Sources
of
Experienced
Managers
In the past, managers could get away with looking for candidates
only when there was a clear need, either because of an open
position or as a solution to a problem. These days, the sourcing
of high-value candidates should be a never-ending process for
successful managers who wish to be considered high-value in their own
organizations. A manager's commitment and ability at continual
candidate sourcing will be a primary determinant of his or her
career success.
Below we describe the various options for sourcing candidates in
order of typical preference.
1ST CHOICE
RECRUIT
FROM INSIDE
Most
of us would agree that
elevating our own employees is preferable to hiring from outside
the organization.
Promoting from within rewards performance and
stability in current employees, and motivates others to do what's
necessary to qualify for their own advancements.
Internal promotions also save on the time of many people involved in the hiring process
and recruiting costs. Hiring outside managers is naturally more
risky than working with people whose strengths and weaknesses are
already known in an organization.
2ND CHOICE
RECRUIT FROM OUTSIDE
Sometimes hiring from outside
the organization is necessary for management level positions. If
an organization is growing quickly or entering a new market, there
may not be enough time to develop veteran managers internally. Hiring experienced outside managers
will be the only option.
There are also times when non-aligned people bring new ideas and open minds to
allow an organization to move forward. Outsiders are less likely to be
emotionally and politically tied to the past and are perceived to
make fair decisions regarding difficult problems.
1. Hire From Competitors
If what is needed is industry experience, then the most obvious option
is to recruit people from the same industry. It is always worthwhile to
consider hiring people with relevant knowledge of your sector and relationships
that can be beneficial.
It is important to keep in mind that this needs to be done with
sensitivity or risk retributive action from competitors if your
actions are perceived to be attacking
someone else’s business.
2. Hire From Related Industries
Companies that are
suppliers or clients of your company or your competitors are often good sources of candidates since
such people
have experience working with your industry in ways
that are different and can bring fresh ideas and opportunities.
As above, it is important that the hiring process be done with
compassion for your industry partners. Reckless hires can damage your relationships with clients or suppliers with negative consequences
for years to come.
3. Hire From Unrelated Industries
People in professions like finance, HR and IT have skills
that are more transferable. It is common for them to move to
entirely different industries and still perform well. In functions like sales and operations, it
can be more
difficult for senior professionals to change industries. As an
example, it might be possible for a finance manager to move from a
heavy equipment company into cosmetics but a sales manager can’t.
Some industries are more related than they seem. For instance, many
product-focused multinationals hire Country Managers whose main job is
to oversee a sales & distribution network. Someone who has
experience with running a high-end confectionary business can sometimes
be just as good at branded garments.
4. Hiring Nearby Asians
Within Southeast Asia, it is becoming more common for Asian managers to move from one country to another.
In doing so, they become able to work at international levels but
retain the streetwise sense of how business is done in Asia.
Malaysian
and Filipino managers, in particular, seem to do well almost anywhere.
Singaporeans have superb skills but don't always want to be posted
to less developed countries. Indonesians and Thai managers
can be first-rate in their own countries but language abilities
can hinder them from being considered for outside
postings. Indian managers are another very good source
of highly productive and adaptive people.
One hindrance
to relocating Asian managers to other countries within Southeast
Asia has to do with compensation expectations. When
relocating for postings in Singapore or the Gulf region, it is common
for Malaysian and Filipino managers to double their current income levels.
Many have come to believe they should receive similar increases
when relocating to less prosperous countries. Clearly, few
developing countries within Southeast Asia can support such high
incomes. Therefore, explanations are required up-front to reduce
unrealistic income expectations.
5. Asian Returnees
Over the years, people from Southeast Asia have dispersed themselves throughout
the world. Adapting to any new country is difficult and not everyone is
contented in
their adopted countries.
It is
also natural for immigrants to have an inner longing to return to
their home country someday. The grim economic situation
in many so-called advanced countries has lately made this desire more intense than usual.
There are sizeable numbers of Vietnamese, Singaporeans and Malaysians
throughout Asia, the Gulf region, and the west, and more than a few
would be open to suitable opportunities in their home country or region. Ethnic
Chinese and Indians originating from Southeast Asia are often a
particularly open-minded group.
In absolute size, however, there is no overseas group larger than the Filipinos.
There are roughly 8M of these pleasant people are working outside
Philippines currently and this number includes a sizeable portion of
the country's middle and upper class elite.
There is strong demand for returnees since companies are more hesitant about relocating full
expatriates to emerging countries. Returnees are a better option since they are perceived to be able to adapt
quickly and are motivated to stay for the long-term.
Returnee managers are more expensive than
local candidates but not by much and they usually don’t expect
expatriate benefits. Their main desire is to return to their home
country and have a suitable job to go to.
6. “Local Expats”
A "local expat" is defined as a foreigner who chooses to live in an
adopted country for his or her own reasons.
Often, such people were previously posted as full expatriates and later
decided to remain indefinitely. The majority of local expatriates in
Asia are male -- it's still a guy-friendly region -- and have married
Asian females or have personal business interests.
Local
expatriates work at local terms but are usually compensated at
higher levels than local managers who lack international
experience. They are often stable employees since there are
perceived to be few job opportunities for expatriates in Asian
countries and job-hoppers are easily noticed and quickly
penalized.
There is strong demand for localized expatriates since they have
already gone through cultural acclimatization and have proven success. The suitability of this group for management
positions varies from candidate to candidate.
7. Full Expatriates
Full
expatriates are those managers posted to Asia by their employers. It used to be
standard that they were provided with luxurious housing, expensive
private schools for children, annual fly-backs to their home country,
country-clubs and a hardship bonus. Today, these “standard benefits”
are no longer standard with most organizations.
Importing expatriates can be necessary if your business is a new
concept in an emerging country since local management talent may not
yet exist in ample supply. An expatriate may be the only option if a
company is to ensure that a new branch office meets international
standards.
In choosing people suitable for expatriate postings, there are many
elements to consider. It has been found that people with adventurous
mind-sets and outgoing personalities are often better suited. Managers
who come from immigrant families or who grew up in ethnically diverse
environments can also be more adaptable to foreign cultures.
Another key element is the commitment of the expatriate’s family and,
in particular, the spouse. More often it is the trailing spouse rather
than the expatriate who will disrupt the overseas posting. That person
needs to be part of the determination process from an early stage.
HSBC is an example of one company that has developed a superb cadre of
international-track managers. They recruit them early in their
careers from different countries across the world and mold them into
HSBC bankers. They then spend their entire careers going all over
the world spreading the good news about the HSBC-way.
Another successful company with a different approach is Siemens.
Despite the vast size and complexity of its businesses, almost all of
their operations throughout the world are headed by German nationals.
The few non-Germans in their senior ranks almost always have been
Germanized by living for multi-year periods in Germany.
Hiring
Leaders
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region with specific focus on Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos.
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Asia
CEO Forum
Asia
CEO Forum presented by PLDT ALPHA Enterprise is the largest
regular business event in Philippines and considered one of the
most important in the Southeast Asia region. The forum serves as a
hub for the spreading of ideas that help executive managers
overseeing enterprises across the Asia Pacific region.
Attendees are both expatriate and Asian management personnel
overseeing multinational and regional organizations. Held in
Philippines, presenters are leaders in their industries and
engaged in momentous pursuits of significance to the entire
region.
Asia
CEO Forum is operated as a CSR (Corporate Social
Responsibility) activity of Chalre Associates, one of Southeast
Asia's most prominent senior management executive search firms, to
promote Philippines as a premier business destination in the Asia
region.
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Asia
CEO Awards
Asia
CEO Awards presented by Aseana City represents the
grandest alliance of local and international business people ever
created to promote Philippines on the world stage. As one of the
largest events of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, it is
considered a must-attend occasion for business leaders active in
Southeast Asia.
The star-studded Board of Judges of Asia CEO Awards give
away 10 awards to many of the most accomplished leadership teams
and individuals currently operating in Philippines and the region.
The awards recognize extraordinary leaders who have demonstrated
outstanding achievement for their organizations and contributions
to others.
As one of the fastest growing nations on the planet, the world's
business leaders have their eyes on Philippines like never before.
The annual gala was established as a natural outgrowth of Asia
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SPECIAL DOWNLOADS:
Media organizations
throughout the world call upon the Principals of Chalre Associates for thought leadership.
Below are some examples of published material written by our
consultants or international journalists who refer to them. For a complete list of published work,
Click Here.
Getting Ready For The
Deluge: Outsourcing in Philippines
by
Chalre Associates senior staff
Download
[PDF
file, 62KB]
The
Economist Intelligence Unit of the Economist magazine
asked Chalre Associates' Chairman, Richard Mills,
to write a chapter about the Philippine outsourcing sector
in its annual Business Guide Book. The material
provides a Executive Briefing on the progress and major
issues facing this industry that is certainly one of most
significant growth stories in the world.
more
Asia Pacific Mining
Conference 2007 - Report
by
Chalre Associates senior staff
Download
[PDF
file, 28KB]
The 7th Asia Pacific Mining Conference put on by the Asean
Federation of Mining Associations was perhaps the largest
such event in the region. Richard Mills, Chairman of Chalre Associates
gave this report on what was said by the prominent mining
people who presented.
more
The
State of BPO in Philippines: Dan Reyes Speaks
by
Chalre Associates senior staff
Download
[PDF
file, 31KB]
Richard
Mills, Chairman of Chalre Associates,
interviewed Dan Reyes of Sitel for ComputerWorld (US) recently to get
his views on the state of the BPO industry in Philippines. Dan
presented US readers with compelling information to support his view
that Philippines is currently seen as the "Number 1" option by global
companies sending BPO work to offshore destinations.
Dan Reyes is easily one of most experienced Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) managers in the Asia Pacific region and the world. He
is head of the extremely successful Philippine operations of Sitel, the
world's largest call center organization. Among other things, he is a
founder and former president of the Business Processing Association of
the Philippines. more
