Morais, Rowena. "What Does It Take to Locate and Recruit the Best?" HR Matters Jan 2013: 33-37; http://www.hr-matters.info/ContentsJan2013.htm Rowena Morias talks to three HR leaders representing winners on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012 List – Zappos.com, Dreamworks Animation and Qualcomm. We discuss the recruiting landscape, the inherent challenges and enticing dream candidates who are not looking to move.

1. HR MATTERS
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PEOPLE LEADING BUSINESS
Issue 21 January 2013
PP 14525/06/2013(032679)
I
MY J
OB
LOCATING AND
RECRUITING THE BEST

2. January 2013
CONTENTS
Features
Workforce Trends
Special Feature - RECRUITING
11 Passing Along Wisdom When the
33 What Does It Take to Locate and
Younger Set Isn’t Interested?
Why we need to get techno-savvy souls to embrace the wisdom Recruit the Best?
that older co-workers can share. By Robert W Wendover. Rowena Morais talks to three winners from Fortune’s
100 Best Companies to Work For 2012 List about the
Organisational Change recruiting landscape and projections for 2013.
14 Leadership Development – It’s All in
33
the Mind! Talent Management
Effective leadership models and ideas cannot concentrate solely on 38 Millennials Reshaping the Workforce
behaviours – attitudes and emotions are also hugely important, Alison Kartina Abdul Latif talks to Isabella Chan about the ramifications
France asserts. of key findings from a PwC Malaysia survey on how our workforce
For us, the most significant factor is being reshaped by the preferences of a new generation of
Courage talent.
in attracting the right calibre of
talent is the beauty, consistency and 16 Courageous Leadership Skills : Backers or
Trends
dedication to the technical quality of Busters?
Sandra Ford Walston explains that one way in which a leader constructs 39 What’s in the Year Ahead?
each of our films. That’s what people Are we the calm in the maelstrom? Do we focus on small,
courage is by revealing vulnerability.
see and know.– Tim Norman impactful activities continuously? How should we approach our
Positive Psychology employees’ health and wellbeing and is this the year of focused
convergence? HR leaders tell Rowena Morais what they see
18 Keeping What We’ve Got!
39
ahead, for themselves and for HR.
Could it be that the reason we sometimes miss out on achieving desired
outcomes lies in the fact that we change too often and too soon? Sulynn Awards
Choong makes the case for repetition –not just repetition but incremental
development at each turn. 45 Malaysia’s 100 Leading Graduate
A key component in Employers for 2012
Leadership The inaugural Malaysia’s 100 Leading Graduate Employers
driving tomorrow’s
business success 20 Exemplary Leadership : Encouraging the Conference focused on attracting and retaining talent. The
Conference also recognised and rewarded the most popular
is the fact that the Heart graduate recruiters in the eyes of students and fresh graduates.
workforce ethos is Encouragement is absolutely essential to sustaining employees’ commitment Sector Winners and Finalists announced.
to organisations and outcomes, says Judith Brown, Ph.D.
changing.
– Adriana Botha Outsourcing
HR Practitioner
46 Latest Trends in HR Outsourcing in
26 Brand Building at Gamuda
Recent accolades prove that human capital and talent management are key the APAC Region
concerns for this leading infrastructure play, and instrumental to its long Key findings from an exploratory survey on human resource
26
term sustainability. By Peter Raj. outsourcing. By Mandy Sim.
Workforce Planning Governance
28 Building a Sustainable Talent Supply: 50 Improving Risk Competency Should
Every organisation The Drive to Strengthen Workforce Planning Be Top Priority for HR
should have a story Vijayam Nadarajah says that if corporations do not have sufficient
in Malaysia people at all levels of the organisation analysing business risks,
to tell. Without a story, With talent scarcity believed to increase over time, it is no wonder why then companies will not be apprised of risk status –risk priorities
there is no dream, to there has been growth in the RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) will either not be there or be high enough for a comprehensive
capture the imagination. sector. Doug Edmonds outlines the business benefits so associated. focus.
– Lai Tak Ming
People and Sustainability
29 Care-Connect-Co-Create : A Message
In This Issue
28
from 900 A.D.?
According to Jayantee M Saha, history proves that everything 09 News
we do whether as individuals, organisations or society is a
matter of choice and brings consequences, good or bad. 13 Featured Blog Dan Pink
While RPO is usually 23 Lit What the Most Successful People Do on the
Building Leaders Weekend and Making Ideas Happen
associated with reducing 31 Grow Your Brain
cost to hire, its positive If your brain is indeed the most important part
26 HR Practitioner Lai Tak Ming
impact on business of your body, what are you doing to ensure you 30 Diary
means that it should not understand how it works and how best it can
46 Q&A Latest Trends in HR Outsourcing in the APAC
be thought only as an be developed? Roshan Thiran is on a new
journey to discover the power of the brain Region
outsourcing solution in hard in leadership.
times. – Doug Edmonds
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RoWenA moRAIS talks to
three HR leaders representing
WHAT DOES IT TAKE winners on Fortune’s 100 Best
Companies to Work For 2012 List –
TO LOCATE AND Zappos.com, Dreamworks Animation
and Qualcomm. We discuss the
RECRuIT THE BEST? recruiting landscape, the inherent
challenges and enticing dream
candidates who are not looking to move.
What are your projections for 2013 in
terms of the recruiting landscape in
your industry?
Christa Foley : We are always hiring for our customer
loyalty team (our call centre). But we do get many
referrals from our employees, so there are many
candidates coming through at any one point. We are also
hiring for our merchandising and technology teams, for
example, software engineers.
Tim Norman : I see continued growth and a
more competitive recruiting landscape, especially
internationally. The established animation, visual effects
and game companies will continue to look for the top
technical and artistic talent across the globe while new
companies continue to sprout up in emerging markets
increasing competition for all studios. In the past, however,
talent had fewer options.
As the appetite for higher quality CG animation and VFX
increases, as the media consumer continues to understand
that CG animation can look rich and elegant, that there
is an art and deep technical craft to CG animation, local
studios across the globe continue to deliver top-tier product,
drawing talent away from the larger studios. I think all large
studios or established VFX shops will have to consider a
more global competitive market in 2013 and identify ways to
continue to excite and recruit the best. As it applies directly to
us, we are really excited about 2013 because of our new studio in
Shanghai, China that will allow us to focus on recruiting talent that
may not have been as accessible to us in the past. since some of the top mobile manufacturers are also located here,
it makes sense to bring engineering talent closer to our customer
William Chin : Consumer demand for smartphones, tablets and base. This in turn is driving the increase in hiring wireless engineering
other mobile devices are growing at an astronomical rate, this talent in Asia.
attributed to the continued adoption of devices embedded with
3G and next generation wireless technology. The Asia market has What is your most challenging issue when
become the worldwide leader in terms of market share for wireless locating and recruiting the best talent?
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Christa Foley : Technology is the toughest on innovation in San Francisco, all of our delays and timing issues that slow down,
people are right here in Las Vegas. We
board in the US. Our challenges are believe the team needs to stay together but boarding.
shortage of talent and our location. Las ultimately, we treat people as adults. People
Vegas, where we are headquartered, is have the choice whether to work from home we are going to face a myriad of yet
not currently considered the hotspot for when needed or leave early and we work undiscovered recruiting challenges, I
technology. However, we’ve undertaken on ensuring that people understand this and imagine--from complex and new labour
work to revitalise Downtown Las Vegas to the culture of our organisation during the laws to simple CV and resume style
change this. Our third challenge is related recruitment process. differences and everything in between. We
to the lack of awareness that we are a will have to change the way we think about
technology company. Whilst we are an Tim Norman : Recruiting the best technical recruiting professionally and culturally
online retailer, we place a huge emphasis while maintaining the basic and successful
on technology – so, there is more to us than People assume we are just an animation principles, art and science of recruiting. It’s
working on a pricing engine. company, a company that makes movies, an exciting problem that we are all very
How do we deal with these challenges? The and only hire artists and production talent. much looking forward to attacking.
talent shortage is addressed by employing Of course we do, but we are a technology
a degree of creativity in our recruiting William Chin : Identifying and hiring top-
strategies. We do consider candidates and recruiting top technical and overhead calibre talent is central to our recruiting
who may not be looking to move or who culture. Hiring the best will ultimately
animators that have seen every one of our have an impact on our ability to continue
certain amount of direct sourcing. We’re movies and have wanted to animate since delivering next generation wireless
also pretty active in social media, for watching Shrek, we have to source and technology innovation to the market. There
example, tweetups (like meetups). We’ve recruit software engineers that don’t realise are several themes Qualcomm strives for
launched a college recruitment programme, that DreamWorks Animation has to build the when selecting candidates:
software that our animators use; or that we Customer Astuteness – we look not just for
we can source and attract people early. are a super-computing facility that needs talent who possess strong core engineering
More recently, we’ve launched a training excellent systems engineers to design, skills but are astute with customer and
programme where people are paid to come architect and support our rendering systems market needs.
in and get training on coding, for example. infrastructure exceeding 20,000 cores and Technology Savvy - Most of those who
While it is still in beta mode, the results are multi-petabyte storage footprint. Getting
positive – we’ve hired up to 40 percent of that technical message out and branding HR are not trained as engineers. However,
those in these programmes. ourselves as a technology company is we strive to select those who “tinker” with
The location issue is addressed by paramount to successfully recruiting wireless gadgets and who are tech savvy.
spending time and effort on promoting technical talent that already knows and Cross-cultural Leadership - In leadership
and emphasising family and culture in the leans toward the technical prowess of a roles, we look for individuals with a proven
city, which candidates may not be entirely Google or a Microsoft. track record of building and leading strong
We hire the best and sometimes that engineering organisations.
best for us is getting the candidates to come means recruiting internationally. One of
physically to this city and then giving them our biggest challenges when we identify In the recruitment process, how
a top artist or technologist from a foreign do you ensure an alignment
experience is immersive and the conversion country is navigating the immigration and
between the organisation’s
rate is good. Visa laws process. While we are successful
in obtaining Visas, there are sometimes
corporate culture and the
Whilst we are an online retailer, we place a huge
emphasis on technology – so, there is more to us than
working on a pricing engine – Christa Foley.
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There is consistent and challenging work always. The
different production philosophy, artistic and technical
challenges, different directors and production executives
know they will be challenged with diverse responsibilities
at each turn – Tim Norman.
expectations you’re created services such as free breakfast and lunch
to position the company to for all employees, artistic development and it doesn’t work on one level, then we don’t
exercise classes, movie screenings and an hire. Is this too subjective? Well, we look to
prospective candidates?
onsite medical clinic, to name a few.
Christa Foley : Our core values are
In my opinion, one of our corporate cultural ask a lot of behavioural questions. There’s
part of every aspect of the business so
strengths is that we immediately challenge also a failsafe catch - if someone is able
we make sure it’s up front during the
almost every hire we make to achieve. I let to get through the interview, the resulting
recruitment process. We treat candidates
candidates know throughout the recruitment four week new hire training programme will
like customers: everyone is contacted and
process that we will have high expectations
replied to. We emphasise our casual and
right away, that they will be challenged quickly.
quickly, that our corporate culture supports
application forms where we inject humour in
excellence but also supplies the freedom Tim Norman : Number one has to be the
between all the legal jargon. In this way, the
to achieve that excellence. That message beauty, consistency and the dedication to
culture is infused at each touchpoint. Every
seems to really inspire. the technical quality of each and every one
candidate gets a tour and themed interview
rooms (a replica of Cher’s dressing room,
William Chin : Part of our formula for know and is the most important aspect of
for example) help to avoid the interrogation
success is getting the sharpest, most our recruitment process as I see it. Artists,
feel. This gives the candidates a clear sense
forward-thinking minds working together. technologists and production professionals
But here’s the unique factor that puts
Qualcomm over the top: we love what we understand that we expect and support the
Tim Norman : Mostly, it’s pretty simple. The
do. It is an exhilarating experience working highest level of work from all.
DreamWorks corporate culture is one of the
with the highest calibre colleagues sharing A close second is that we release three
best around and is well known by artistic
knowledge, and exchanging ideas with movies a year and have more than ten
and production talent in the industry. You
one another. Our employees are the best in production at any one time. There is
grow up knowing about all the companies
ambassadors of the Qualcomm culture and consistent and challenging work always.
and studios out there doing what you want
they spread this throughout the industry The different production philosophy,
to do and you know people that work at
through their conversations with family, artistic and technical challenges, different
each studio, you visit them as well. So when
friends, colleagues and industry partners. directors and production executives and
recruiting artistic or production talent, simply
reinforcing what most know about the
What aspect of your recruitment employees know they will be challenged
culture is easy to do because it is genuine
with diverse responsibilities at each turn.
and real. process do you believe to be
Innovation needs to be included in this
For technologists or overhead candidates
as well. DreamWorks Animation was
that may not have an idea about our attracting the right calibre of instrumental in bringing 3D Stereo
corporate culture, initial visits and campus
talent on board? technology to animated and live action
tours usually impress so that they instantly
Christa Foley : It’s the onsite interview. We
feel our culture. However, we do continue
won’t hire until the candidates come in and to innovate by building new Lighting and
to highlight the culture throughout the
understand what the culture is like… which
recruitment process by giving candidates
also gives us a chance to see whether they
insight into our work-life balance philosophy,
which includes a number of perks and RECRUITING THE BEST
to experience a day in the life. But since
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[continued from page 35]
our ability to attract top talent is through
employee referrals. Employees who love
production while improving the quality of what they do naturally look for others with
know they will innovate. similar passion – William Chin.
I understand that the above are not
build and enhance their own rendering or Sometimes it may take a year or two to
only that we recruit candidates that animation software, especially software that entice a candidate to join the company
make the above possible. During the is immediately implemented and utilised - this obviously is a long-term strategy.
recruitment process, we highlight these right down the hall by a world class artist. Social media platforms have been a great
points literally by discussing them but It’s the same for a story artist, animator or aid in helping develop and sustain these
also by demonstrating them with engaged other artist. We have had talent come to relationships.
and respectful communication support
throughout recruitment. like Kung Fu Panda or How to Train Your Tim Norman is Director of Overhead and
Dragon. Technology Recruiting at Dreamworks
William Chin : I think Oriental DreamWorks will provide Animation. He has been there for just over
factors of our ability to attract top talent is a new and added enticement in 2013 and
through employee referrals. Employees beyond. We are going to build a world class Recruiting for Prosum Technology Services.
who love what they do naturally look for animation studio—much from scratch—and Tim has also held director level positions in
others with similar passion. Over 30 percent artists and technologists are likely to be
excited about the new adventure and the companies.
through referrals. challenge.
Christa Foley joined Zappos.com,
How do you entice your dream attractive as well. We are able to attract Inc. in 2004 and is currently the Senior
candidates if they are not candidates because they appreciate our Human Resources Manager. She leads
currently looking to move? real commitment to our employees in the the Recruiting team within HR as well as
Christa Foley : A combination of things. way of our many perks and amenities. internal and external training via ZapposU.
We pay competitively and have an amazing There is a strong family culture here. She scours the planet for people that are
One more powerful tool for helping “fun and a little weird” and works to provide
undecided talent to commit is the dedication employees with a culture where they come
We also work on converting people to make and availability of our CEO, Jeffrey
the leap from general interest to coming out Katzenberg, to be part of the recruitment
process. Anytime recruiting needs his help,
challenge we started, winners get a fast Jeffrey will call a prospective candidate to William Chin, having over 15 years of
ticket to interview at the company. Some of discuss DreamWorks Animation and answer Human Resource recruiting experience, is
these interested candidates were working questions – it doesn’t matter how junior or
on their own startup at the time (therefore, senior the talent is. I don’t know how many Here, William is chartered with building up
not looking) but we convinced them to come CEOs in the world make that commitment.
out and that we would learn from them. as the company expands in the region.
William Chin : Talented individuals are William was a long-time recruiting veteran
really works to give them an experience that always highly regarded and engaged in of Intel and led the start-up recruitment
words, by themselves, cannot convey. efforts for the $1 billion manufacturing
looking for the next move but already have facility in Vietnam. A frequent speaker
Tim Norman : Usually, by giving them a clear designated career path. We make at HR conferences, William also writes
work on something they haven’t worked on it a practice to involve our hiring managers occasionally at Asia HR Blog. William
before or something new and revolutionary. and executives in building relationships with holds a BA in East Asia Studies, an MA
For a software engineer who longs to work prospective candidates. They may meet for
with computer graphics software, there are a casual coffee to exchange ideas or follow Resource Management.
not too many companies in the world that up periodically for career opportunities.
HR Matters January 2013 ¦ 37