The procurement director of one of the world’s leading chemical and pharmaceutical firms was evaluating her company’s HR department and reviewing the recruiting agents it employed. She consulted Morunda and asked about the characteristics of an excellent HR recruiting team. She wanted her company’s HR recruiting team to improve and attract more talented candidates.
With such a high demand for bilingual talent in Japan and with a limited supply of candidates, top professionals can pick and choose. Keeping the current market conditions in mind as we brainstormed, I started to think about the scores of companies Morunda has worked with in the past. What was nature of their HR recruiting departments? How did they behave? What were the company conditions in terms of pipeline and growth?
We were able to categorize companies into three categories: High Maintenance; Solid, Slow, and Steady, and High Performance.
The High-Maintenance operations often involved an emotional HR director or manager. Job specifications could change quickly, and positions were put on hold or frozen, or an internal employee was rushed into the position. It appeared that recruitment decisions were made on the fly with no succession planning. These companies often had trouble attracting talent, and when offers were made, they were often turned down because of the slow processing and inconsistent communication with candidates.
The Solid, Slow, and Steady group’s motto is the tortoise wins the race for talent. These departments take time making decisions, and sometimes the process is slow. Often they have a low turnover and believe the right candidate will wait for them. At times, they can be arrogant, which costs them candidates.
The High Performance group are our favorite companies. They mean what they say and say what they mean. They often have a strong pipeline of products and strong leadership. High performers are a jewel in the crown for a recruiting company. These dynamic organizations move quickly and have sustainable growth. They understand that there is a race for talent and do not dillydally in the interviewing process. Decisions are made quickly, and letters are sent off in a timely manner with a deadline.
The following summary highlights the nature of the three company types:
- High Maintenance
- Characterized by lots of rules and regulations, high emotion, all candidates have something wrong with them, and job specifications continually changing. HR focuses on rules and regulation rather than results. The line managers appear to have unrealistic expectations. Turnover is high.
- Gets excited quickly. They want to see a stack of candidates, and then circumstances suddenly change, and they hire internally. HR is often the last to know.
- Solid, Slow, and Steady
- HR is a key player in the growth of the company, has good connections with line managers, and decisions can take time but once made, they are solid.
- Think: “We are the best candidates can get so they’ll will wait.”
- Low turnover and solid growth are characteristic of this group, and they likely have a long history in Japan.
- High Performers
- Characterized as fast moving with strong growth. Line managers are accessible and make quick, solid decisions. HR is an integral part of developing top performers.
- HR is given a lot of credit for hiring top talent.
- Execution of interviews and offer letters are done in a timely fashion.
- Strong growth is the norm, and these companies can be new or established in Japan.
