Options in India & Abroad

Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

"It is 25 years to the day, since the birth of Options," my mother reminded me this morning. And so the family is getting ready to celebrate.

Flashback to July 14th 1992.

Looking back, the journey has been simply amazing. "Helping others to find their calling" has been the pivot as we have tried to help several hundreds of clients find talent aligned to the similar values. We have worked with clients at different stages in their lifecycle of growth, (why even offering outplacement services during a stint that saw a temporary de-growth!), across different management ownerships/styles, and across functions, industries, levels and locations. Amidst very exhilarating times that has spanned from post liberalisation days in India, as India opened up to foreign investments, and abroad, even as clients survived the dot com boom/worldwide financial crisis, and now coming to terms with Brexit et al, totally changing the dynamics of global migration.

Internet, globalisation, disruptions in the VUCA times, have all forced us to change with times, stay relevant with the best business practices, and look to the future with more hope and conviction.

Options is now poised to leverage on orchestrating a global network and add value to each of our stakeholders- be it aspiring job seekers, or hungry clients, or like-minded fellow recruitment specialists with whom we collaborate, to be able to make a better impact!

With 92 Sales Directors and 1300 recruiters, the potential reach of Options is simply mindboggling-considering we have partnerships across 41 countries.

I take this opportunity to thank each one of you -who has been part of the journey, helping me learn, relearn, and even unlearn.

I am grateful, as they say in the cricketing parlance, as I take a 'fresh guard' to continue to make a difference, one individual at a time.

There are more milestones...waiting :)!

When you are a recruiter by choice, and forever asking questions, and catching folks off their guard, you get a feeling that you can interview even in sleep! But it is totally another game when one is being interviewed. And I hadn't reckoned what the Pro Paul Slezak was upto!

Here is the link to the detailed interview- that he had done as part of a monthly newsletter that is sent to the Recruitloop ecosystem!

I am tempted to share an extract of the same echoing some of my thoughts:

"People ought to get paid for doing what they love doing most! There are far too many unhappy folks currently in the wrong job lacking the passion for making a difference to others around them. Too much of one’s identity is hinged on what one does for a living."

Well, as I reflect again, I wonder if I had another chance who else I may have added. I must confess -at times, you end up answering what you think the interviewer probably wants to hear!! And in this case, as most of our ecosystem was Americans, I opted to keep cricket out of it. It was tough keeping Rahul Dravid out of the list.

And as always -it would be wonderful to know how you would have approached these questions! Feel free to share..

26. Oslo, Norway
25. Johannesburg, South Africa 24. Brussels, Belgium
23. Warsaw, Poland
22. Chicago, USA
21. Dublin, Ireland
20. Stockholm, Sweden
19. Prague, Czech Republic
18. San Francisco, USA
17. Cape Town, South Africa
16. Madrid, Spain
15. Lisbon, Portugal
14. Toronto, Canada
13. Auckland, New Zealand
11. Berlin, Germany
11. Helsinki, Finland
10. Sydney, Australia
9. Amsterdam, Netherlands
8. Boston, USA
7. Ottawa, Canada
6. Copenhagen, Denmark
5. Zurich, Switzerland
4. Melbourne, Australia
3. Vienna, Austria
2. Edinburgh, Scotland
1. Wellington, New Zealand "

You know what, as a member of NPA, The Worldwide Recruiting Network, I have partners who cover these cities, and are privy to some topnotch opportunities at leading companies locally. 

Should you be interested in exploring Options, please feel free to reach out to me personally to [email protected]

  

WYSIWYG, right? Let's take a handful of media tidbits we see just in the last 48hrs.

In contrast, we also have been advised some mantras that could help resolve the situation, if only the HR were to reimagine in a new world, and the onus could be that of an organisation ( see how AT&T chooses to respond), or by the nation. (Singapore's SkillFuture program for job seekers, trainers and employers).

I am tempted to recall an article by Prakash Iyer who opined "If you are looking to create an empowered, frontline-focused, passionate organisation, look no further. Take the first step. Turn your organisation upside down"

As a person who has been a ringside observer -of the demand and supply side for the last three decades, I would like to attribute some of the above staffing problems are the result of hiring the wrong people, to begin with. 

I endorse the statement made by Hayes Drumwright in a recent presentation. "Most often, the people closest to the problem know how to solve it. And it is career limiting for them to tell you."

It is a catch 22 situation for a recruiter!

Let me explain taking a couple of pointers that need to be reflected on-especially the current practices that prevail in the Indian IT industry:

1) The 'typical' annual increment for the best performers is about 12-15% ( and of course subject to the company/division performance/market conditions). And if one were to job hop, the company hiring would entice one by paying a 25-30% hike. Are we not penalising good performers, and encouraging them to look for greener pastures elsewhere?

Ironically, instead, companies try to shut the door by enforcing a notice period of 2-3 months that the employee has to service before joining the new employer. In reality, the incumbent now has all the free time to shop around with new suitors, (for a better hike), before even the present employer can conjure up a juicy counter offer!

2) Now over to the demand side. To replace the deserting employee, the hiring manager is in a tearing hurry to get the new person boarded asap, and so doesn't have the luxury of identifying, wooing and attracting a 'passive job seeker'-and so there is a huge demand for those immediately available ( read, hmm..unemployed?), or those 'serving out notice period', thereby encouraging mercenary attitudes -and compromising competency!

Perhaps the learning from this could be - Hire slow. Fire Fast?

For that, there is a need for more emphasis on the quality of hire. It is perhaps easy to keep track of metrics like time to hire, cost per hire, and turnaround times..( the comfort zone of most Talent Acquisition professionals). How about reckoning the opportunity cost of hire? Facebook perhaps lost $3Billion in not making Brian Acton a hire!!

If we are honest with ourselves, we know that getting to the truth of matters is hard, and often incredibly uncomfortable.

Look no further than the author who was known for 'fantasies'-there could be some thoughts for us adults to reflect too.

"If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair "- CS Lewis

Last night as we were driving back after a get-together, a family friend asked me- "hey, with all these firing and layoff news-how is it affecting you."?

Well, my instant smart answer was " When the jobs boom happened, it didn't affect me so the bust too would not really matter.he he"!

But I could sense from the tone, that others in the car were also wanting a serious response. So, I rallied around saying how as Executive Search firms in the hiring solutions business, our job was to help companies hire the talent they couldn't find themselves. And so while thousands were being hired every month, most companies didn't need to be dependent on external bandwidth. And that the present layoffs-the media goes ga ga daily over, is an overreaction. Companies, in order to grow faster, right size from time to time, and occasionally remove the 'dead wood' to remain cost effective. It is indeed sad that most may not have upgraded their skills or paid too much heed to add value, as their salaries had multiplied over the past decade. Most being replaced in India -are perhaps in the middle management levels, ie 20-30lacs salary level who make way for 2 or 3 junior folks, employed at 6-8lacs, aided with technology..for a higher ROI.

And so, companies will continue to need extraordinary talent or game-changers-and so, even in a recession, Specialist recruiters are more in demand..as they have access or can influence some star performers- who can 'raise the bar' for any employer.

And so, see it really doesn't matter. What, me worry?

Hakuna Matata

To simply say “Hakuna Matata” or in more colloquial terms, “no worries,” when a problem comes your way is equivalent to saying, “ I am actually very worried but I am too scared/lazy/ambivalent/insert-other-negative-adjective-about-not-being-proactive to do anything about it.”

It doesn’t mean you ignore the serious problems we face. It just means you believe they can be solved.

As I woke up this morning, I reflected-was I being too casual? Or flippant? Hence this rather long post to think aloud.

(As a person who began his corporate career in 1984 in India when the biggest employers were Banks and Govt PSUs and people worked until their retirement. I became a recruiter in 1992, by choice, in hindsight the best time as Liberalisation happened, & have been 'helping others find their calling'. Over time, the internet happened, email was born, job portals became popular, and job hopping as opportunities opened up. y2k. Onsite employment. Dotcom bust. 9/11. Offshoring...life goes on, with globalisation affecting our daily lives increasingly...)

Well, I must admit, I have been proactive as a recruiter, and here are somethings that I have been doing to reinvent the way I work, and add value to my stakeholders

-I have been an early adopter of social media, which has now become the de facto window to my world. It has helped me constantly upgrading my skills, listening to podcasts/webinars of a diverse set of subject matter experts, and learn, share and compare notes with a large network.

- I have invested in myself -by subscribing, being certified, and use the state-of-art tools to keep in sync with the technological solutions to the different disruptions happening all around us. Have personally spent a fortune trying out a bevvy of products that are launched -paid and freemiums- that leverage on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (MI)..and be sensitive to the analytics/trends.

-Networking with several different specialists in Recruitment, be it among the 470+ partners of NPA, the Worldwide Recruiting Network, but also investing in building a platform of affiliates, courtesy BNI, the world's largest Referral Network, that has been at the forefront of changing the way Business is being done globally by being part of "power teams" that help in influencing their customers by improved collaboration.

That has helped me add value to my customers- who seek hiring solutions- be it permanent hire, or temporary staffing, or Interim Management. And of course value added services like recruitment audit for small companies ( with lesser than 100 employees who do not have the luxury of having an internal senior HR professional), improve their hiring efficiency ( eg a no brainer idea like training an interview panel on what to look for..), use social media for hiring to attract the 'not so obvious' prospects, based on the stage of their lifecycle of growth !

You see, my mandates are in the business of finding 'people for jobs'.And yes, as a spin-off, in Outplacement, in the event of companies in the unfortunate situation of having to let go their valued employees.

Consequently, 'finding jobs for people', I have been able to focus on a making a difference to a few -who believe in my insights, by offering them a 'prepaid career coaching service'- namely AskMenon.com

"What? You mean I have to pay you, and not be assured of a job? No other recruiter does that!"

Fortunately, I try to use an analogy which is easier to relate..that of the doctors.

In a world where one can google for any information, and we can easily self-medicate, with access to pharmacies in every lane, we still go to doctors..right? And pay them for their insights for their consulting -with no assurance of a cure?

And so, AskMenon.com has a feature that allows one to schedule a call -a la outpatient consulting. And some offline packages -a la inpatient treatment, depending on the complexity of the need( with varied emphasis on critiquing resume/Linkedin profile and brainstorming!), say

-job search

-career growth

-leadership

Well, the extended networks have given me the luxury of being privy to global opportunities, leveraging the goodwill of over 1300 recruiters, 216k business owners across 65 countries willing to open up their relationships, -all at arm's length or a click away!

We are in the midst of a decade -a VUCA world- that has been changing faster than ever. Luck is what happens when Preparation Meets Opportunity.

And we need all the help -to keep ourselves sane, productive, and relevant! I am open to learning more from you. Thanks for staying with me on this journey. Do feel free to reach me offline. How can I help YOU?

Psst, The best jobs don't always go to the best. Often it happens to the right person at the right place and the right time. Stay connected!!