Jobsmart - Your Talent Sourcing Partner

Hi readers, this is an advertisement for Jobsmart Malaysia. Check out the benefits for Employers/Hiring Managers below.

At Jobsmart we understand the need for tailored recruitment methodologies and employment solutions to meet the individual needs of Employer-client’s business. Our specialization is in placement services for executive full time positions to blue-chip multinational corporations, public listed companies, SMIs and SMEs.

Suitable candidates, possessing the appropriate technical, cultural and professional qualities will be recommended according to the individual job specifications. Candidates are sourced through Jobsmart’s database, and a combination of social networking and commercial advertising.

How can we help?

Costs saving

Employers-Clients may spend thousands of ringgit on job advertising in print media or online job portals but they may not guarantee success. Jobsmart only charge upon successful hire and besides, we provide replacement for candidates that resigned or found unsuitable during the guarantee period.

Time saving

We save Employers-Clients’ time by recommending candidates that had been prescreened by our experienced Talent Search Consultants. We put great emphasis on quality and only recommend candidates that meet the criteria of Employers-Clients.

Experienced Talent Search Consultants

Our Consultants are well-trained and experienced. They are mature and possess years of experience in the recruitment industry before they are assigned to service any Employer-Client account. Besides knowing the necessary interview techniques, they are able to analyze objectively personality and other tests given to candidates, thus provide the right professional and cultural fit.

Personal approach

As part of our commitment to quality, our Consultants communicate with our Employers-Clients regularly to ensure we understand the requirements well.

It is our vision to be a trusted talent sourcing partner to our Employers-Clients and our mission is to provide personalised service, accurate and timely talent match to them.

Besides priding ourselves as a talent search consultancy, Jobsmart via this website also provides a place whereby freelancers can take the opportunity to advertise their services free of charge. Employers-Clients can contact them directly, a service that is commission-free.

For further enquiry, you are welcome to email us at recruit@jobsmart.com.my. Thank you.

Tips On Working With Headhunters Or Recruiters

Today, it’s common for job seekers to apply jobs advertised by a recruitment agency or get a call from a Headhunter on a job opportunity. With the exception of some, most employment agencies or Headhunters in Malaysia do not impose a job search fee on candidates. Therefore, they do not owe the candidates the obligation of finding them a job.

But, that doesn’t mean you should not consider them as partners in your job hunting. In fact, if you are a job seeker now, you should seriously consider working with a few Headhunters. There is no guarantee of a better job but the chances are increased tremendously. Bear in mind, some jobs are only accessible by Headhunters. And besides, a good word put by a trusted Headhunter to their client carries much more weight as compared to if you applied the job on your own.

So work with your Headhunters and follow these tips:-  

1. Be open

Be honest as much as possible about your experiences, achievements, preferences and any other information that are essential in your job search. And when asked about the current or expected salary, be willing to share truthfully. I sometimes scratch my head on why some candidates are so secretive about it. Most assignments given to the Headhunters include the salary range/budget and it’s important to know whether there is a match or not. So if you decided to hold back this piece of information, you are not helping yourself.

And you should not be hiding some information from the headhunter when you are more than willing to spill it during the interview with the employer. Feedback from the employer after the interview adds as important information to the Headhunters for your next job opportunity. You must realize that your relationship with your Headhunter does not end with one job interview or for that matter, one successful offer.

2. Express your strengths and expertise accurately

One candidate remarked, “you are the Headhunter and had viewed my resume, won’t you be able to tell me my strengths?” Now hold on a second, if this is what you think a Headhunter should be doing, you are dead wrong. It is not a Headhunter’s role to tell you what you’re good at. You are supposed to tell them that. In other words, you should have a pretty good idea of what you are good at and be able to express it well to the Headhunters. The Headhunter is interested to know whether there is a match of your strengths with the criteria of the job. So help the Headhunter to help you.

3. Be nice, show you have good manners

Well, probably it’s the Headhunter’s responsibility to do what he/she is doing since he/she gets a good commission out of a successful hire anyway. But seriously, showing some good old manners should not be too much to ask. Remember, this little things count. Actions like a simple thank you say something about your attitude and who wouldn’t like to deal with a polite and grateful person.

On the other hand, please do not bombard your Headhunter with emails and smses requesting update on the latest jobs or status every other day until it becomes annoying. You might be desperate but be careful, you are sending a message that you are easily anxious, signs of an insecure person.  

4. Be flexible

This is related to compensation. It’s difficult to work with candidates that are rigid with their package. And don’t blame the Headhunter if you don’t hear from them after that.

Good luck!  :)

Check out the available Jobs in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and around Klang Valley

Job Site Versus Employment Agency

For a job seeker, use both. You should not limit yourself to only one channel. In fact, you should try all relevant channels - apply direct, through your connections, job fairs and etc.

But as an employer, which is better?

Well, as a former HR Manager and now owning a job site as well as a recruitment agency, I’ll say it depends. The nature of the vacancy, budget and time are three main factors you should be concerned with. If I were a HR Manager again, I’ll use both because the main objective is to get the best talent. So, why should I restrict myself to a certain source or method of hiring?

Let’s look at some pertinent differences and find out the benefits and disadvantages of both methods.

Job sites or online job portals usually offer a job posting or resume access package or a combination of both. You post/repost a job. If you are lucky, you get a system that does pre-screening for you. You can either login or get your applications via email. You check through the applications, short list the ones you think are suitable and interview them accordingly. It’s DIY all the way although some sites offer help in posting the jobs on behalf of employers.

Job Site’s benefits:
• Cheap
• Get direct candidates
• Able to promote company’s brand to a large audience

Disadvantage:
• Time consuming going through all the applications
• No guarantee period offered

An employment or recruitment agency usually assigns a Consultant to take charge of your account. You provide all the necessary details such as job description and requirements, and even some information that may appear sensitive to be put inside a job advertisement. The Consultant work on the job by checking out their database, post the jobs online and whatever means they can find. The goal is short list candidates that meet the criteria of the job. Candidates will be interviewed or assessed accordingly (e.g. personality assessment or test) before they are forwarded to their clients/employers. In other words, taking over the “leg” work of a Human Resource Practitioner of a company.

Employment Agency’s benefits:
• Save time
• Pay only upon successful hire
• Guarantee period offered – free replacement if found not suitable or candidate resigned within a stipulated period

Disadvantage:
• More expensive than using a job site
• Service given not up to par

As you can see, both have their benefits and disadvantages. My advice is to use both but having said that, some common or general positions are best advertised on job sites as it’s cost effective.

Offering Me A Lower Salary And Expect Me To Say YES?

Recently, I worked on a Business Development Manager position for a new client/employer. I was advised that the post is a full-time/permanent basis.

During the interview, it was a different story altogether.

The position is on a 6-month contract and will only be converted to permanent basis if performance is satisfactory (I wonder what happened to probationary period?). Not only that. Since it’s a contract job, the “employee” will not be entitled to EPF and SOCSO.

So, there is a variation of terms between what was told and what the actual is. Candidate is upset. I’m obviously not very happy with the client for not being honest. In my mind, “blacklist” this employer.

Two weeks passed.

A phone call.

Hey, your candidate got the job!

Oh, really!

But this is the deal. We can’t offer her at what she’s asking. She will be given this $$ and the rest, she just need to work hard to earn the commission to make up for it.

The offer figure was 30% lower than what the candidate is currently earning.

Thank you ...but no thanks.

I wanted to laugh so much…ya know, the kind that is not happy but cynical and disgusted laugh.

Seriously… why employers do such a thing? There are a number of things that employers annoy job seekers and this is definitely one of the worst.

Want to know what else upset job seekers? Click here to read and see whether it rings any truth or not.