience, education or traits.

Let me show some real great examples that I have received recently. They are from real people and it made their resumes stand out. I have on purpose changed names and places to avoid revealing any identity.

  • Successfully implemented the new supply chain system within the planned six months. Delivery reliability improved from 60% to be 86% and the cycle time was dramatically reduced from 44 days to be 35 days.
  • Reduced costs from suppliers pertaining to scrap and rework due to non conforming parts from THB 3. 6 million to only 2.0 million and charged all the costs back to the suppliers.
  • Conducted vendor performance development process at suppliers’ sites as to improve the cycle time. Resulted in a cost saving of 96,000 USD in 2010.
  • Designed and implemented a banc-assurance business model with one of Asia’s largest banks. Included product designs, product sales training to all bank staff, incentive campaigns for bank staff and visiting all branches to drive revenue. Outcome was a revenue increase of 47% in 12 months.
  • Staff engagement survey with 91% response rate vs. target of 65%.
  • Execution of three downsizing projects with a total of 490 employees being released and without any labour conflict.
  • Project leader in implementing a complete ERP system, starting with three months’ preparation and followed by six months implementation which concluded in a smooth migration from the old accounting and production planning system.
  • Successful grew professional staff, both expatriate and local staff, from 4 to 27 over a two year period and likewise the operating revenue from$4 million to $2 million in performed or backlog orders during an 18 months period.1249_train2_red

You get the idea? It’s all about creating an excitement and presenting proofs of what you have accomplished or achieved in your various jobs. Remember, your resume has only one purpose:

To Get You An Interview.

Share

Who was Grant and Thornton

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 - 2:44 am

Many have asked me over the years where the Grant and the Thornton names come from. So for the record and history books here’s our story.1771_flowers_red

In 1924 (B.E. 2467), 26-year-old Alexander Grant founded Alexander Grant & Co. in Chicago, USA. Grant had been a senior accountant with Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young). He chose to leave the comfort of an established company to pursue his plan for public accounting. Alexander Grant was committed to providing services to mid-sized companies, a commitment the firm still holds today.

When Grant died in 1938, he was just 40 years old. Despite this unexpected loss, Alexander Grant & Co. survived the change in leadership and continued to grow nationally under the guidance of several dynamic and innovative chief executive officers. The 1950s and early 1960s were a time of both explosive growth and centralization for the firm. The US national office in Chicago was established and net revenue exceeded 5 million USD in 1961.

During the mid-1960s, the firm’s leadership decided it was the ideal time to expand internationally and in 1969, Alexander Grant & Co. joined with firms from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom to establish the firm of Alexander Grant Tansley Witt. This organization operated successfully for 10 years.

Meanwhile in 1959 in the United Kingdom, two regional accounting firms, Thornton & Thornton of Oxford and Baker & Co. of Leicester and Northampton, merged to form Thornton Baker with both companies dating back more than 100 years. For the next 16 years, Thornton Baker attained more than 38 mergers, and as a result the firm was nicknamed “The Thundering Herd.”2822_rosette_lavender

The current structure of Grant Thornton dates back to 1980 (B.E. 2523) when the company Alexander Grant in the US joined forces with the company Thornton Baker in the UK to become the founding members of a new worldwide accounting organisation to be called Grant Thornton International. On 1st May 1980 (B.E. 2523) the first agreement was signed by these two founder members and three other firms in Canada, the Netherlands and Mexico.

Grant Thornton’s presence in Thailand dates back to 1991 (B.E. 2534) where the firm was officially established and started its operation from the offices of AMT & Associates. AMT & Associates was at the time a correspondent firm of Grant Thornton International and was located in Silom Plaza on Silom Road.

Clayton Hebbard joined Grant Thornton in 1993 as Managing Partner and in 1995 moved the firm to its first own premises at Kamol Sukosol Building, Silom Road. Initially the office took up half the 14th floor, the other half being occupied by Tisco. When Tisco moved its operations, Grant Thornton took over its space and the firm now occupied 700 square meters.3398_GTWorldMap_-_Thailand_crop

The firm provided clients with corporate services, market entry and feasibility studies, legal, tax and audit services. Executive Recruitment became a new service some years later and was run by Bruce Clark who joined the firm from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

During the Asian financial crisis in 1997/98 the firm expanded into restructuring services and Ian Pascoe joined the firm in 1998 as head of Restructuring & Reorganisation. Ian became the Managing Partner in 2003, a position he still holds. Grant Thornton moved from Silom Road in 2001 and into the new prestigious All Seasons Place, 18th floor of Capital Tower.

Grant Thornton International is today one of the world’s leading organisations of independently owned and managed accounting and consulting firms, ranking just below the Big Four (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young International, KPMG International, and PricewaterhouseCoopers).

The member firms of Grant Thornton International provide assurance, tax and specialist advisory services to privately held businesses and public interest entities. Clients of member and correspondent firms can access the knowledge and experience of more than 2,400 partners in over 100 countries and consistently receive a distinctive, high quality and personalised service wherever they choose to do business.

Share

Show off your professional background the right way

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Tuesday, December 7th, 2010 - 12:53 pm

You need to draw attention to the right things on your resume. Your educational background is secondary to us unless you are a new graduate who recently left university. I said secondary. To executive search firms the most important part of your resume is the Professional Background, Working Experience or any word combination of the two. That’s what must make up 80% of your two page resume. 5282_holly_-_web

Here’s the thing. A Master Degree in Finance won’t help you much if you don’t have the work experience from the right industry, the right brand name companies, and the number of years that will make it likely that you have had exposure to what the client requires. But give me a senior executive with 20 years on the job, with the right industry and 15 years of real life experience with impressive achievements, and I already see a queue of clients lining up outside my door. Even the highest education is a diploma. Mr. Trump called them street-smart or book-smart.

Now don’t give up on education because it’s what got you started on the right foot. And of course many real technical industries do require some good theoretical background and where such theory will give you access to the right jobs. But my point is, as years have passed it’s your work accomplishments which will make you a hero. Or a zero.

Your well thought out career plan will give you the profile that makes you attractive to an employer and a lot of headhunters. I often think of my own youth, so many years ago that you don’t want to know. When I graduated we had no laptops, no iPhone and BlackBerry, not even a fax, no electronic calculators, fast moving consumer goods were called retail, airlines couldn’t fly non-stop from Bangkok to Europe. We had no Microsoft Office and Google was our local library with real books on real bookshelves. So whatever I learned in school then will certainly not be knowledge worth the paper is written on in today’s business.

5433_Christmas_present_red_emerald_webComing back to how you structure the first three lines of you Professional Background. These lines must include your title, the name of your employer, the period of your employment and a one-liner about the industry of your employer. But not necessarily in that order.

If your title is relevant for the job you are interested in, that needs to come first. But if your employer is a brand name in its industry and the name itself will lift you above the rest, or most, that needs to come first. Generally speaking the period should never come first but rather at the end of the first or second line. You don’t want to draw attention to 1 or 2 years and be seen as a job hopper. On the other hand, be careful with anything over 7-8 years as many will conclude you have stopped growing, that you are no longer ambitious, no longer good enough to be promoted or accepted by other companies you have no doubt tried to get into it. Dead wood which no longer contribute to the organisation. There are of course always exceptions to everything, in this context, it would be the high-flyer who moves to bigger jobs and more responsibility within the same organization every 3 years.

Executive search firms, recruitment companies and agencies, HR departments, all want to put you in a box where they can keep you until such time when you many be needed. These boxes could be an industry or a function. You need to help the assistant who is reading your resume and who is desperately trying to find out if Group 4 Securicor (in this example your current employer) is in security or securities. Unless you work for Thai International or Coca Cola you must have a one-liner below your employer’s name that will direct the recruiter to your right holding area. 5306_xmas_tree_-_web

Now if you end up in securities and not in security, you can imagine what will happen with your resume. Or rather not happen. Obviously, you are lost in the big black hole and never to be seen again, when HR or the recruiter is trying to find candidates for their security client.

Assuming you have now chosen the perfect sequence for the name of your employer, your title, the employment period and the one-liner about industry, we can move on the next part of the professional background.

It’s perfectly ok to have a line or two about your overall responsibility, as it is or was. But don’t waste ten bullet points with that. What we really want to know is what you did with your responsibility. Save the bullet points for a list of accomplishments and achievements. Be as specific as you can and show numbers, percentages, periods and similar expressions that will quantify your achievements and accomplishments.

An achievement is a goal that has been reached. An accomplishment is a job or project that has been completed.

May I finally wish all readers, candidates and clients a Happy New Year, here’s to your success in 2011.

Share

Prepare before your job interview

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 - 4:43 am

Too many go for a job interview without having a plan and without any preparation at all. If this is how you do it, your odds of making a positive impression is beyond zero. You better keep that half day of annual leave for something more exciting.

If you are in a hurry right now, and have little time to read the full article, here is the one minute brief in bullets on how you become better at job interviewing:

  • Read your resume two times prior to the interview / meeting.
  • Write down five questions you want to ask the company. 260_carrier_bag_orange
  • At the meeting, place your resume on the table in front of you.
  • Place your paper with questions under the resume (on the table).
  • Two minute answers are fine. More than two minutes: boring. Less than two: no substance.
  • Tell real stories from your work and specific examples of what you have accomplished.

Now the full story. Do your homework. Research the company and be prepared with a good level of knowledge. You should know enough to show our client that you respect the opportunity and you respect their time. A good starting point is to look up their website.

Interviews are two way meetings. Not only are they an opportunity for the interviewer to find out about you and if you are a suitable candidate for the position but they are also an opportunity for you to find out about the organisation and if the position will provide you with the challenge and job satisfaction you are looking for.3011_speech_lavender

The client has a copy of your resume and has prepared questions based on the information you have given. Make sure that you have read your own resume several times just prior to the meeting. It is vital that you can explain or clarify in details any questions the client have about statements and claims on your resume. Think about your skills, qualifications and experience and ensure that you can talk confidently about what is written. Particularly ensure that you can talk about those skills that are relevant and valuable to the position you are going for. It is a good idea to bring your resume along for the meeting and I recommend that you place it on the table in front of you. Remember to switch off your mobile telephone before the meeting!

Prepare some questions to ask at the interview. At the first interview it would be wise to restrict your questions to the details of the job and the organisation. Never ask questions about salary and benefits, they are best left until a second interview or a job offer is made. Place the paper with your questions under the resume (on the table).

Managers generally like candidates who are more forceful and those who ask good questions. At the end of the interview, the interviewer will ask if you have any questions. It is important that you ask at least one question; if you do not it signals to the interviewer that you don’t really have any interest in the job or company. You should of course not ask obvious questions where the answer is easily available on their web site or has already been discussed in the meeting. Here are some questions you can ask your prospective employer:

  • What are the skills or profile of people who are the most successful in your company?
  • What are the most important tasks that need to be looked at, say the first 100 days?
  • How would you describe the company corporate culture?
  • What is the leadership style of my boss?
  • What 5-6 things should I deliver in the job to be considered successful?

You may need to get a pass at the lobby counter so bring your driving license or anything else with a photo. Be on time! Plan your journey beforehand to ensure you arrive 5-10 minutes early. Do not come too early, like 30-60 minutes, as our client is most likely busy with something else, for example preparing for the interview with you.  Be polite to every employee you meet – the receptionist, yes, but also the secretary etc. You need to mind your manners all the time. Allow for possible delays because of traffic. Just in case of a major hold up, make sure you have your contact’s telephone number so that you can call if you think or can see you will be late.

Its important you never reveal having posted your resume on a job board web site or having sent your resume to a recruitment company. Most hiring managers will often interpret your resume posting as an aggressive job seeker. It is to your advantage to come out of an interview leaving the impression you are a passive candidate. Not an aggressive applicant.

You want to create the perception you are someone that will interview if and only if the job is just right and the package presented is right as well (which is most likely the accurate truth anyway). If you are asked where did the recruiter find you, it is important to say only: “They called me. We discussed the position and after I believed it was worth my while, here I am.” PERIOD. Never reveal anything more than that. Please note that we are not telling you to state anything untrue. Every resume posting or ad leads to a call! You are simply referring to the call and not going beyond that.

2969_thought_emeraldGood luck with your next meeting and interview.

Share

Are you a Most Placeable Candidate?

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 - 3:33 pm

Grant Thornton’s new business unit, Candidate Marketing, represents on exclusive basis top talented executives who wish to make a career transition and find themselves a new interesting job in Thailand. Consider Grant Thornton as your personal agent who works for your interests.

Are you a Most Placeable Candidate?

Are you a Difference Maker?

  • Do you have a marketable skill? Extraordinary skills that will get the attention of a hiring manager?
  • Do you know your market value? Are you realistic when it comes to job title and compensation?
  • Are you prepared to take the time during normal working hours to meet the company of your choice?
  • Will a professional business reference check confirm your outstanding achievements and social organisational skills?
  • Are you looking for an “agent” to represent you and to market you to particular companies?

Grant Thornton’s Candidate Marketing programme is open only to very marketable individuals who meet our criteria. They include things like years of work experience, industry, functional area, education, nationality and language skills. Get all the details about how we can represent you from Ms. Nannapat Sriwalai, Talent Acquisition Manager, nannapat.sriwalai@gt-thai.com.

2883_tape_cut_purpleThrough our Candidate Marketing program, you will be able to make a career transition of your own personal choice. To discuss the programme in detail please contact Ms. Nannapat Sriwalai, Talent Acquisition Manager at Grant Thornton, nannapat.sriwalai@gt-thai.com.

With almost 20 years in the executive search business in Thailand, Grant Thornton is acknowledged as a market leader in its industry. We are praised by both candidates and clients. Their endorsements say it all. Examples as we received them:

  • I would like to thank you and compliment the overall service of Grant Thornton. Compared to others, you are quality wise above your peers that I met. Due, probably, to your professionalism and human quality.
    As always, you have all my respect for your outstanding personality, dynamic and enthusiastic,
    you care for your candidates.
  • Off the record, I wish it had been Grant Thornton representing me as I would have seen a far more professionally run process than I have witnessed.
  • Thank you very much for your reply and of course for your wise advises. I’m really impressed!! By far, you are the Headhunter that takes his job more seriously. I will follow your recommendations.
  • I am most appreciative and overwhelmed by the effort and invaluable guidance you have sent to me.
    Job hunting is a complex process and it is difficult from the outside
    to understand the process form the recipient’s perspective.
  • Thanks for the update. The preparation I received from Grant Thornton was the best
    I have ever had as a candidate.
  • Thank you very much for your kind comments. They are very useful to me. I don’t know how to express my gratitude to you more than words “Thank you!!!!”
    Hope you don’t mind if I will keep in touch with you in the future.

1128_carpet_redIn our programme we will work closely with you to develop your personal value proposition. We will work together to fine tune your resume. We will teach you how to get the best out of meeting your choice of companies. And so much more. If you know you are the Shining Star in your industry, we are ready to work with you to achieve your goals.

Share

Is executive search the same as recruitment companies?

Submitted by Tom Sorensen on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 - 12:13 pm

I am often asked who our competitors are. You have no idea how I reply and you will for sure be surprised to read my answer. Unless you know me well.

  • How do you define executive search?

  • Who are the executive search firms in Thailand?

  • But what are the recruitment companies doing?

So let me first tell you what I answer when asked who Grant Thornton’s competitors are.

I say:      “I don’t know, I should ask you!.”

My point is that it does not really matter what I think. It is a lot more important to me who you see as our competitors and who you would be calling as an alternative to Grant Thornton. Unfortunately executive search firms have not been very clever in educating the market why they are so different and why their fees are so much higher than recruitment companies and database agencies.

Now that I have made the point why it is not at all important who I see as my competitors, let me share how we in the recruitment industry see the difference between the many players and their services. I will give you a very easy way to quickly distinguish who is who. And some names of those real executive search firms in Thailand.1152_bus_yellow

The recruitment industry is very regulated in as much as we must obtain an operating license from Ministry of Labour and report our activities to the ministry. At my last count there were 172 companies who have this license that allow them to place Thais in jobs in Thailand. Placing Thais in jobs overseas requires another type of license with a deposit of five million Baht to the Ministry of Labour.1207_taxi_orange

Right now there are less than 10 licensed companies that we inside the industry define as executive search. All provide a recruitment process outsourcing with a strong emphasis on preparing the assignment through a thorough interview process of the client’s needs. They use the best interview technique around (behaviour based), and they have a list of value added services that help with the assessment. They work with top executives such as CEO, COO and COO plus with positions reporting into the top. They generally search in the market and do little  file search. The targets are not to be found in a database but are approached through cold calling.

The easy and quick way to see who you are dealing with, a real executive search firm or a recruitment company? If the fee structure is above 30% based on the annual income of the successful candidate and there are three invoices involved (at engagement, when you start interviewing, when you sign the employment letter with your successful candidate)… you are indeed talking to the real people.

In Thailand you will find top professional headhunters in these executive search firms, some with international reach and some with a business model focusing purely on Thailand (in alphabetic order). You will never regret choosing any of these firms:

  1. Amrop
  2. Boyden
  3. Grant Thornton
  4. Heidrick & Struggles
  5. Opus
  6. Transearch

So next time you hear someone calling themselves executive search, check this list above. Or ask if their fee is over or below 30%. And don’t worry, there is of course a huge difference in the efforts and the services you receive from the two different groups of recruiters.

You know what they say, show me your friends and I will tell you what type of person you are. In recruitment, we say:

Show me your choice of recruitment or executive search supplier – and I will tell you what type of company you work for.

Share

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »