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is past performance in a similar situation."
 

Hong Kong and Mainland China Talent Crunch,
 Maybe Not?

RightPeopleHR International Ltd.: White Paper

In every successful boom period, in every successful city over the years employers have bemoaned the “Talent crunch here in Boom City.”  Is there really a talent crunch in a global market place when employers have the world at their finger tips to recruit there needs? For thousands of years nations have recruited people from other countries and regions to augment there labor and knowledge requirements.

Employment cycles are cyclical. Hong Kong and the Mainland are certainly in an up-cycle. The time to move your firm up the ladder of success with proven Super Stars is now. It’s your company needs that are your real concern, isn’t it?    Think in terms of your firm not the problems in other parts of the planet. But how is this accomplished?

In Hong Kong today the availability of qualified local Executives for your firm’s positions are limited and this will continue as more International companies arrive. Add to this the surge of hiring on the mainland and the pie becomes even smaller. What's the solution? Easy, just determine how you can bake a bigger pie.

FIRST, THINK GLOBALLY FOR TALENT. Recruiters like my self talk to candidates all over the world on a daily basis. There is little difference in their basic desires. They all want the same thing, ability to care for their family or themselves, a good working environment, a fair wage and respect for their efforts.


Think global and think small. Contradiction, we don’t think so. Any Super Star you need is only 15 to 20 hours away by airplane or they may be in the next building.  We all know the world is getting smaller- with English being the language of the business world this certainly helps your efforts. Think seriously about the cost of having your position empty for weeks or even months. The true cost can be shocking.

Second, place your efforts on recruiting the Super Stars your business requires and they will probably bring three to five others with them. It’s a fact people want to be on the winning team. Jack Welch Past Chairman, General Electric Company in his book "Winning" states,” If we get the right people in the right job we've won the game.”

THIRD, analyze your hiring process and your company. From top to bottom take a hard look at your company culture. Every firm has one. Can new hires adjust to your culture easily? Maybe it’s time to make changes in culture and attitude. Make sure the whole company is on the same path. Mixed culture signals can be reasons for early exits. If you use a recruiting firm, hire one that has a “retention advisor” on staff to take you and the new hire through the first critical period.

Human Resource Department: Is your HR department proactive or reactive? In Hong Kong and China today “you snooze you loose;" Candidates will not wait. Streamline and clean up your recruiting process to accommodate the current conditions. This is important. Get rid of turf wars between your hiring staff and make your process fast and seamless. For example take a look at your testing tools. Wave a personality test at a proven Super Star and I guarantee he will be out the door and headed for your competitor. Take this statement to the bank. “The best way to predict future performance is by judging past performance.” (in the absence of drugs, illness or similar issues)

Who actually is the hiring authority in your company? Human Resource department, executive board, line supervisors, CEO. Are they all qualified trained interviewers? Do you choose recruiting firms because they claim to be the biggest and the best? Do all there recruiters have a minimum of five years recruiting experience? You will want a recruiter who thinks of your position as the most important on their desk. Where does your position rank? If the firm you’re using already has a thousand open positions they cant fill what about your needs?  

Advertising: Change the style of your advertising. Make your advertising sell you as a company as well as the position. It's a time worn cliché,  but still true today, 'Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak."  The company ads I see sometimes shock me. Very dull and uninteresting. Your candidates need to get excited about your firm.

Don’t buy into the “sky is falling” theory shop around, qualified candidates for many of your positions are available.  There are always new methods to get the job done. Talk to people who have the solutions, not just theory.

Recommendation: Hire a qualified outside individual or firm to take a candid look at your hiring process, (yes our firm can turn your HR recruitment staff into true Head Hunters)  Notice, I didn’t use the word consultant. Choose practical over theory. I’m talking about a down in the trenches hiring expert with strong experience recruiting people on a global basis. One who can set your firm on a course of action recruiting the Super Stars needed to carry your business forward in Hong Kong and the Mainland. Another tip. Look for  “Hot Candidates Lists on job boards and recruiting firm web sites. The Hot Candidate list will give you a feel for the caliber of people that your firm needs to recruit.

All of this sound to simple? Maybe that why it's effective? Good luck and good hunting.

Tom Malooly, CEO, Managing Consultant
Email: tjm@rightpeoplehr.com

 

If you’re facing a career change, here are seven things to consider as you evaluate new opportunities.

1.       Will you grow?

Work is a transfer of value. You contribute value to an organization, and in return you receive value. Part of the value you receive is the degree to which you’ll grow while doing that work. Ask yourself these questions to evaluate the value you could receive in a potential new position.

o        Will you develop your leadership and communication skills?

o        Will you learn about the latest technologies and how to use them?

o        Will you learn to be more effective at strategy, planning or execution?

o        Will you be challenged?

Take Mark, for example -- he’d been a successful employee within a major hotel chain for over fifteen years but, by the time I met him, he no longer felt challenged in his position. He had an opportunity to take a job with a supplier to a number of hotel chains. In this new position, he would be traveling more while making only a small increase in salary. However, his desire for growth and challenges was so great, he took the new position and he flourished. He told me that he was constantly learning more about himself, his skills, his strengths, and ways that he could add more value to customers. He was exhilarated -- and he was promoted twice within 18 months!

2.       Will you make more money, or have the realistic capacity to make more money?

"No money, no mission." I actually learned that phrase from an executive at a not-for-profit organization. Seems ironic, huh? Well, every organization and individual needs a flow of dollars in order to continue to contribute value.

So, as you consider this new career opportunity, find out as much as you can about what you will earn in the next twelve months, and how much you can realistically earn in the next five years. Don’t be shy when asking about salary. It doesn’t have to be a deal breaker, but you need to know what’s realistic.

3.       Will you work with people you want to be around?

The vast majority of your day will be spent with co-workers. Before you take a new job, spend a few days with the new group. See them in action, and watch how they treat one another. Ask a variety of the employees what it’s like to work there. Talk to as many of your potential colleagues as you can in a private setting, and see if any common themes emerge.

Are these people you really want to be with every day for at least the next five years?

4.       Will you be expected to behave in ways that are congruent with your values?

Values are beliefs that determine behaviors. This is a very straightforward concept. If integrity is one of your values, then you will do what you think is the right thing to do each day. If honesty is one of your values, then you tell the truth. As I said, pretty simple stuff.

Here’s the hard part.

You’ve been offered a job with a great salary, great benefits, and exciting challenges. You tell a few key family members and friends about the job. Now more people are excited. And then you start to spend some time with the employees, and you realize their normal behaviors do not fit with your values. Do you take the job?

Here’s my suggestion. Explore the position and company some more, and see if you uncover the same pattern of behaviors with other employees. If you do, walk away from the job. I know that sounds harsh, but once you let go of your values, you lose yourself. And that is a very expensive and painful journey to go on. It’s just not worth it.

5.       Will you be allowed to use your strengths and passions the vast majority of the time?

You can achieve greatness when you deploy your strengths and your passions into meaningful work that matters to your organization and to your customers.

If you spend the vast majority of your day doing stuff you have no passion for, you’re going to produce passionless work. That’s certainly not the ticket to career acceleration, no matter how much you might be earning right now.

6.       Is the amount of travel and the reality of relocation appropriate for you and your family?

Some job specific circumstances go beyond just you to affect your family and other close relationships. Two of those circumstances are relocation and travel time. I’m not just talking about traveling back and forth from your home to your office, although that’s an important factor, too. I’m mainly talking about the amount of time you’ll be traveling around the country and the world with this job. Relocation is another variable to weave into the family situation. I encourage you to take those two items very seriously, and to talk them over with your family.

A career with no travel would not be the right choice for a lot of people. On the other hand, too much travel can have a devastating effect on crucial relationships.

The same is true with relocating. Relocating can generate great life experiences, but it can also sometimes have a damaging effect on your family. Consider these factors carefully.

7.       Are you excited to take this job?

Now that you’ve thought about this situation rationally and discussed it with your family, what are you going to do? Time for the old gut check. Do you want this new job or not? If your answer isn’t immediate and emotional, then hold off and take more time to think about it.