The Recruiting Trends Forecast: Asia, 2014

Article by Annabella Poon

The top 6 recruiting trends for Asia in 2014. In no particular order, here they come:

1.      Use of Big Data Metrics for Recruiting (Talent Analytics)

Brad Pitt stars in Moneyball, the film about how data revolutionized sports recruiting and transformed a team of underestimated baseball players into superstar athletes. In the so-called ‘War for Talent’, those who make data-supported decisions instead of relying on gut-feel will take the lead in 2014. We will see a tangible shift away from recruiting decisions based on  ‘intuition’, with the smartest recruiters looking at less obvious but more accurate indicators of a candidate’s true value.

For instance, US predictive analytics company Evolv discovered that applicants who fill out online job applications with third-party browsers like Firefox or Chrome perform better and change jobs less frequently than people who use Internet Explorer. Apparently, the significance of a candidate independently choosing to download a browser that has not been pre-installed on their computer is indicative of a higher IQ and sharper sense of initiative. This is just one example of how analysis of candidate behaviors can help recruiters make the right hires- and move away from guesswork towards data-driven decision making.

Inject some Moneyball success into your own recruiting technique by employing the right tools with real-time & predictive metrics for 2014.

2.      Compliance Matters

With the availability of Big Data analytics, there are rising concerns about how personal data is being used and managed by organisations across Asia. Recruitment processes need to be evaluated to ensure that basic data security policies are implemented and that personal data used for recruitment is not abused. Following the introduction of data protection regulations in Japan and Singapore, data privacy legislations are expected to be picked up by the rest of Asia in 2014.

According to Bernie Schiemer, CEO & founder of HRBoss, “There’s a lot of buzz in Singapore right now about the recently announced data privacy act and, controversially, 10 recruitment firms have already had their licenses revoked for putting non-compliant adverts on the internet…there are also a lot of organisations still using spreadsheets to manage their data. They don’t realise that they potentially can be held criminally liable if this data is taken from them and passed on to someone else without the candidate's knowledge. That data is put into a laptop and walks out of the door with consultants every night. If you are not compliant you risk having your licence revoked and losing your business- this makes the issue a top priority for recruiting and staffing industry leaders”.

Schiemer emphasises the need for recruiting and staffing firms to systemise and put infrastructure in place. “Without a doubt, one of the most important aspects of running a successful recruiting firm is to get your infrastructure right from day one. Having data on a secure email server, having candidate and contact data on a system that you can IP restrict- these are the basics. I would urge recruitment agencies to consider a solution that safeguards your data moving forward and to do so now. This is not just a Singapore phenomenon- Japan implemented a similar act in 2005 and it's had a massive impact. I predict that with the 2015 open borders policy coming in across Southeast Asia, a rash of other countries will look to adopt the same law”.

3.      Social Media

If you want to hire Talent, you have to be where Talent is. The generation of Millennials are tech-savvy and seeking job opportunities online. This trend has been simmering away in Asia for the past few years and 2014 will see this continue. Social media profiles are increasingly viewed as the new resumes in Asia andprofessional social networks are ranked the second top source for finding quality hires in Southeast Asia. Unlike the US and UK where LinkedIn is dominant, sites like Renren (similar to Facebook), Sina Weibo (akin to Twitter) and Youku (like Youtube) are the preferred social recruiting space for accessing the Talent market in China.

Japan is also in on this trend. William Brooks, Country Manager of HRBoss Japan, shared, “Using social media to recruit is definitely a growing trend in Japan- for both agency recruiters but corporates too, as well as a way to reduce agency dependency. Culturally, Japanese are not job-hoppers and are averse to changing jobs often. Social media is one clever way to reach passive candidates here in Japan and this something that the best recruiters are leveraging on with great results”.

4.      Mobile Recruiting

Still think that mobile recruiting is just hype? Think again. In 2009, there were 86.2 million smartphone users in APAC but in 2013, the number has grown to an astounding 738.2 million. The mobile recrutiing trend shows no sign of abating- rather, it will gain traction aross Asia throughout 2014. In June 2013,Google altered its mobile search algorithm ensuring that any web page that is not mobile-optimised will be demoted. Your job listing pages risk getting lower rankings and could even be removed from search results completely. The message couldn’t be clearer : to expand your current Talent pool in 2014, your website has to be mobile optimised and must also allow instant job application via the mobile platform. Integrate your mobile recruiting website with LinkedIn, Facebook and other social sites to enable candidates to apply to jobs in single-clicks. By anticipating the needs and behaviours of today’s candidates, you can make the application process easy and attract fresh Talent.

5.      The Right Candidate Experience

In line with the rising trend of social spaces and mobile platforms for recruitment, recruiters in Asia are also beginning to focus on providing a positive candidate experience to transform opportunities into conversions in 2014. Recruiters should formulate targeted communication strategies which are marketed and personalised, building relationships for future Talent pipelines. A weak candidate experience is a fast route to damaging a recruiter’s reputation so it’s important that all candidate contact touch-points begin and end with a positive experience.

6.      Out-sourcing

Recruiters are busy people- so how do you go about practising all the above trends with limited time? For in-house corporate recruiting teams, out-sourcing hiring to recruiting firms will be one trend that we will see coming back  throughout 2014. Out-sourcing alleviates a company from recruiting headaches such as lack of resources, time and operational costs, enabling them to focus on core business practices and on generating revenue. This translates into not just cost and time savings, plus the quality of hire can also be improved as recruiting professionals are more experienced and plugged into the local talent market.

Steven Yeong, Chief Talent Evangelist of Singapore-based recruitment consultancy Hof Consulting predicts that we’ll see companies in Asia adopt a hybrid strategic approach for recruiting in 2014. “4 years ago, organisations focused only on in-house recruiting but this year and next, I see a trend that organisations are adopting a more hybrid approach. Many junior level recruiters are unable to recruit senior level professionals so companies turn to recruitment firms. There is always a tussle between in-house recruitment and outsourcing to agencies. By hiring a senior full-time recruitment consultant, companies might be paying high fees but they are assured that they are not losing Talent to competitors. Organisations also have more leverage in terms of salary negotiation.”

Fresh Graduates - The Answer to Singapore's Fair Consideration Framework?

Article by Manisha Dhalani

The latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey has estimated that nearly 23% of companies in Singapore are looking to increase their hiring exercises next month. While this is healthy considering the rise from previous quarter, companies are worried about the possible shortage of Talent due to the tightening of foreign worker policies here in Singapore.

There is, however, a ray of hope that could fill up the gaps as a result of these restrictions.

Enter: Fresh graduates.

Graduates with relevant qualifications are now highly sought after to meet the demands of the increasing economy in Singapore. But how do we ensure that fresh graduates from local universities and polytechnics fit the bill?

Asia has no shortage of hiring managers and recruiters who can help facilitate the hiring. Vigorous screening processes, interviews and entrance requirements undoubtedly play their part in allowing companies to pick out the cream of the crop.

However, hiring fresh graduates has its pros and cons. Here’s a summary of the good that you can get out of placing them, things you need to look out for and the disadvantages that you might want to consider:
 

Pros 

Less expectation
Most fresh graduates won’t ask for an exorbitant starting pay. Bear in mind that this does not imply that graduates aren’t aware of the current market rate, so be strategic before putting forward your offer. If the qualifications and personality sounds like a perfect match for your company, don’t hesitate to hire what could possibly be a future star employee for your organisation.

Eagerness to learn
For my first job, I insisted on being tasked with roles and responsibilities that I had never handled before. I wanted to learn as much as I could. This is also very true for the other graduates like myself. Encourage them to continuously explore tasks out of their comfort zone –they might excel at it and benefit your company in turn. If they stumble, give them the right guidance to bring out the best in them.

Ability to be moulded
As fresh graduates are eager to learn, use this opportunity to mould them into valuable assets for your firm. Give them the opportunity to brainstorm, manage people and projects and find out about their career aspirations. Tell them about your company and the expectations, if their mind-set aligns with your organisation’s culture, fine-tune their skills set and watch them perform outstandingly and provide off-the-chart results.

New perspective
With the constantly evolving nature of business today, we are always looking to explore new innovations. Gain new perspectives on the latest technology, market trends, user experiences and relevant tools from graduates who also form part of the current target audience and rising end-user market.

Cons

Lack of experience
As resumes of fresh graduates may not be seem promising due to their lack of experience, hiring managers may have to conduct lengthy interviews or admission tests to establish the skill sets of fresh graduates. Luckily, with more creative positions opening up thanks to social media, we can also evaluate a candidate by their level of involvement in contemporary communication platforms that could help set them apart from the other job applicants.

Lack of critical thinking
Having just entered the job market, it may take a while for new hires to get better at assessing and negotiating situations. They may be unaware of established communication practices within your corporate culture and may not have polished problem-solving skills. This, in no way, means that they aren’t able to do so – a little bit of on-boarding programmes, training and development go a long way.

New age preferences
As Singapore companies can expect more contract staff hiring, the advent of a new generation brings with it a need for a fresher approach to the conventional workplace practices. New intakes may expect flexible working hours and prefer jobs that fit with their personal lifestyle, i.e. those that provide a work-life balance. Make use of analytics to help you identify the preferences of your new batch of hires.

With the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) move to push the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) initiative and the national jobs bank launching in August, more graduates will be seen as the solution to the tightening of foreign worker policies. In order to prepare the future workforce, organisations can consider partnering up with colleges and universities to alert undergraduates of the missing pieces of the hiring puzzle so they can figure out the must-haves and gather the right experience before graduating.