European economies best at recruiting and retaining top talent; what about Thailand?

Post published:27/12/2017
Reading time:3 mins read

Switzerland, Denmark and Belgium top the World Talent Ranking in IMD’s prestigious annual report that assesses the methods countries are using to attract and keep the talent that their businesses need to succeed. 11 out of the top 15 economies are European countries.

The ranking of 63 countries, including Thailand, is based on how countries perform in areas of education, apprenticeships, workplace training, language skills, cost of living, quality of life, remuneration and tax rates. (more…)

The dreaded candidate black hole

Post published:08/11/2017
Reading time:2 mins read

It’s really hard to believe that many hiring managers and recruiters still don’t get it. That it’s a courtesy to inform applicants and candidates, who have been interviewed, that unfortunately another candidate was chosen for the job.

I love this line in the story that I quote below, that only one person can land a specific job, but everybody can have a good experience for the duration of the recruitment journey, even if they’re not ultimately the chosen candidate.

Here’s what you say on the phone or you write in the email: (more…)

Two ways to test candidate personality and intelligence before you hire

Post published:19/07/2017
Reading time:7 mins read

Picture a jigsaw puzzle! Then think about the next candidate you are going to interview. This candidate is like the jigsaw puzzle you just pictured, a human being put together by many different shapes and forms of puzzle pieces.

Imagine for a second that you only have one single puzzle piece and are asked to guess what the complete picture is. Likely an impossible task, wouldn’t you say?

Assessing a candidate’s profile to determine the fit to your hiring needs is not done by just reading a resume once. It’s not done by just one telephone screening and nothing else. It’s not done by a short or one-time in-person interview. It would certainly be a risk to decide whether to hire, or not, if the only thing you did was call a previous employer for a reference check. (more…)

Forbes ranks Boyden in Top Ten in executive search

Post published:11/05/2017
Reading time:2 mins read

Forbes recently launched their first ever ranking of executive recruiting firms. Boyden has ranked #8 out of the 250 firms included in the set.

To assign rankings, Forbes gathered 20,000 responses from executives and HR managers. Forbes asked them to name the top firms with which they had experience. The companies with the most recommendations are ranked highest. (more…)

Secrets of successful selection

Post published:10/02/2017
Reading time:7 mins read

There are now about 300 third-party recruiters in Thailand who are licenced to help recruit Thais for jobs in Thailand. Not many know this, but the recruitment industry in Thailand is extremely regulated and is governed by the Job Seekers Protection Act enacted in 1985 (31 years ago). Recruitment companies must submit a monthly report to the Ministry of Labour showing the names and details of the candidates they have helped place with their clients.

Tom Sorensen is a 14-year veteran head-hunter in Thailand, now at Boyden, one of the longest established players in the executive recruitment business. In the world and in Thailand. We asked Tom Sorensen to discuss the changing face of recruitment and the role of recruitment professionals. (more…)

Two easy ways to test candidate personality and intelligence

Post published:17/01/2017
Reading time:5 mins read

Picture a jigsaw puzzle! Then think about the next candidate you are going to interview. This candidate is like the jigsaw puzzle you just pictured, a human being put together by many different shapes and forms of puzzle pieces.

Imagine for a second that you only have one single puzzle piece and are asked to guess what the complete picture is. Likely an impossible task, wouldn’t you say? (more…)

Is Interim Executive a job for you?

Post published:28/09/2016
Reading time:2 mins read

This is now a career choice for many. Perhaps it’s something for you?

The interim executive is a highly skilled, seasoned manager who is available for assignments of any duration, to either lend specialised expertise to a strategic project or to fill a critical skills gap.

Interim or contract roles tend to be for a set period of time, typically several months, and tend to be more for experienced professionals with niche skills who have to hit the ground running.

Interim executives are also known as fixed-term-contract-employees. They are employed by our clients in much the same way as permanent staff but for a fixed period only. (more…)

Love at first sight in recruitment

Post published:14/07/2016
Reading time:5 mins read

Why is it such a surprise that many employee and employer relationships end in what I call “recruitment divorce’: Employee Leaves Employer.

It is said that 50% (or more) of marriages end in divorce. That’s a scary prospect that makes many think hard before proposing or walking down the aisle.

Love at first sight during the interview process often turns sour because the assessment was artificial and the employer fell for the candidate’s well-practiced dance.

Too many get duped into assessing presentation over performance. You have just been outmaneuvered by a candidate who had prepared better than you. Basically, you have fallen victim to the 4A syndrome. (more…)

Is hiring top talent important in your organisation?

Post published:26/05/2016
Reading time:4 mins read

If recruiting talented people is one of your top priorities (and it should be if you want to stay a top manager), then spending an hour of your time with your HR Department or your preferred Headhunter is critical to the success of the hiring process.

I’m always puzzled when executives don’t take this briefing more serious because it leaves your hiring partner (whether HR or Headhunter) with a lot of guessing to do. When your hiring partner is left to fill out the blanks with their own ideas on what the job really is, you probably have a better chance of winning in the lottery than getting the best candidate for the job.

(more…)

Are you too having trouble finding HR talent?

Post published:24/11/2015
Reading time:6 mins read

What is going on in the world of HR? Clients are queuing up outside my door screaming for help to find real talented HR candidates. They are looking for people who combine the best of skills in HR management (HRM) with the latest HR development (HRD) and organisational development (OD).

For some, HRM and HRD are just buzzwords used to inflate the trivial to something of importance and prestige. It’s now used to brag and in its arrogance becomes insincere, superficial and inappropriate. These individuals have little understanding of its actual meaning and are more interested in impressing others by making their claims sound so technical and obscure that it could only be understood by a small number of people. Oh well. Did someone say lip service? (more…)

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