Global recruiting
by Angelena Wang

In The Magnificent Seven, Yul Brenner's character is offered a job by some poor Mexican farmers who are having a little problem with bandits, and can only offer a few hundred dollars for protection. Brenner and a friend decide to help them, but with the locals quaking in their boots, they realize they'll need to go elsewhere to enlist more help. Outside of town, they find some down-and-out gunslingers who are experts at what they do, but haven't been able to find any good-paying jobs in their own neighborhoods. High noon came, and they were ready -- with a little help from global recruiting.

With a little help from a friendly paradigm shift in the recruitment industry, your company could become well equipped and ready for the showdown as well -- western, corporate, or other. Whether it's called Internet recruiting, online recruiting or e-recruiting, the communication technology which links people, businesses, and the world today is certain to be the platform for the next generation of global recruiters. In this technically-proficient generation, the Internet is rapidly emerging as a catalyst of change in the methods of recruitment for employers and the way we search for jobs today. How can old-style executive search firms compete with sites such as Monster.Com, CareerMosaic.com, DaiJob.com, and others, that cut searching and hiring times in half? Internet technology and its application in the recruiting industry have important ramifications not only for executive recruiters and employers, but also for you and me -- as active or passive job seekers.

The fastest gunslinger on the Net
One may ask just what kind of people would post their resumes on the Web, and how long has this information been sitting online? Not only are resumes in most Web databases current, but some are from high-powered executives -- MBAs, lawyers, bankers, and executive managers (except for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies -- whose career summaries have already been made public). With the current challenging economic times and transformations in the economy as a driving force changing the supply and demand for these people, they are high on many companies' Most Wanted List.

In the past, when jobs were cut back and job opportunities reduced, senior managers could rely on outplacement consultants to learn how to take charge of their careers. Now, the Internet has provided a timely forum for these successful executives and young professionals to float personal profiles, making them accessible -- yet confidential -- to many potential employers and active recruiters. It doesn't matter if the job opportunities lie within other sectors of the same company; overall, corporate loyalty has diminished -- even in Japan, where lifetime employment was once the credo of the trail.

Also, due to the rise of a technology-driven service economy and a demographically-based shortage of talent, Internet recruiters have been able to speed up the process of matching talent to the task in the quickest and most cost-effective way for all levels. In Asia and Japan, particularly, Internet recruiting is showing relative success in middle management, with demonstrated results in the staffing of technical positions. Boasting a database of more than 2.5 million resumes, sites like Monster.com give employers an edge in their hiring process.

Improving your aim
These virtual career center websites allow companies to list both domestics and overseas job openings online, and electronically search for the ideal candidates, all at the same time, since most job applicants list keywords which describe their skills and interests. Not only can companies proactively search resume database sites for candidates, but they can also automatically receive e-mail notification of new candidates who match their profile of the perfect candidate. These updates are done on a daily basis, making obvious to employers the benefits of online recruiting. It's faster, more efficient, and easier. Research has shown that Internet recruiting cycle times average out to four weeks, including one week for identifying and shortlisting candidates, two weeks for interviewing and assessment by both executive recruiters and the employer, and one week for closing and offering. Hence, the Internet recruiting cycle time has cut the traditional cycle time of almost three months to a mere 30 days!

These and other technological innovations are making a significant impact on recruitment efforts by putting pressure on the traditional search firm (which, for a long time, has been successful without technology) operating on fee arrangements, redefining the search process, and managing the changing expectations of the clients.

The wild, wild Web
The Internet's ability to break down geographic boundaries at the click of a mouse is also changing the way job seekers search for opportunities. Posting your resume on the Web means that it can be accessed globally and you no longer know specifically who your readers are. How, then, does one write a resume that will carry a universal message of your skills, attributes and interests?

Firstly, know the trends. Other than listing the functional and technical skills required for the position, virtual recruiters are moving gradually towards performing personality assessments over the Net in order to gain an insight into whether or not you're the right fit for the position and for the company. Thus, it is not only necessary for your digital resume to indicate your functional capabilities, but to also give potential employers a feel for who you are.

Secondly, know yourself. Know your core competencies. Before you type away on the keyboard to enter your employment history on an online resume template, take a few minutes to identify your strengths and weaknesses, preferences, personal style, and list examples of your achievements to support your skills and competencies. Little do we know that our cognitive preferences shape our work style, leadership style, and even communication patterns -- both written and spoken.

Monster.com is a good place to start. There, you will be able to search for job opportunities, build and store your online resume, personalize your job searches, track the number of times your resume has been viewed by employers, enlist a personal electronic job search agent to look for opportunities that match your criteria and even enlist the service of an online one-to-one career expert. Take the career counseling tests available online, and you can begin to learn how to change your attributes and behavior in order to achieve your ultimate career goals. At the same time, you can also learn how to compensate for your gaps.

Don't let your resume become mere tumbleweed
More than 45% of the jobs posted on most online career centers are technology-related opportunities from both IT and telecommunication companies. While technical skills remain the key selection criteria, employers are also looking for some critical soft skills and competencies. Some of the important and key qualifications which today's employers are seeking for mid-level management hires across disciplines are:

• That you have demonstrated in your resume that you are able to get work done by using your skills and your ability to solve problems through others, with others, or independently.
• That not only are you successful in your technical field and possess sound tactical knowledge of your business, but you are also well-trusted and perceived as having vision.
• That you can build, motivate and inspire individuals and teams to get the work done, execute the objectives, and deliver results.
• That you have a strong sense of personal development, which allows you to continuously learn all tasks and improve on your gaps.

The requirements above are not by any means exhaustive nor necessary in all positions. It is not enough to be technically proficient; you need to be cognitive, affective, and aware of the opportunities laid out before you.

High Noon
With the HR and the search industry in a state of flux, traditional methods of staffing no longer apply. To stay one step ahead of the curve, both individual business and the entire industry will have to open their doors to new possibilities -- like combining online and traditional methods. Talent travels. The opportunities presented by online recruiting sites mean that you, as potential employees or employers, must search far and wide in the least amount of time for that perfect position or the right person to fill an opening.

Working with firms that meld traditional and new search techniques is the paradigm, and this shift is creating a wealth of possibilities. Welcomes to the virtual recruiting corral. Is your company ready for the showdown?

Angelena Wang is Representative and Senior Recruiter specializing in telecommunications at Morgan & Banks - Japan Branch. Angelena can be contacted at: a.wang@morganbanks.co.jp

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