Insight Articles

Effectively Motivating Channel Partners

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:12:28 +0800

In industries ranging from software to automobile, most companies selling into Asia have to rely on a comprehensive network of partners and distributors to achieve effective penetration into this vast & diverse continent.

The Markings of a Good Manager

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:16:26 +0800

In my 20 years of career life, I have worked with bosses of different nationalities and background. I do not know if I am lucky or unlucky, but there was a period where I reported to a new manager every year. On hindsight, it was good training and enabled me to adjust to different styles of management and working demands quite easily. Over these years I have made some observations on what qualities a good manager should have and would like to share my views.

Managing Talents Entrusted to You

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:17:44 +0800

This is probably a topic that has been beaten to death, but is also one that we as managers should constantly remind ourselves of. “People don’t leave their jobs, people leave their bosses.”

Wireless for the people, by the people?

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:19:10 +0800

Interesting company “Fon” - bit of a revolutionary that keeps telco executives up at night, I think. Fon has a clearly stated ambition – it wants to build a global WiFi community.

This is how it works: you purchase a WiFi router from Fon (in Asia it is currently sold in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan) for a price equivalent to about S$25. You then register yourself with Fon and connect your router (Fon calls it La Fonera) to your home broadband.

Opportunities in Clean Energy

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:20:42 +0800

Singapore plays a prominent role in the global energy trade - it is one of the world’s largest oil refining centres and its third-largest oil trading exchange behind London & New York. It is also fast becoming a major hub for natural gas.

Singapore’s economic planners are now keen on developing the nation into a global clean energy hub as well.

Asian-style networking

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:22:02 +0800

I wrote previously about the need for Westerners in Asia to understand the concept of Asian-style networking, whilst Asians working for Western companies need to deepen their skills in evolving and communicating their strategic vision and empowerment.

Let me touch on Asian-style networking in this article.

Managing your career in the 'golden age'

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:24:45 +0800

MM Lee said recently that Singaporeans are currently living in a Golden Age. Property prices are rising, stock portfolios have appreciated exponentially and job opportunities seem to be aplenty. Is it really that good for job seekers today?

First a word of caution – the umpteenth headhunter who called you today about another new and exciting job opportunity may actually be referring to the same job opening as the other headhunters who called yesterday. In good times, good talent is scarce and companies often resort to using more than one headhunter for any given opening.

How effective are your recruiting methods?

admin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:59:07 +0800

It’s clearly tough attracting critical talent in today’s red-hot job market. This is in marked contrast to just a couple of years ago when companies had their pick of potential candidates.

Different times bring different challenges. If you have not scrutinized the way you are recruiting and changed it to suit the current environment, you are already a little late.

Let’s take a look at some of the traditional ways we recruit.

Newspaper recruitment

Accepting a downward blip in your career path

editor — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:23:55 +0800

It is almost the end of 2007 and congratulations to those of you who have had a good year and are expecting to enjoy good bonuses.

However, even in the current tight labour market, there are those among us who are in the unfortunate position of having to deal with being retrenched from long-held, often senior-level jobs. Graduate degrees and years of job experience are no guarantee of job security in this day and age.

Employer Branding & Recruiting the Web 2.0 Way

editor — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:38:45 +0800

The current tight job market makes it a challenge for employers to attract and retain critical staff. These conditions have naturally resulted in upward pressure on wages as companies compete aggressively for talent. However, paying ever-higher salaries is not a sustainable recruitment or retention strategy.

Having a hard time acquiring talent?

editor — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:54:41 +0800

In the last 3 months, I heard of several companies that are having some trouble acquiring talent. Potential candidates who are looking out for better opportunities, decline attractive career offers - sometimes even before they are told of the details.

Telecoms profits - terminal?

editor — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:21:19 +0800

The three telcos in Singapore have reported good results for the past year, largely on the back of a booming local, and in the case of Singtel - booming local, Australian and Indian economies.

Does Age Matter?

editor — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:37:50 +0800

“Does age matter?” is a question extremely close to the hearts of mature candidates who are 40 years old and above. This is especially true if they have lost their jobs or feel that their career advancement has come to a stand still. The cost of living is running higher and life expectancy is getting longer, many people are not sure if they can stay employed until they reach the retirement age of 62.

Writing a Good resume

editor — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:53:31 +0800

It’s been said that writing a resume brings as much delight as filing an income tax form. Most people write one because its part of the process in seeking out a job with a prospective employer or in working with a headhunter. Having said that, a great resume is the first step to being surfaced as a candidate in a short list, or to get into the headhunters level 1 cache – the top candidates that’s always fresh in the mind.

Why do you recruit?

editor — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:07:36 +0800

Why do you recruit? If you are a recruiter in your company, do you recruit because the hiring manager told you he needs 4 more salespersons or 3 more technicians this quarter? Have you wondered why or where these figures come about? Well you may know these numbers come from a grand plan done every year called a manpower planning. But why do you do these plans?

Contract or Permanent Position?

editor — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:24:38 +0800

Lawrence works as a marketer for a US IT multinational but he has not held a permanent job for years. Several years ago, he switched from being a professional holding a permanent job to become a contract worker. He wanted to spend more time with his working wife and three children.

Everything’s rosy? Look out!

admin — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:24:29 +0800

The past two to three years have been good to the high tech industry in Singapore. The job market for IT talent is especially strong, salaries going up and opportunities for career growth reasonably good.

Cautiously optimistic on the technology front

editor — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:45:55 +0800

In our last newsletter in July I warned on the impending slowdown, however the speed and depth of the current crisis caught all of us by surprise. Fortunately, having spoken to several prominent industry analysts the outlook in IT and Telecommunications is generally still positive.

When the going gets tough……

editor — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:06:59 +0800

Ten Important Questions to set you thinking

editor — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:41:50 +0800

In my experience I find that tough times are also an opportunity to do an assessment of our careers and our employer. We have developed a set of hard questions which, if you answer honestly, will help you make an informed self assessment of your career situation rather than just depending on "gut". Following are the questions.

How to Stay Afloat in Economic Crisis

editor — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:55:37 +0800