Magdalene Ho (left), division manager Recruit Legal and SearchAsia China Amy Kim, senior consultant—team leader (Korea & hospitality team) SearchAsia Recruit Express (Hong Kong) Ltd Photo: Wallace Chan

Recruitment firm ensures HR clients that help is always at hand

Aplethora of tools are available in the marketplace for employers to identify the right talent for a specific job, but any seasoned HR practitioners would agree that talent acquisition could be a long and challenging process.

In times, employers could use an extra pair of hands. This is where experienced HR consultants like Recruit Express come into play.

"Face-to-face dialogue is the most effective way to assess a job candidate's competence and personal attributes," says Magdalene Ho, division manager, Recruit Legal and SearchAsia China.

Legal recruitment firm Recruit Legal, along with executive search and headhunting firm SearchAsia, are parts of Recruit Express (Hong Kong) Ltd, which offer one-stop recruitment consultancy service via its Asia-Pacific network, comprising Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and Australia, and partner networks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Bangkok.

"Direct interaction involves eye contact and allows us to see job candidates' facial expressions, body language and presentation skills, while also giving us the opportunity to assess their personalities," Ms Ho explains.

Even when hiring for the same position, job requirements vary from company to company. "US firms, for example, tend to tolerate individuality, while their Japanese counterparts value a keener sense of duty in their staff members," adds Amy Kim, senior consultant—team leader (Korea & hospitality team), SearchAsia.

Thorough scrutiny

Systematic mechanisms such as psychometric and personality tests can provide an objective assessment of a candidate, but it is effective communication that helps recruiters make the perfect match.

"Technical skills can be assessed via straightforward tests, but recruiting for executive positions will require something more sophisticated," Ms Ho stresses. "Understanding the client's needs and requirements is the first and most important step."

The recruitment process starts with the screening of prospective candidates, followed by a series of face-to-face interviews and the short-listing of potential recruits.

"The way candidates dress gives us an indication of how seriously they take the job. Someone who appears too fashion conscious may not be sophisticated enough for executive positions," notes Ms Kim.

Key questions help to identify job candidates' strengths and weaknesses, Ms Ho points out. "We include some incisive questions to prompt and assess their reactions. Sometimes even senior executives with perfect resumes fail to present themselves and their work histories fluently and adequately."

The process also involves looking in detail into individual candidates' work experience, for example the scale of projects they have worked on and their level of involvement. "We inquire about their management style and the size of the teams they manage. Naturally the skills involved in managing a team of two differs vastly from those required for running a department of 70," she says.

It is of the utmost importance to establish the candidates' reasons for wanting to change jobs. "Whether the move is to pursue a new career goal or to achieve a better salary package is a key piece of information, which is fundamental to matching specific clients' and candidates' expectations," Ms Ho explains.

Position of trust

Once the screening interviews are completed, candidates that may suit the client's requirements are put forward.

"An essential part of a consultant's role is to manage the meeting process between the client and the prospective recruits, perform follow-ups and ensure that all goes smoothly," notes Ms Ho.

She believes this ongoing communication process minimises the possibility of a mismatch. "Building a long-term relationship with both clients and candidates helps us gain their trust, resulting in the most appropriate matches."

Since human resources departments these days handle much more than just payrolls and hiring, partnering with professional recruiters can save time, effort and resources and ensure that every step of the process is monitored by people with the necessary expertise and understanding of the market.

With the economy showing signs of recovery, hiring activities are expected to increase. Recruit Express reaches prospective candidates through various channels including the company's extensive database, headhunting, referrals and advertising. "We tap into a large pool of potential recruits, making sure that we secure the best fit for our clients," says Ms Ho.

Salient points

• Face-to-face interviews ensure effective assessments
• Key questions help to identify applicants' strengths and weaknesses
• Ongoing communication minimises the possibility of a mismatch
• Professional recruiters save companies time, effort and resources

Taken from Career Times 5 February 2010, A16