http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/ en Copyright 2008 Mon, 19 May 2008 09:41:08 +0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss more articles at www.wang-li.com In my daily conversations with my multinational clients here in Hong Kong, I have found that many hiring managers emphasize a candidate's understanding of Asian and Western language and culture just as importantly as his/her professional or technical suitability for a position. In recent years, with the growth of multinational operations in Asia, the demand for professionals who reflect the multinationals way of doing business has developed - professionals who can think globally, yet at the same time can understand the local climate and work successfully with the local staff. One of my clients puts it that what is needed are professionals who have “One foot in Asia, one foot in the West”. This demand has resulted in a surge of interest in hiring, in particular, Asia-born returnees with western education and work experience. For many Hong Kong-based multinationals facing such quick growth, identifying enough of the “right” people is the key limiting factor to their success in the region. The "right” candidates will not only be western-oriented in na¬ture and personality, highly educated, and have experience from leading multinational companies, but they will also have the Chinese language skills and an in-depth understanding of the Chinese culture which will help them to adapt to the local business environment Furthermore, successful candidates will have the under¬standing, open-mindedness and wherewithal to bridge the two cul¬tures, and the ability to communicate and relate instantly to a U.S. or Euro¬pean headquarters as well as local clients, vendors and colleagues. Hong Kong-based multinationals are also seeking, beyond language and cultural orientation, hands-on professionals who are able to “hit the ground running.” As businesses expand, people who can both envision and execute a corporate strategy for Asia, as well as develop business opportunities and launch new businesses, are sought out particularly in recent months, as Hong Kong-based companies position themselves to be major players in mainland China, there has been a tremendous surge in demand for professionals with backgrounds in consumer product and IT marketing and sales, management consulting and finance. Finally, multinationals are seeking staff who are affordable. The costs of doing business in Hong Kong has increased exponentially over the past ten years. With rents and other operating costs skyrocketing to new heights, many multinationals are reassessing total compensation packages for new employees as a means to cut back on company-wide expenditures. Hong Kong-based firms are no longer willing to provide the kinds of incentives for expatriates to live in Asia or offer the generous expatriate packages of years past to compensate for hardship posts. With those days long gone, and with a new generation of Asian job seekers, these types of compensation packages are no longer necessary. However, this does not mean that salaries are unattractive. With multinationals aware of the high costs of living in Asia, salaries in Hong Kong are competitive with, or better than, salaries in many western markets. Rather than offer a separate compensation, many expat packages today would typically have an adjustment for housing and cost of living factored into the flat base salary. Also, more and more multinationals in the region are turning to performance based compensation structures which, given the growth here in Asia, offer added appeal. This trend of expanding regional multinationals to 'localize" their personnel, but at the same time maintain their standards of professional skills and industry expertise, offers exciting opportunities for those who have both “East & West” skills and abilities. If you are considering a move into the Hong Kong job market, keep in mind that the sooner you do it the better, as several managers have told me when asked what their time frame is for hiring: “I could and have hired them yesterday.” http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/what_are_multinationals_lookin.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/what_are_multinationals_lookin.html China HR Column Mon, 19 May 2008 09:41:08 +0800 more articles at www.wang-li.com China has maintained its position as the place attracting the most attention among companies and professional talent from around the world. Although the potential and opportunities in the mainland are still being recognized as always, the realities of what it takes to be successful in this market have become much better known by both sides. As a result, rather than making quick or naïve decisions to pursue what looks to be attractive on the surface, what we are seeing is both parties taking a deeper, longer-term look at key hiring and career decisions. Tough, Costly Lessons From the company side, tough, costly lessons have been learned by over the past few years in the area of hiring staff, was multinationals did a poor job of distinguishing in candidates those most relevant capabilities needed to perform and produce results in China. In many instances, hiring managers were overly impressed by a person’s credentials and qualifications (i.e. an MBA, graduate degrees or living experience from abroad, well-recognized company names, etc.), while failing to evaluate carefully their achievements personality, interests, and expectations. Today, companies are much more experienced in knowing what matters most in hiring and retaining excellent employees. They’ve gone up the learning curve as a result of the high staff turnovers they’ve experienced, and no longer make those same assumptions and poor hiring decisions. “Of course, recognizable schools and companies do catch my attention, but it’s a mistake to place too much emphasis on such credentials. In revealing how well a person can actually perform, they’re not always telling indicator,” notes one HR Manager in China. More Experienced, Selective Hiring Practices In addition, the entire hiring mentality for companies has changed dramatically. Given the difficult economic picture in markets outside of China, nearly every hiring decision today for global companies is highly scrutinized, with new headcounts needing to be justified and approved by headquarters. That includes for the mainland operations of multinationals. As a result, the hiring process is also much more deliberate and thorough, than what it was a few years ago. “Before, there was such an emphasis to fill headcount and bring on board new people to handle the our rapidly growing business here,” describes the HR Director of a U.S. computer manufacturer in Shanghai. “We often made hiring decisions after just two interviews, typically with the hiring manager and his supervisor. Our growth rate in China is still strong. However, candidates today must go through several rounds and may meet up to 8-10 people throughout the organization, including at the regional or HQ levels. That’s a reflection of the importance we’re placing in evaluating much more deeply a person’s personality, cultural, and career expectations fit for our organization.” Much Tougher Job And Evolving Talent Market Beyond the hiring side, the market realities and career priorities for individual professionals have also matured. There’s a steadier and more conservative approach to career pursuits, compared to the opportunistic, job-hopping days of the 1990s. With the caliber of China’s talent market quickly evolving towards global standards, people here are feeling the pressure of gaining and maintaining their competitive edge. Key to doing that is being part of an environment and management team that can add to their development, and with a company that can offer opportunities to grow. Kenny Huang is similar to an increasing number of candidates whom we work with these days. At 31 years old, what he wants to know first and foremost about an opportunity are how it will add value to his professional development and future success, what his potential for growth is, and the quality of the environment and people he’ll be a part of. His longer-term career development orientation is a far cry from the “strike it rich quick” emphasis of many candidates that we saw just 3-4 years ago. “It’s really about being more realistic, and I would say mature,” says Kenny, a Product Marketing Manager in a U.S. electronics company in Shanghai. “Before, many of my friends, including myself, were attracted to opportunities that offered the quickest, highest upside. I think we all pictured ourselves running a company by the time we were 35. But that’s not our view of things today.” Money Not The Top Priority Increasingly, professionals in Greater China are also recognizing that many of opportunities that they might have gotten into several years ago, and the salaries packages that they attracted, are a thing of the past. With expat packages continuing to diminish and localization among multinationals a widespread reality, many have adjusted their compensation expectations. They know that in the overwhelming majority of instances, China is no longer the type of market where companies are paying a premium to find and hire international-caliber talent. This is not to say that compensations for high-caliber, international management backgrounds in China aren’t attractive still, particularly when compared to markets like the U.S., Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, and in the context of the mainland’s relatively low cost of living. It’s mainly that you shouldn’t expect the sharp increases in your compensation picture, like before. In response to such realities, what we are seeing is much more flexibility in what candidates will consider. Often times, they are even willing to make a move for less money, especially if they feel that the overall opportunity and situation offered provide a better career development and growth scenario for them. Although still a key factor in any employment decision process, for many the salary issue comes after other considerations related to the role, management team, and company environment the person will be joining. Opportunities That Build One’s Competitive Advantage “I used to be drawn to well-recognized company names, thinking almost automatically that they would be good organizations to join for my career. I evaluate things much further past that today though. You have to,” says Amy Wang, who joined a mid-sized human resources services company in Beijing this past March. “Before, when you interviewed with employers, they would be impressed by whom you’ve worked for. When you talk to companies these days, they go much deeper into determining the quality of what you’ve done. We see many candidates also moving away from their interests in strategy and financial investment positions, preferring instead more hands on, operational, and business development roles. “People are tired of hearing about what is possible in China and about high potential opportunities that ended up failing,” summarizes one mainland job seeker. “What they want to hear you talk about is what you have done successfully. For me, opportunities that offer strategic roles are fine. But what I’m most interested in are roles where I can be hands on in developing and managing a business.” Increasingly, It’s About Fit, Fit, Fit If there’s one word that describes the emphasis of how both candidates and companies are viewing hiring these days, that word would be “fit.” For companies, their hiring approaches are taking more long-term objectives into account, related to staff retention, management team development, and succession planning. This new focus parallels the increasingly maturing organization culture and development emphasis of multinational operations in China. Adjusting To New Realities Through our recruitment business, we’ve seen a clear pick-up in the hiring picture this year, in spite of SARS. China as a market to be in remains as attractive as before, for both companies and individuals. What has changed is the decision process and hiring approaches on both sides, which are much more deliberate and thorough. As the business environment in China continues to mature, certain trends will continue to develop. These include the emphasis within companies to develop professional work environments and company cultures that offer solid, career tracks and that will both attract and retain excellent talent. It also includes a greater awareness among professionals on what kind of employment situations and opportunities will help them develop their long-term career success. “Although the previous two opportunities that I was a part of didn’t work out, I’m glad I participated in them,” says the Marketing Director of an IT manufacturer in Shanghai, in reflecting the perspective of many mid-career professionals we meet. Previous to his current position, he was involved in two high-profile Internet companies from late 1999 to early 2001. “It felt like the right time to take a chance, and I learned a lot from that whole experience. But I guess you could say that I’ve done the thrill ride. Today, my priorities and interests are more modest and a lot more realistic. Being older and hopefully wiser, something new and challenging, but less risky is the right thing for me.” http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/maturing_job_seeking_and_hirin.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/maturing_job_seeking_and_hirin.html Training Mon, 19 May 2008 09:38:45 +0800 more articles at:www.wang-li.com Last week, I ran into an old friend who had left the corporate fast track three years ago to start up his own financial consulting business. Though he had made a very comfortable living out of his small business, he said that he had had "enough" of the instability caused from living from project to project and anticipation for the closure of that next deal so that he could collect another payment. He was ready to return to the comforts of corporate employment where he could concentrate on what he did best, bringing in business, and avoid what he disliked most, managing the details of the business. Others have revealed similar stories to me. Entrepreneurship has its benefits, but is not for everyone. I asked my friend how he planned on making the transition back into corporate employment. Always the consummate networker, he had maintained his relationships with his former employer and colleagues and was very well connected in the industry. As a result, he already had a number of offers on the table to consider. He is one of the lucky ones. Not everyone who takes the leap into entrepreneurship can as easily make the transition back into corporate employment. Another woman I know left her job in consumer product marketing to start up a franchising business with a friend. The business, a retail venture, was not as immediate a success as she had anticipated, taking up all of her time and draining her of any interest she may have had in maintaining ties with old friends and colleagues. After nearly two years of struggling with the business, she decided to return to corporate employment. But because she had been "out of touch" with happenings in her industry for so long, it was a couple of months before she was once again caught up on the industry and the job market and could find a suitable job. We offer two pieces of advice to those entrepreneurs who want to make a quick, easy and successful transition back under the corporate umbrella: Keep current on industry trends and keep in touch with industry colleagues. Depending upon the length of time you are out of mainstream industry, most prospective corporate employers will be concerned about your current industry knowledge. Successful transitioners from entrepreneurship back into industry will have kept current on industry trends. This is easy enough simply by following the trade media and attending trade functions which would serve to keep you informed of the major industry players and products. Keeping in touch with old industry colleagues is imperative for entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneur struggling with your own business, it becomes easy to become completely engrossed in the job at hand - creating a successful business. Losing touch with family and friends, let alone former industry colleagues seems just part of the start-up price of setting up your own business. But those who maintain close ties with former employers, colleagues, clients and even competitors, will not only benefit by boosting their own business savvy in being up-to-date on industry trends, they will also be in the loop to hear about changes and opportunities in the industry. Entrepreneurship is something that everyone seems to want to try. But not everyone enjoys it or can be successful at it and many people do eventually return to employment under some kind of corporate structure. Making the transition a slow or quick one will depend on how well prepared you are for it. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/entrepreneurs_how_to_returning.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/entrepreneurs_how_to_returning.html Entrepreneurs Mon, 19 May 2008 09:35:44 +0800 more articles at www.wang-li.com Ever find yourself at a crossroads in your career contemplating a difficult decision? Or needed feedback on a business report or proposal? Or just wondered how you should handle a tough office or business situation? When dealing with such critical situations, having mentors you can approach for advice and input can be a tremendous help. Approaching people to mentor you is not as difficult as you might think. Many managers and executives are willing to be mentors simply because they appreciate bright, young people who are earnest and ambitious in their careers, much like they once were. Most that I’ve met like to share and recount their experiences and successes, particularly, if it can be helpful to others. In developing mentor relationships, the most important aspect is selecting and approaching your mentors. Identify ones based on your ability to communicate openly with them, your potential to develop a rapport with them, and your respect for that person. Approaching a person strictly on the basis of his title can have minimal benefits in the long run, especially, if that person has little time or interest in helping you. The mentors you identify don’t necessarily have to be from within your company. They could be almost anyone you know. Approach them by describing your situation and the type of information you would like to get help in. Most managers and executives that you seek as a mentor will have demanding schedules. Be considerate of their time. Make it as convenient for them to meet or communicate with you as possible. When you do meet, be prepared with the issues and questions that you’d like their input on. If using a mentor in the same company, use discretion when dealing with them to avoid unwanted politics or jealousy among those around you. While working in her previous company, one colleague drew the attention of the company’s managing director who became very interested in assisting her career. He did this by instructing her direct supervisor what types of opportunities to give her and by making sure that the rest of the office supported her. This not only strained her relationship with her boss, but with her co-workers as well. Finally, if asking for business contacts or references, use good judgment regarding a mentor’s willingness to help you in this area. People may be willing to help open doors for you, but they don’t want to feel that this is the emphasis of your relationship with them. They can feel uncomfortable giving up personal contacts without yet feeling comfortable with you. Typically, this shouldn’t be a problem if you have a sincere, good relationship with a mentor. As such, best to approach mentor relationships in a highly professional manner initially. In the best instances, these relationships will develop over time to be more personal in nature. Knowing experienced, knowledgeable people you can turn to can make the difference in making good decisions at critical moments in your career. There are people I know who are able to call on mentors whenever they face crucial career or business situations. Interestingly, they usually seem to make good, sound decisions in those situations. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/having_mentors_to_help_you_at.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/having_mentors_to_help_you_at.html Editor Column Mon, 12 May 2008 13:57:34 +0800 By ANDREA COOMBES more articles at www.taleo.com Do you love your job? More specifically, if your job were a living, breathing person, would you marry it? That is the somewhat tongue-in-cheek question of a new survey assessing how much people love—or hate—their jobs. Only 9% of respondents said they love their job so much they'd marry it, while 34% agreed they like their job enough that they'd "date it seriously." Another 43% agreed their daily grind is OK and they'd "date it casually," 9% said they don't like the job and it "won't last long." And 5% said they hate their jobs and "want to break up immediately," according to the survey of 1,215 full- and part-time workers conducted by Harris Interactive for Taleo, a Dublin, Calif.-based consulting firm and maker of staffing-management software. "Employers could be doing more to make sure their employees are getting the love they want with their jobs," said Alice Snell, vice president of Taleo Research. Work "is a relationship and it is a partnership," she said. "Employers have the opportunity today to really provide support for their employees' career goals, provide more regular feedback on performance, to offer things like mentoring to make sure they're rewarding performers and to hold up their end of the relationship," she said. "In turn, employees will hold up their end of the relationship," Ms. Snell said, noting that job satisfaction is linked to higher productivity. People who work on the West Coast were likeliest to say they like or love their jobs, with 48% of respondents agreeing, compared with 39% of workers in the Northeast, 40% of workers in the Midwest and 45% of workers in the South. But Northeasterners were likelier to say their job is OK, with 49% agreeing, compared with 36% of workers in the West, 45% of workers in the Midwest, and 42% in the South. Meanwhile, West Coasters, at 16%, were likeliest to say they hate their jobs and want to break up immediately, compared with 12% of workers in the Northeast, 15% of workers in the Midwest, and 13% of workers in the South. The survey didn't ascertain the reasons behind these geographical differences, but Ms. Snell said the results might relate to with the concentration of various industries in different locales, or even cultural differences. Older workers are more likely to say they love or like their jobs, with 53% of workers 55-years-old and older agreeing, versus 37% of 18-to-34-year-olds. Forty-one percent of 35-to-44-year-olds said they loved or liked their job, as did 46% of 45-to-54-year-olds. And 19% of the younger workers said they don't like or hate their jobs, compared with just 7% of the older group. Among those aged 35-to-44-years-old, 16% disliked their jobs, as did 10% of those aged 45 years to 54 years. While younger workers are "new in the career cycle," Ms. Snell said, "the older age group may have more found their comfort level for their work over time." Similarly, 50% of married respondents agreed they love or like their jobs, versus 29% of single workers. And 9% of married workers said they don't like or hate their jobs, compared with 24% of single workers. Perhaps it is no surprise that workers who earn more are likelier to report higher levels of job satisfaction. About half of those earning more than $75,000 said they like or love their job, versus about one-third of those who earn less than $35,000. Still, money doesn't solve everything: 13% of workers earning more than $75,000 said they don't like or hate their jobs, not much different than the 16% of workers earning less than $35,000 who said that. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/survey_finds_few_feel_true_lov.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/survey_finds_few_feel_true_lov.html Editor Column Mon, 12 May 2008 13:48:37 +0800 More articles at: www.wang-li.com When speaking with candidates, many ask for my input in helping them to assess the risk of making a move to a new opportunity. Often, what I end up talking about and asking them is, “What is the risk of you staying in your current situation?” Many candidates come to us because they are not very satisfied with their current situation. One of the biggest reasons for their dissatisfaction is because their situation is no longer allowing them to develop in the ways that they are looking to grow. For instance, a few weeks ago, I was talking to a candidate who was considering whether he should accept an offer with another company. The candidate had approached us about two months earlier, revealing that although he was working for a well-established company, its top management seemed to be content on just meeting their fairly conservative revenue targets and were not actively pursuing or creating new opportunities for the business. In turn, this limited the opportunities and growth of those in the company. What this candidate sought was a more dynamic, growth situation where he could further develop himself and take on greater responsibilities. As it so happened, we were able to introduce him to an excellent opportunity with a relatively new, mid-size company that was aggressively expanding its business. The interview process went smoothly and the role they had open seemed to be a good fit for the candidate’s background and career interests. When the offer came out, however, the candidate hesitated. It was not because of the offer numbers were not attractive enough. Rather, the reason was because the candidate felt that he would be taking a big risk in joining a smaller, less established company. I told him that, personally, I thought that it was a much bigger risk for him not to take the new opportunity given what was happening (or not happening) in his current situation. Many people will choose to stay in a routine, less challenging situation, even if they know that it is not adding a lot of value to their professional growth and development. Usually, this happens when they are with a reputable company where they think they are building up an attractive track record with a company that future employers will recognize. Today, it’s important to recognize that industries and companies are actively changing in order to stay competitive. It’s a challenging business environment that we all face these days, one that requires everyone to constantly build new skills, expertise, and achievements. If you are not in a situation that not allows you to do these things, then relative to many others out there, you are becoming less and less competitive. Of course, you always want to thoroughly assess the prospects of a company, its business model, and the strength of the management team and people that you’ll be interacting with most frequently. But any move to a new opportunity is going to create a situation and period of uncertainty and risk for you, no matter how deeply you look at it. To me, a far worse situation is one that you clearly know cannot offer you the chance to grow and develop yourself, but that you choose to remain in anyway. That’s a risk that I always recommend our candidates to avoid. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/assessing_the_risk_of_new_oppo.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/assessing_the_risk_of_new_oppo.html Editor Column Mon, 12 May 2008 13:44:40 +0800 More articles at: www.wang-li.com When asked what they are looking for in their next career move, candidates often tell us that they are “looking for a good opportunity” without actually being able to define what a “good opportunity” means to them. We’ve seen many careers falter, as individuals jump from opportunity to opportunity without them leading to where they want to ultimately go. Since the career decisions that you make today impact your attractiveness to future employers, your ability to be promoted, and your ability to attain your career objective, you want to be sure that each job decision you make is made carefully and with sound judgment. Most critical when contemplating a career move is thinking about how the move will fit into and add to your overall career plan. Mainly, in what ways does it bring you closer to your career objective? We met one candidate who spent many years with a multinational company. Over the years, he turned down several offers from other major competitors to join their team. In the end, his decision to accept an offer to manage the China sales/marketing efforts of a smaller, niche firm was easy because he felt the exposure he’d get and experience working with a smaller, less bureaucratic firm would better lead him to his ultimate goal of someday starting and running his own business. In China, where many people are easily influenced by outside factors, make sure you make important career decisions based on your personal interests/goals. For instance, are you accepting a job based on your career plan or your skills and interests, or because of external pressures? As an example, we see a strong interest these days among MBA graduates to enter the venture capital/private equity field. But when asking them why this field, they have only a superficial understanding of what VC/PE is about or what skills they have which would make them successful in this industry. This is referred to as a “herd mentality” where people blindly follow the direction taken by those around them. In other instances, we see many candidates’ base career decisions solely on compensation and title. While the title and compensation of a position are, of course, important elements of any career decision, they shouldn’t be the driving factors for taking a job. One candidate came to us with a resume indicating he had four jobs with four different companies in the past five years. He was quite proud of this, having received tile promotions which now placed him as a senior-level marketing professional. Unfortunately, although this candidate made career moves which he thought were always reflecting greater titles/responsibilities, our clients didn’t view them that way. They not only questioned the candidate’s track record and his high salary expectations, they were also doubtful of his ability to stay long-term with any employer. This candidate’s approach to job changes was too one-sided, and now, he has to defend the job decisions he’s made every time he interviews. Each job move you make is an important decision that affects not only your present situation, but your future as well. Those who rush into making career decisions can find themselves in increasingly poorer, lesser quality situations that are able to add to their successful career development. As such, be sure to take the time you need to make good career decisions for yourself. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/are_you_making_the_right_caree.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/are_you_making_the_right_caree.html Career Development Mon, 05 May 2008 10:16:43 +0800 more articles at www.taleo.com New employees at Sun Microsystems warm up to the company’s culture and values through a computer game and a vastly smoother administrative process. It’s part of an onboarding trend that recognizes an employee’s first days as an opportunity to integrate him into a company’s culture, improve company image, gather feedback and begin some training. By Leslie Gross Klaff f you were to look over the shoulder of new employees at Sun Microsystems these days, there’s a good chance that they will be hunched over their computers, playing a game called "Dawn of the Shadow Specters." Plunged into a futuristic world, the player is battling forces of evil that are trying to destroy Sun’s network. While the new hires may look like they’re wasting time, they are actually learning about Sun’s core businesses and the company’s mission and vision. The game is one way that Sun is revamping its employee "onboarding," which is the talent management buzzword for how organizations help new hires transition into their jobs. At a time when Sun is losing talent to companies like Google and MySpace, the organization is making new hires a top priority in order to improve employee retention and productivity, as well as recruit top talent and strengthen its corporate brand. Before Sun launched its new onboarding program in October 2007, an employee’s first day was typical for what you would see at many companies today. The new employee spent most of it filling out paperwork. The new hire’s workspace, phone, computer and security badge may or may not have been ready. Some new employees were waiting two weeks before they had access to e-mail. Almost half of Sun’s 34,000 employees work remotely, so many new hires wait weeks or months before meeting their managers. "We weren’t making a great first impression," says Karie Willyerd, chief learning officer at Sun, which is based in Santa Clara, California. "The competition for talent is really tight. People have choices about where they work, and the first few days are particularly vulnerable. They can make them feel good about their choice, or it can put a doubt in their mind. We wanted to make a better first impression." Sun is not alone in wanting to improve its onboarding approach. Some companies are starting to automate the administrative end of their onboarding programs to ensure those first-day mishaps don’t occur. But others are looking at onboarding more broadly, as an opportunity to integrate employees into a company’s culture, improve company image, gather employee feedback and even train employees. How employees are treated during the first few weeks on the job affects retention, satisfaction and productivity, says Brian Platz, COO of Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based SilkRoad Technologies. SilkRoad is one of a handful of talent management software vendors that in the last few years have come out with Web-based products that automate onboarding processes. Within six months on the job, 86 percent of new employees have made up their mind about whether they’re going to stay with their company, according to a new survey of almost 800 human resource managers by Aberdeen Group. "What does it say when you’re not ready, and the new employee is just sitting there with nothing to do on the first day?" Platz says. "It’s a terrible first impression, and the impact never goes away." At Sun, the onboarding process now starts as soon as new hires accept their job offers. They can log on to the company’s new-hire Web site, where they learn about Sun by playing one of two video games. "This started with the need to target college graduates who grew up with computers, and the missing generation we have from not hiring as much during the dot-com bust," Willyerd says. "We knew we wanted to engage them and capture their imagination." Sun also is using the new site as a recruiting tool, so most of it is open to the public. New hires can watch a welcome video from CEO Jonathan Schwartz and connect with other employees via social networks by posting profiles and having conversations. New hires fill out their W-4s, I-9s and other forms online and check off what they’ve completed on a task list. Their hiring managers can monitor the whole process to make sure everything is set for day one. Sun also wanted to make onboarding more "warm and fuzzy," says Brandon Carson, chief instructional designer for collaborative learning at Sun Learning Services, one of Sun’s core businesses. When Carson started at Sun a year ago, he didn’t meet his manager for three months, and after a short orientation, he felt like he was on his own. "We need to make sure our process is welcoming, high-touch and sets the stage for Sun as a place to have a career, not just another job," he says. New hires now receive notes thanking them for joining Sun with a packet of flower seeds attached, symbolizing growth at the company. All new employees get a backpack with the Sun logo, replacing the old employee gift—a thin Sun T-shirt, which usually faded after a few washings. The onboarding paperwork has been updated with hip, cooler colors. "Onboarding is about image too," Willyerd says. "Before, we weren’t sending a message that we were a high-tech company. Sun is a 25-year-old company. The perception is that it’s not as hip a place to be now. Now it’s Google or MySpace. Part of this is revamping our own image to be appealing to the marketplace." Sun’s attention to onboarding is not the norm, Platz says. "Most companies are doing the minimum. It starts and ends on day one with a quick orientation, filling out forms and watching a video," he says. Onboarding programs need to start the moment an offer is accepted. The weeks between accepting an offer and starting work are critical because some new hires are still interviewing at other companies and may jump ship. Onboarding should continue until the new employee is productive. For an accounts payable clerk that may mean two weeks; for a new salesperson selling a complicated product, it could be six months, Platz says. El Paso Corp., a Houston-based provider of natural gas and related energy products with almost 5,000 employees, is working on better follow-up with new hires. New employees attend an orientation the first day and then another session 30 days later. During the first week, they receive an e-mail with helpful links—everything from ordering business cards to joining the local credit union. The company also is seeing new hires become productive more quickly by using a Web-based onboarding solution from Taleo, a software vendor based in Dublin, California. Before El Paso’s onboarding program went digital in April 2007, new employees waited up to two weeks to get computers. "New employees were here, but they were just sitting around doing nothing because they didn’t have the tools to work," says LaToya Daily, a systems administrator. Now, most new hires have their workspace, computer and access to the network on the first day. In the past, paperwork took up to two weeks to complete; turnaround is now two to three days. More important than checking off items on a to-do list, onboarding is about creating employee loyalty from the outset, Platz says. "Onboarding needs to focus on continuing to sell the employee on the company," he says. Zimmerman Advertising, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company with 1,000 employees, uses onboarding to immerse new hires into the company’s culture, says Carmen Marston, vice president of human resources. "There’s a bigger picture of what onboarding can do for you," Marston says. "For us, it’s about new employees understanding the company, getting excited about the company and feeling engaged before their first day." Once new employees accept their offers, they log on to the new-hire Web site and learn about the company’s philosophy, clients and leadership. The company’s themes of "doing what it takes" and "never saying no" are repeated throughout the site. On their first day, new hires meet for an hour with CEO Jordan Zimmerman, who talks about how he built the company. Training also is a part of onboarding. New hires get a 30-, 60- and 90-day training checklist that must be completed and signed by their supervisors. Zimmerman is adding feedback surveys to the Web site as well. "I think that a lot of human resource professionals know the term onboarding, but I think where a lot of them fail is that they think of it only as a tactical solution to their issues of filling out forms and getting computers set up for new employees," Marston says. "They’re not looking at the bigger opportunity … to help new employees understand who you are as a company so they are prepared on the day they start to integrate into the company." http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/new_emphasis_on_first_impressi.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/new_emphasis_on_first_impressi.html Career Development Mon, 05 May 2008 10:00:56 +0800 By Larry Wang More articles at: www.wang-li.com During the course of interviewing candidates for a management-level role that they have yet to hold, many will tell us of their certainty in their ability to learn quickly and perform in the role. They’ll say things like, “I know I haven’t done it before, but if given the opportunity, I’m confident that I can do the job.” Or, they’ll point out that they are “a quick learner.” I’m sure that they believe what they’re saying to be absolutely true. But that kind of pitch just doesn’t sell well these days to multinational employers who are depending on a person to immediately and reliably step into a key role or responsibility in their organization. “When looking to promote someone into a management role, I need to see if a person has demonstrated in some way the skills that he or she will need at that next level,” reveals the former COO of a leading Internet portal in China. “In other words, they have shown to a reasonable extent that they have already done what they will be doing in their next job.” Actually, a few years ago, companies were much more willing to give employees the chance to prove themselves in new roles. This was when business operations were less mature and very aggressive in their approach to making hiring and staffing decisions. There was also a greater shortage of talent in the market for many job function and industry backgrounds. From a company perspective today, it is a tremendous risk handing over a key position of responsibility to someone who does not already have to a good degree the capabilities and qualities needed to handle the role. In China’s increasingly competitive business environment, it is a risk that companies are less and less willing to take. Management roles in a multinational company today are not the place for on-the-job training. We do see companies give chances, however, to those who already possess, perhaps to a 70-80% degree, the capabilities and qualities that performing in a new position requires. By recognizing the key skill sets that a future role entails, you can more effectively direct your efforts and use the present time to work on those key areas that are important for you to improve in. Why Many Don’t Attain The Roles That They Seek Actually, it is quite surprising the number of mainland professionals that we come across who do not apply even the most basic career planning principles to their professional development situation. The result of that is reflected in the difficulties that they have in attaining the level of career success that they feel they are qualified for. These are smart, hardworking mainland professionals with strong education and reputable company backgrounds. Although they are ambitious and have seemingly done the right things for their career, they have not managed to distinguish themselves through their professional achievements. In addition, they are unable to make a strong enough impression with a company’s top management and get passed over in hiring and promotion situations. Mainly, they fail to demonstrate enough of the capabilities and qualities that are critical for performing successfully in the higher-level positions that they seek. Why does this happen? First Generation Of Corporate Professionals In China To put it plainly, many of the mainland professionals that we meet just don’t have very good career sense. They do not take the time to identify those things that they should be doing right now that will help prepare them for the future roles that they are aiming for. Their failure to accurately assess both their current and future situation results in time wasted and opportunities missed to develop themselves in those most relevant areas needed for handling higher-level responsibilities. Mainland professionals are not entirely at fault for their career planning and development shortcomings. Although mainlanders have been working in multinational companies for over 25 years, China operations of the 1980s to mid-1990s were either of rep office size or on a much smaller scale than today. Most consisted of a few dozen staff or less, with a company of a few hundred people considered to be very large. In addition, these mainland operations were not nearly as connected to other international operations as they are today (does anyone recall the pre-Internet days), making corporate environments much less internationalized and mature than how they are now. Today, there are many multinationals in China that consist of several thousand employees located across the country. Their degree of interaction with other worldwide operations is also much greater. This is making those who are in their 20s and 30s today the first true generation of mainland professionals to work in a mature, global-caliber, corporate environment. Shortage of Career Advisory Resources In addition, although the quality of functional, industry, and general management training has gotten considerably better in China with substantially more MBA programs, internationally certified courses, and training resources available now, in the area of career guidance, the resources to capably address the development needs of mainland professionals are still severely lacking. There are still too few in this market with the experience and expertise to advise mainland professionals on how to deal with the career challenges that many face here. For instance, although the good intentions are there, sound career advice is not likely to come from your parents or others of their generation who have never worked in a multinational company before. In addition, human resources departments reveal to us how little career guidance most of their employees receive from their direct supervisors. Demanding schedules are a big reason for that, but many managers simply aren’t that knowledgeable and experienced in providing good career planning and development advice to subordinates. Career coaching is also a fairly new area for human resources professionals themselves whose expertise to date has revolved primarily around compensation, benefits, and HR administration issues for employees. The result of this shortage of quality career guidance resources is that many mainland professionals do not even have a complete picture of what a successful career looks like, let alone a good idea of what it takes to build one. Increasingly, companies in China are recognizing the importance of instilling within their staff a sound career planning and development approach. They are also working at improving the capability of their managers and the organization to advise staff on career issues. For the time being, however, it is really a coin toss as to the extent and quality of career guidance and advice that you might receive from your company, even if your top management is committed to providing that. This is why it is necessary to develop and possess your own sense and practical approach for your career planning and development. Seek Out From Others What Is Important For You To Know To do that better, you can start by just trying to understand in greater detail the responsibilities and requirements of the roles that you wish to hold someday. The easiest way to do that is to talk to those who are currently in those positions that are of interest to you at some point down the road. For instance, if doing your boss’ job someday is of interest to you, then invite him/her out for lunch or a drink to talk about what he/she needs to pay attention to most to be successful in it. Find out what capabilities and qualities are most important to have at his/her level, and what skill sets that someone at your level should start paying more attention to in order to perform in the role. By understanding and working on these areas right now, you’ll not only help prepare yourself for the type of opportunities that you wish to attain later on, but you’ll also make that day come sooner for yourself by showing a greater level of capability to others in those key areas. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/building_capabilities_today_no.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/05/building_capabilities_today_no.html Career Development Mon, 05 May 2008 09:48:14 +0800 Being Someone Who Enjoys His/Her Work Blog entry from Wang & Li Beijing Shanghai Branch Manager, Rita Dong Let’s face it, for most of us, work is one of most important parts of our life. It takes a third of our daily time, maybe even half if you are someone with big career objectives and ambitions. It influences our life style, mood, and future, and is often a topic when we ‘re with friends and talk about our boss, colleagues, company, promotion opportunities, etc. But in such conversations with others about work, how often do we use or even think about the word “enjoy”? I started working when I was 18 years old. For my first job, I spent one year with a famous international hotel-Holiday Inn. Next, I spent three years with multinational telecom equipment company-Ericsson. I also had one year of experience as an entrepreneur before I finally found the right way to utilize my strengths and develop my career track. Actually, the first key word that I identified with my work was when I worked as a hostess at Holiday Inn. That word was “passion.” Even though my job was not that fun, I had the passion to learn and improve myself, so I could still deliver very good results. After one year though, I left because there was no passion anymore. So I realized another key word, “challenge.” This was important to keep my work passion. I joined Ericsson as a receptionist to find a greater challenge and future for myself. Because I had the passion to look for new challenges, I prepared myself to take opportunities at anytime. From my efforts, I was soon promoted to executive assistant (EA) to a vice president. At that time, I was really proud of myself and gained confidence for further developing my career. Frankly speaking though, even until then, I have no real planning and deep thoughts for my career. After working as an EA for two years, I started thinking for the first time about my long-term career goals. When I went through this process, I identified several key things that I should first confirm. They were an: Ø Understanding of myself Ø Understanding of the market trends and career options/possibilities Ø Understanding of what am I really good at Ø Understanding of what I really enjoy doing The answers to these questions are what led me to join Wang & Li. This is when I can say that my real career started, one that I truly enjoy doing. That was four years ago. About my Wang & Li story, I’d like to share some of it in my upcoming blog entries. I hope you’ll be interest in hearing about it. For now though, I just want to say that what I have learned is, the thing that you really enjoy doing is the thing that you are much more likely to be more successful at. Like a great marriage, it’s all about finding the right fit! http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/being_someone_who_enjoys_hishe.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/being_someone_who_enjoys_hishe.html Career Development Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:38:18 +0800 Being Flexible And Realistic When Looking At New Opportunities More articles at: www.wang-li.com We had a case with a candidate last week who turned down a position with a client of ours just because the opportunity only were willing to give him a 10% salary increase. He liked both the role that they offered and the company making the offer. It's really a shame because the opportunity would have really upgraded this person's situation. As we told the candidate, increasingly, we see mainland candidates these days making career moves for little or no salary increase. Some even take a pay cut. Their reason is that they want to join a situation that they feel can significantly better their development situation and that will help them reach their future career and financial objectives. Rather than pursuing opportunistic, short-lived situations, these candidates seek out strong platforms that they can be a part of which will allow them to build broader skill sets, accumulate outstanding achievements, and demonstrate the ability to handle greater responsibilities. Essentially, these are platforms that will increase their ability to attain attractive opportunities and create greater value and upside for their long-term career prospects. Still, clearly, choosing a platform that may not bring immediate financial gains is a tough decision for anyone to justify. Most candidates that we work with expect at least a 10-15% jump in their base salary when looking at a new opportunity. Some tell us that they won’t consider a position unless it offers a 30-40% salary increase. We tell them, however, that receiving a salary increase when making a move is by no means a rule. In addition, having compensation expectations that are too inflexible and short-sighted can lead to missed opportunities that could greatly enhance your value and earning power. As an example, many of the most reputable companies, such as the GEs, Dells, and Coca-Colas of the world, tend not to be the market leaders in compensation, given their attractiveness as an employer. As a result, we see many candidates make moves to such companies for comparable or even less money because of the access to international-caliber resources and operating environments that they offer. Therefore, joining these companies can mean accepting a less than premium compensation situation. Having realistic compensation expectations also applies when considering more entrepreneurial opportunities as well. Mainly, start-ups and less established companies are typically more conservative on the base salaries that they offer their employees. On the other hand, they tend to be more generous on variable, performance-based incentives. Such opportunities are naturally higher risk, but also have higher growth and upside potential. Joining these younger organizations as part of their management team, in particular, offers excellent chances to standout, since achievements can be much more easily contributed to the individual, as opposed to the company. Of course, everyone wants to earn a good salary, or at least be paid well for what they do. And nobody actively seeks situations that offer little or less money than what they’re currently earning. But if making good money over the course of your career is a main objective of yours, then you need to have an overall approach to your career choices that emphasizes situations that can significantly increase your future earning power and marketability. By putting yourself onto strong platforms that can increase your skill sets, achievements, and value, you will be able to pursue better and greater opportunities for yourself against a maturing and increasingly competitive landscape. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/being_flexible_and_realistic_w.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/being_flexible_and_realistic_w.html Career Development Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:36:36 +0800 When Your Candidate Become Your Client More articles at: www.wang-li.com Blog Entry from Wang & Li Shanghai Consultant, Richard Zhou Last week, a candidate that I worked with previously called me and asked if I could search some candidates for his current company. Usually, when this happens, we consider this as a very positive indication of our candidates’ recognition of our professionalism and service capability to them. Actually, in fact, this particular candidate ended up not getting chosen for the opportunity that we introduced him to. Our European Fortune 500 client was looking for some entrepreneurial people to cultivate and commercialize their innovative technologies for the market. The candidate’s caliber was very good but his entrepreneurial experience was fairly short. After interviewing with the line manager, our client told us that he liked him but had concerns his entrepreneurship. To overcome the concern of our client, we advised the candidate to write an email to show his interest level and confidence to handle the position. The candidate wrote a very serious and detailed email to explain this. Unfortunately, even though our client was impressed by his email, they ended up selecting another candidate for the role. So although I can’t say this cooperation was ultimately successful, the candidate had a pretty good impression of our services, especially for our advice on the email. By writing it, he said that he was able to thoroughly review his past career which helped him to understand what he wanted at this stage of his career. Although he did not get the position, he still gained a lot from the experience. Today, he is running his own business which, judging from the senior levels and high packages of the positions he approached us for, looks like it is pretty solid at this stage. Many people consider recruiters to be sales people and think that we talk with candidates and clients every day just to close deals and generate revenue. But for our company, that’s not true. Mainly, we are willing to share our expertise on the job market and knowledge and experience on how to better capture good opportunities. We are also eager to learn from our clients and candidates. Even if we don’t close a case, we still feel good if our advice and consultancy are able to make a difference to others. At the end of the day, we pride ourselves on being consultants, and not head-hunters. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/when_your_candidate_become_you.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/when_your_candidate_become_you.html HR Industry News Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:35:14 +0800 More articles at: www.wang-li.com Developing Yourself As A Future Executive, Today Book Excerpt : The keys to Develop Yourself As A Future Executive, Today Part II: Standing Out For Higher-Level Opportunities: Chapter 3: Nothing Beats Excellence . . . I am often asked by mainland professionals for my thoughts on the value of getting an MBA, or if it is worth the time and investment to spend a few years abroad. Sure, an MBA is a good thing to have. So is the chance to study or work overseas. At the same time, they are far from being a must for your career success in China. The message that I try to convey is that you shouldn’t place an overemphasis on these credentials because they do not necessarily end up making the biggest difference towards your professional development and long-term career success. When it comes down to it, it is not what you know, but what you can demonstrate that counts. And in the final assessment, nothing has a greater impact on your ability to stand out and advance your career than performance excellence, especially when delivered in value-added areas that respond to the key challenges being faced by international companies in this market. Delivering Excellence In Everything You Do According to executives that I talk to, that commitment to doing things with excellence in mind needs to be stronger within many mainland professionals who are looking to advance themselves into higher-level roles. The shared opinion is that too many are satisfied with just completing the process when taking on a task, as opposed to placing an emphasis on the quality of the result that they should be delivering. So although they may finish a job on time, they do not address important questions such as, “Is the result that I’m delivering an excellent one?” Or, “What else could I do to attain a better outcome?” Graham Brant spent nine years with Microsoft based in Hong Kong and Beijing where he held roles as both the CEO of Microsoft Hong Kong and the Managing Director for Microsoft’s Asia Pacific Consulting Services. He is now based in Shanghai as the co-founder and CEO of Beyond Asia Capital Partners, a private equity group investing in Chinese companies expanding into international markets. Graham recalls an instance during a staff meeting while he was leading Microsoft’s consulting services practice in Beijing. “I happened to ask a business development manager on our team what his main objective was at the moment,” he describes. “His answer was, to set up as many client meetings as possible. My response to him was, “No, actually, your objective should be to set up as many quality client meetings as possible. “I needed to make the point clear to him and the rest of the team that I didn’t just want him to arrange meetings without some degree of critical thinking behind each one. Instead, he needed to be assessing the quality and priority of each potential client opportunity. There’s a big difference in how successful you’re going to be if one out of every two client meetings that you arrange can produce a result, as opposed to one out of every five. Whether you’re talking about performing as a business or as an individual, that’s the difference between being highly successful or being just average. For any company that I’ve ever come across, being average is never the objective.” The Concept Of Excellence Julie Zhou shares a similar view regarding the need for mainland professionals to raise their performance standards. “What limits the advancement of many into management roles is very basic. They do not deliver excellence in their job,” says Julie. “Too many confuse effort with quality of work, or they think that the work that they deliver is good enough. They tend to be task-oriented and are able to do their job competently, but not with the objective in mind of driving for an excellent result. A big part of the problem is that they are not very in touch with the concept of excellence, let alone what is required to consistently deliver it. I tell these staff that everything they do should impress those around them, whether it’s their colleagues, their boss, their senior management, or their clients. You don’t catch the attention of others just by being competent, or just by doing a good job. The way to greater opportunities begins by doing a great job. Once people have confidence in your ability to deliver outstanding work, then it becomes easier for them to trust you with greater roles and responsibilities.” Attention To Details “No matter what my role or who I am working for, I have always wanted to be viewed as a strong, reliable performer,” says a former director of operations for Oracle Software Systems in China, a role that covered the company’s sales and operations functions that involved over 400 staff. “That takes a commitment to being persistent and going deeper into details. I’ve always taken the approach that everything that leaves my hands that others will look at should be researched and reviewed. During my days as a young manager, I also took pride in being a role model in the company. That helped me to develop and maintain an awareness of not only the quality of everything I did, but also the way that I did them.” Graham Brant also emphasizes the importance of focusing on details. “You can blow your credibility or a result with the smallest thing. When it comes to quality and excellence, and therefore, success or failure in many cases, it’s often the last 5% that can make the difference,” he says. Graham remembers learning this the hard way. “Early in my career, I had a chance to help win a major project with a big, new client for the company,” as Graham tells it. “It was clear that our team had the best solution and price. It should have been a sure thing. In delivering the proposal, however, I accidentally printed out a copy that did not go through the spell-check. Unfortunately, that copy was the one that got sent to the CEO of our client. A week later, the proposal came back in the mail. There were no comments attached, only red marks identifying the spelling errors in the proposal. Needless to say, we lost the project. It wasn’t hard to understand why. If the proposal we delivered was so sloppy, then what could the client reasonably expect from us during the project delivery?” Do Others View Your Work As Excellent? To assess the level that you are performing at in your job, you should ask yourself questions like, “Does the work and the results that I deliver to others allow them to view me as someone who is excellent, or just good at what I do?” “Is my expertise outstanding, or just good enough to handle basic situations in my job?” “Am I holding the work that I produce to high standards or just doing what I need to do to get by?” And if you feel that you are excellent at your job, is that in a relative sense (e.g. compared with those in your department, within your company, etc.) or in an absolute sense (e.g. compared to others in comparable roles in the market)? Perhaps the most telling question that can put your current situation in perspective is, how easily could someone else come in and do your job, or even do it better than you, if given the chance? The answer to that has to do with the excellence that you bring to your role, whether that is exceptional efficiency, volume of work that you are able to handle, delivery of quality results, or the ability to find better ways of doing your job. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/standing_out_for_higherlevel_o.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/standing_out_for_higherlevel_o.html Career Development Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:38:27 +0800 More articles at: www.wang-li.com Developing Yourself As A Future Executive, Today Book Excerpt- Chapter 5: Essential Career Planning For Your Professional Development What Should You Be Doing Today For Your Success Tomorrow? In China today, you can find many smart, hardworking mainland professionals with strong education and reputable company backgrounds who have difficulty getting into the kinds of leading companies or attaining the levels of management success that they believe they are qualified for. Although they have seemingly done the right things for their career, they have not managed to distinguish themselves through their capabilities and achievements as a professional. As a result, they are unable to make a strong enough impression with top management and get passed over in hiring and promotion situations that really matter to them. In particular, they do not display those key capabilities and qualities that are critical for performing successfully in the positions they are seeking. To avoid a similar fate, it’s important to determine those things you should be doing today that will most help you develop yourself for those roles you are aiming to take on tomorrow. That begins with an understanding of those essential skills and capabilities that directly relate to performing successfully in the future roles you wish to occupy. Failing to clearly identify them can only result in opportunities missed to learn and practice in these key areas on your part. Whereas, a good understanding of those highly relevant capabilities and qualities allows you to start addressing those areas that are necessary for you to work on and improve. Having More Of What They Want When interviewing candidates for management roles they have yet to hold, many will try to express their certainty in their ability to learn and eventually perform in the role. They’ll say things like, “I know I haven’t done it before, but if given the opportunity, I’m confident I can do the job.” I’m sure that they believe what they say to be absolutely true. But such a pitch just doesn’t sell well to multinational employers these days. Actually, a few years ago, companies were much more open to giving chances for people to prove themselves. This was when businesses were less mature and when there was a greater shortage for particular experience in the talent market. From a company point of view today though, it’s a tremendous risk handing over a key position of responsibility to someone who has not already demonstrated to a significant degree the needed skills and qualities to handle the role. It’s a risk that companies are less and less willing to take. Management roles in a multinational company today are not the place for on-the-job-training. In addition, the critical soft skills needed to perform well in management roles, like communicating effectively, handling people and situations well, and thinking strategically are not developed overnight. Such skills require an ongoing process that takes time to happen. Companies often give chances, however, to those who already possess, to perhaps to a 70-80% level, the qualities and capabilities that performing in a new position requires. By having a good understanding of what skill sets a future role entails, you can make much better use of the present to develop those key capabilities that are required for the future opportunities you are targeting. "When looking to promote someone into a senior management role, I look for organization skills over functional skills," reveals Victor Koo, COO for Sohu.com. "I also need to see if they've already demonstrated in their current or previous roles the key skill sets that they will need to have to perform at the next level. In other words, there are strong indications that they’re already doing to a large degree what they will need to do in their next job.” The Necessity Of Career Planning And A Sound Career Development Approach For most of the mainland professionals I meet, career success is well within their situation and capabilities. Unfortunately, many lack a practical career development approach and plan of action that will get them to where they want to be. The overall result is frustration and disappointment in their ability to achieve the growth and success that they seek in their careers. For many, they need to look beyond just what is required to do well in their current position. "No matter what stage I was at, I've always thought about what I needed to be doing to make the next level of my career. I do that not only by setting goals for myself, but as importantly, by always trying to identify as clearly as possible how to reach those goals,” explains Judy Chen, head of human resources & training for Nestle China. “That way I can be active in identifying opportunities and roles that will allow me to develop the skills and capabilities that I need to reach my future objectives.” What You Should Be Doing And How To Do It C.K. Tsang, managing director of Westrac China, describes himself as someone who has always actively cultivated opportunities. Although he typically doesn’t tie himself to specific objectives, he does usually have half a thought as to what he wants to do next. He then determines what experience will help give or lead him to that type of future opportunity. “Lots of people try to figure out exactly what their next step is, but that doesn't really work for me,” he says. "I do have a good sense of my overall career direction. But with regards to my career planning and development, I take a fairly simple, straightforward approach. I just focus on two basic questions. Those are, "what are the things I need to learn?' And, "what are the best ways to learn them?'" The reality is that the things you should be doing for your career success are never going to be so clearly defined or all laid out for you. And there is no one recipe or just one career success model. But you should at least have an idea of your next move in your career and what it will realistically take to get there. In particularly, with regards to the future career objectives you may have in mind, you always need to be asking yourself and identifying what you could be doing in the time being. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/essential_career_planning_for.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/essential_career_planning_for.html Training Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:17:29 +0800 Who Is Responsible For Your Career Development And Success? More articles at: www.wang-li.com I recently delivered a career development workshop for a client that was launching a new, two-year leadership development program for 25 “rising stars” and high potential staff. Those selected for the program had to be nominated and then interviewed by top management from among over 150 applicants. The program was a significant investment and commitment by the company to develop its next generation of management leadership. During the morning of the kick-off event for the program, the general manager of the China organization came to address the participants with a few remarks. After offering his congratulations for being accepted into the program, his message to them was that they needed to understand clearly that their participation in the program was an excellent opportunity for their career development, but not a guarantee for their success in the company. What would determine that was the ongoing effort that they needed to put into applying the key concepts emphasized in the program to their day-to-day work. I have mentioned earlier the differing perspective between organizations and many of their staff regarding who is responsible for one's career development. While mainland professionals look heavily to the organization to provide opportunities for them to learn and grow, companies want their employees to be much more proactive in their approach to pursuing their own development and improvement. From what we see, companies today are definitely providing more and better training resources and development opportunities than ever before. This can be seen through the growing number of management training programs, hiring of organization and staff development specialists, and greater use of employee feedback and assessment tools. But beyond the training programs and development resources they can offer, companies want their mainland staff to take greater accountability for their own professional development by taking greater advantage of the situations and opportunities that are available to them in their daily work environment. You're In Charge Of Your Own Future In reflecting the thoughts of many of our multinational clients, one client pointed out how their staff rely too greatly on the company for providing training and development chances. “A good number of our staff place too much emphasis on what the company should give them,” says the company’s country manager. “They spend too much time thinking about what they’re not getting, without recognizing that opportunities to learn and improve are readily accessible to them through their daily job and interaction with others. At the same time, they are unwilling or afraid to take up new challenges, new responsibilities, or stretched assignments when the opportunity arises. They are also not as proactive as they need to be in observing and embracing best practices and in trying to perform them within their work.” "If you are getting career guidance and help from your company and your management, you definitely want to take advantage of those resources. But ultimately, you can’t rely on others to determine your career success for you,” says Scott Kronick. “Mainland professionals today need to recognize that they are in charge of their own futures. They need to recognize that they can not only make significant contributions within their organizations, but they can also make things happen for themselves. To do that though, you can’t just wait for things to happen. Especially in such a fast-improving talent market, every professional in China today needs to pay attention to their continuous self-development and self-improvement. Those who wait are going to find themselves falling behind the competition.” The Key Concept Of Self-Development Whenever I meet successful executives, I am always curious to know how they got to be where they are today. How is it that they were able to distinguish themselves among so many other capable peers? What are the things they have done in their career to stand out in the way they have? Were there decisions that they made or realizations that they came upon early on that made a difference in how they were able to pursue their career development and success? Many whom I have spoken with on this topic say that they were fortunate to be a part of nurturing company environments. Most can point to chances to have worked with and learn from excellent bosses. Some had MBAs. However, the outstanding characteristic among them is a strong self-development orientation and approach to their professional development. Rather than wasting their energy complaining about a situation or focusing on what isn’t available to them, they are able to get the most out of what is available to them. Whatever their work environment and surroundings, they have always taken a proactive approach to identifying and taking advantage of situations and opportunities that has given them the chance to improve. http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/who_is_responsible_for_your_ca.html http://www.meijob.com/corporate/blog/2008/04/who_is_responsible_for_your_ca.html Career Development Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:19:22 +0800