Friday, June 11, 2010

Poaching: Policing the Police?

The article "NASSCOM seeks to plug loopholes in hiring norms" is perhaps a reflection that the downturn in India is over, and that officially hiring is back in fashion :-)!!


It is interesting to see the debate between the corporates and the recruiters -on the methods -and the practices in spotting and enticing the flight of top talent!! It is any body's guess who will prevail in this blame game...


One would have thought that the past 18 months would have provided a breather to most organisations to get their act together, and the road map ahead. From 'hiring tresspassers', and building benches, one would have expected the strategists to think beyond the low lying fruit, right? Aren't the means just as important as the ends?


To me, it seems most of us are in the 'Pre-liberalisation' era-recall the famous Bombay Club seeking level playing grounds in Indian industry? Isn't it time for us to realise the market dynamics drive the survival of the fittest?



Isn't it time to realise-in the present age, the knowledge /intellect economy, the employer no longer calls all the shots? Today's professional is keen on adding value to him/herself and to his/her profession and would be engaged with any employer who creates the best platform. Time to question age old belief of the 'cooling period' ? Where would the person use his/her skills if not in the same domain?



Does a corporate expect people to have sudden bursts of amnesia? Weren't most corporates opportunist enough to
shake off 'bad apples' at the first sight of downturn? Or defer salary hikes and promotions when the 'going was bad'? Time for quid pro quo?


Isn't it time for soul searching and see why people leave organisations..instead of trying to put up fences and try to pinpoint blame on outsiders? Surely there would be tell tale signs before the extra marital affairs happen, right?



And since separations are inevitable, may be it is time to reflect on the policies of the hiring company? Are you enticing the job seeker to join -without serving the notice period? Are you insisting on the relieving letter from the previous employer? Is it ethical to bait aspirants with a joining bonus?


Did we hear some where-'"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you' :)!


PS-Btw..here are
some of the openings we are presently working on!! You are welcome to visit http://careers.optionsindia.com for more details!

Saturday, June 05, 2010

Anticipating the revival!

It is over a month since I updated my a blog!

(Must admit, twice I attempted to write posts..but didn't get to complete them. Now that they are no longer contemporary -I decided to change them with a couple of fillers-on the importance of knowing where to source from, and the mechanics of doing so!)

A lot has been written in the media that hiring has picked up-across industry . Yes, there is lot more activity-and here are my observations on the Indian scene:

-a lot of companies have strengthened their internal hiring teams-who are backfilling jobs -without the help of external help. And while this helps in keeping costs low, there are a lot of 'difficult-to-fill' roles that get piled up with time.

-in the past 18 months, most companies have grown lean-or rather flatter-with a lot of 'man management roles' being chopped off-with retention of those in the junior 'execution' roles.

-the due diligence this time around -is lot more, as companies are consciously raising the bar of the changing skill sets that would be required-and so are hoping to acquire 'specialists' from the market!

-most employees are itching for a huge hike in this year's increments-which could make amends after a low/zero annual increment in YE 2009. The challenge is to set expectations realistically !!

Pardon me for being repetitive-the thickness of the job supplements in most dailies & periodicals are still the best indicators for the 'genuine demand' of talent-as they are paid advertisements!! We haven't seen 8-12 pages supplements as yet!!

Globally, things are lot more resigned. With the looming crisis of Europe, and rumours about China not being as hunky dorey as expected, India is perhaps a better place to be in now.

For an expert view, I would like to paraphrase what my associate Rick Corey, NPA Chairperson feels are the things at play:

• Clients have a perception that there is a glut of candidates available, so they don’t have to jump at the first decent ones they see.

• When they do want to set up a phone or on-site interview, it takes longer to coordinate the calendars of people involved because most companies are working with fewer employees, calendars are maxed out, and Hiring Managers are traveling more. It can take weeks for an interview to occur; in the meantime the strongest candidate has two other interviews going.

• For the past year or so, clients have been getting “cold calls” from 3rd-rate recruiters offering ridiculously low rates to get the business. The clients try to get us to meet that rate. When we won’t go that low, they go silent and string us proven-performers along while they wait to see what the bottom-feeders can produce.


And yes, we at Team Options, have been trying to, to use a cricketing term 'padding up', for the action ahead.

Further to the post earlier this year, we have taken some small steps in the social media scene. Please visit our revamped website- surf around and let us know your first impressions.
Options Executive Search Pvt Ltd New Logo

I also take the opportunity to unveil our new logo. We are keen to make a difference to the different stakeholders of the hiring ecosystem- the Corporates who hire, the Candidates who are seeking their calling, and the Collaborators -our associate recruiters across the world.

Please visit http://careers.optionsindia.com/ to get to know the latest jobs that we are presently working for. A new job engine has been integrated to help an aspirant apply for a specific job -as well as register to be notified about future opportunities. Yes, we have a feature where you can even refer a job to your pal!!

We have also embarked on sending newsletters to those who wish to keep themselves updated about the latest trends in the industry-leadership, HRD, & while keeping in sync with the major news in some sectors.

May I seek a favour? Please send your comments/feedback to [email protected] so that we can improve!!