Steve Hunt Tam managing director ConsultDB Photo: Nolly Leung

Recruitment consultants provide companies with the best talent match

As the economy continues to improve, many employers are indicating their plans to step up hiring, yet in a meticulous manner. With job-hopping on the increase as the employment market revitalises, it can be costly for employers to identify their ideal candidates let alone hiring the right ones.

"Employers these days cautiously look for the right people who are capable of accomplishing multiple tasks," says Steve Hunt Tam, managing director, ConsultDB.

Established in 2003, ConsultDB is one of the few local recruitment firms that apply the strategies and tactics of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, such as "details assessment and planning" to the hiring process and the "use of intelligence" to corporate staff training.

Lately, the employment market has become more dynamic with job advertisements remaining an effective channel to attract the right candidates. "Salary and remuneration packages are key to arousing jobseekers' attention to the job vacancies. It is also important to include corporate culture and job prospects in the advertisements to minimise the possibility of wrong match," Dr Tam notes.

"Even a photo of a company's typical employees can depict the corporate culture. The way they dress and how they are presented will appeal to the candidates who share similar conventions," Dr Tam says. He adds that key elements that range from corporate values to code of ethics, code of behaviours and even interior design, dress codes and job titles contribute to a company's culture which can be implied in the company's mission statement and other staff communications.

Hiring tactics

Jobseekers tend to fit their qualifications and attributes into a specific job which may result in mismatch for the company, Dr Tam notes. "Hiring the wrong people is a waste of resources. The candidates are also risking their career prospects if they choose the wrong company," he stresses.

Role playing is one of the most effective ways to see if the candidates are acting or telling the truth, he remarks, adding that CVs and written tests are complementary tools to help assess the candidates from different perspectives.

While dialogue, eye contact, facial expressions and body language facilitate mutual understanding, individual candidates can be asked to close their eyes and answer a number of hypothetical questions during the face-to-face interview, Dr Tam suggests. According to previous results and feedback, this one of the effective ways to understand job candidates' strengths and weaknesses.

"Instead of giving verbal answers, a group of candidates can be arranged to perform activities and carry out simple tasks with their eyes closed. By doing this, their personal attributes like team spirit or leadership will become visible," he points out. "The key is to let them relax, stay focused and think clearly about themselves."

Different roles

Dr Tam believes that partnering with professional hiring consultants can ensure a company gets the right people at the optimal cost. "Human resources departments take a strategic role in a company's talent development and they handle much more than just hiring."
External recruiters act as a company's strategic partners, helping with the complete recruitment process starting from screening to reference checks and onboard training.

"We ensure all our consultants are equipped with the necessary skills and expertise to support recruitment projects across a range of different industries," emphasises Dr Tam.

For example, headhunting an account director for a mainland-based company may involve consultants from the business development, event and marketing as well as China teams. With the company's stringent screening and selection procedures, the possibility of mismatch is kept to a minimum.

ConsultDB also boosts its extensive candidate database, which maximises industry exposure for both clients and candidates. "Most important of all, we only place people who fit into the corporate culture and bring long-term value to the company," adds Dr Tam.

Long-lasting relationship

For jobseekers, choosing to partner with professional recruiters brings many benefits. "As specialists, we offer career coaching to candidates and help them to move up the career ladder from their first job through to retirement," he explains.

"We never sell jobs nor encourage job-hopping. Rather, we recommend the right candidates to fill the right positions, based on their personal attributes, attitude, work experience and qualifications," Dr Tam says. "The result is an all-win situation for our clients, candidates and us," he says.

Staying optimistic about the outlook of the employment market in mainland China, this year ConsultDB is set to open a new branch office in Central and hire 250 new consultants with professional recruiting experience in the China market.

Salient points

• Job ads incorporating corporate culture help to minimise mismatch
• Hiring tactics for locating ideal candidates
• External recruiters act as strategic partners to save time and costs
• Career coaching for jobseekers ensures career advancement

Taken from Career Times 16 April 2010, A16