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What Drives Us to Succeed at Work? - The Three M’s
Jan
21
What Drives Us to Succeed at Work? - The Three M’s

It’s important to understand what motivates us as individuals. To be successful, we need work that satisfies and fulfills us on some level. If we feel that our job is meaningful, and contributes to our personal development, we will be happier, and it will be easier to reach our professional goals.  I am very fortunate to have a job I enjoy, with colleagues I look forward to seeing every day. My career is challenging, interesting, engaging – and I make enough money to live comfortably. I feel settled and satisfied with my work life. But it wasn’t always like this. It took me awhile to get here. The Three M’s I recently came across an article on LinkedIn by Haresh Amre, a Lean/Agile specialist in India. He identifies three important elements that play a big part in determining our success and happiness at work: the three M’s. The three M’s are Money, Mastery, and Meaning. Haresh explains that money is important - of course, it enables us to pay for food and shelter - but notes that “people who see the work as an avenue to practice their skills and develop a mastery are far more engaged compared to the one who sees merely a job.” The three-M concept got me thinking: it’s very relevant to recruitment in general, and my own career path in particular. Job Satisfaction As a recruiter, I think we need to have at least two of these three M’s, in order to continue showing up at work with a smile on our face and trying our best day-by-day. If your current position challenges and engages you, if you are learning on-the-job and mastering a trade, it can still be a good fit, even if the salary isn’t as much as you’d like. If your job pays well, but you don’t feel your skills are improving, or a sense of purpose at work, you should consider making a career move – if you can afford it. If your job doesn’t tick any of the three M boxes, then I hope you are already looking for a new role that will be more interesting, satisfying, and/or more lucrative.  Recruitment and the Three M’s I have finally reached a comfortable place in my career; I found a job where I have all three M’s. I am lucky to have achieved this at a relatively young age. For many of us, finding a job we are happy to settle down with is a much longer journey. Working with an experienced, capable recruiter can help you get there faster. It occurred to me as I was reading about the three M’s, that this is my goal as a recruiter: to help candidates find jobs that provide sustenance and meaning to their lives. My Career Journey At Thammasat University, I studied a very broad liberal arts curriculum. When I graduated, I was eager to find my place in the world. I wanted to find out what I am good at. I wanted to become financially independent. I wanted to master a trade or skill that I could be passionate about: it could be marketing, fashion design, anything. It was mainly a process of trial and error. I had so much energy, so much vitality, and I was looking for a career to harness it. My first job after university was at a book shop. My academic focus was on history and social science, so I thought I should do something related to my educational interests. But I was only focused on one M: Meaning. I didn’t get paid enough at the bookshop, and I was not adding much to my knowledge of history – just being around history books was not really contributing to my chosen academic field. It was a decent job, but I had to move on: we all have bills to pay at the end of the month. My second job was working as an investment consultant. The money was good, and in the beginning I was learning new things; I was engaged and interested at first. But really it was all about the money. I didn’t feel I was becoming a better person, or providing a valuable service to others. It was useful experience because I had to become good at sales. But once I attained a level of proficiency, I realised I just didn’t enjoy it enough to continue putting in the effort and time it would take to reach a level of Mastery (the second M). Ultimately, I decided investment consulting was not a good fit for my character and core values. The Holy Grail: Finding All Three M’s at JacksonGrant One of my closest friends was working as a headhunter; she was doing very well. She said I should try recruitment: it requires sales skills that I’d developed as an investment consultant, but with more of a human element. I was skeptical; it sounded like a bit of a stretch. But she is a trusted friend who knows me intimately, so I took her advice. I’m so glad that I listened! I started out working on talent solutions projects. It was a gentle introduction to recruitment; it wasn’t too competitive. The work was more collaborative. It involves research, consulting with clients, helping them to identify and attract the best candidates. I enjoyed helping clients build their organisations, while fostering a healthy office and work culture. The best part was helping people find jobs that change their lives for the better. I was fully engaged with learning this new trade, and I was making a good salary.  Finally, all three M’s at one job! It changed the way I feel about the recruitment industry: yes, recruiting can be a cutthroat business, but my job was not at all what I expected. Career Fulfillment The initial project work I did at the beginning of my recruitment career at JacksonGrant allowed me to focus on mastering new skills and finding meaning in my job. I was making good money, so I didn’t worry about finances. Now I could fully immerse myself in professional development, and become a great recruiter. Nowadays, what keeps me engaged is not the financial reward for my work: I am fully committed to the process of helping clients and talent find one another, so that both can thrive. By being fully engaged in that process, I also benefit and thrive. I want to encourage everyone who’s reading this to examine the work they do in terms of the three M’s. Does your job provide enough money, opportunities for mastery, and meaning? Are you fulfilled? Please think about these core values. If you need to make some changes to steer your career in a better direction, I am here to help.  Please reach out to me on LinkedIn or Email to discuss how to find a job that fully engages your potential and leads to personal and financial fulfillment.     

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Hiring in the New Year? Here are 5 ways to improve candidate experience when recruiting
Jan
7
Hiring in the New Year? Here are 5 ways to improve candidate experience when recruiting

Think back on your past experiences of job hunting. You most likely had some negative experiences as well as some positive ones. Even many years later a bad experience with a company might colour how you think about them as a business, and whether you’d consider applying to a role with them again now! A great candidate experience involves creating a journey that is smooth, efficient, and engaging, leaving candidates with a favourable impression of the company regardless of the final hiring decision. What Is Candidate Experience? Put simply, candidate experience is how a candidate perceives your business during and after the application process. Every single interaction an applicant has, from how they find your job description to how you communicate your final hiring decision, can influence a candidate’s overall experience with you. Every stage of the recruitment process is important, and you should carefully consider how each step could impact candidate experience. You should be aiming for positive, transparent, and respectful interactions throughout the entire recruitment process. Importance of Candidate Experience Candidate experience should be an important part of your employer brand and your wider recruitment strategy. A positive candidate experience can help improve your ability to attract and retain highly qualified candidates. Candidates are more likely to accept offers from employers who provide positive experiences. This can be key if you are competing for highly skilled candidates who may receive multiple offers. Candidates share their experiences with their networks. Good or bad. Positive experiences will encourage others to apply to you, making it easier for you to fill future roles. Even if candidates are successful, those with bad recruitment experiences are less likely to stay in their roles. Meaning extra time and resources spent on finding replacements.  5 Ways to Improve Candidate Experience Before you start to make improvements to your recruitment processes make sure you understand exactly what candidates experience right now. You can do this by mapping the candidate journey, step by step, from the moment they arrive at your job description to the point they receive an offer. Ask yourself how easy it was to apply? Did you encounter any challenges or frustrations? Are candidates kept informed throughout the process? Would you recommend your company to others based on your experience? Once you have the answers to these questions you can begin to: Simplify the Application ProcessSending in an application is the first contact most candidates will have with your company. Which means the process needs to be simple, quick, and user-friendly. Recent studies have found that up to 92% of online applications are never completed. Make sure your application portal or website is mobile friendly and ask for essential information only by removing any unnecessary fields. You might also consider adding a progress bar or tracker to help guide people through the process. The aim is to eliminate any frustration or confusion. By doing this you increase the number of completed applications and show that you respect candidates time and effort. Communicate Effectively Throughout Timely updates and clear information help applicants manage expectations, reduce anxiety, and feel respected, regardless of the outcome. You can achieve this by establishing clear communication channels and setting realistic timelines for each stage of the hiring process. Automated responses acknowledging receipt of applications and providing expected timelines for follow-ups create transparency and maintain engagement. You can manage this through email or through your ATS system. Finally giving constructive feedback, even in cases of rejection, helps candidates understand the decision-making process and maintain a positive relationship. Show Off Company Culture and ValuesProviding insights into your workplace culture gives candidates a sense of who you are and helps them determine if they’ll be a good fit. You can demonstrate your culture and values through your job descriptions, and on your company websites. But they should also be built into your communications and processes. You can get creative too. Use your job site and social media to host video office tours, interviews with current employees and showcase any learning and development programs you offer. Improve OnboardingThe final stage in a candidate’s journey should start from the moment a candidate accepts your offer. This means doing more than simply setting up payroll and directing them to the office.  A well-executed onboarding process helps success candidates transition into their new role, become productive members of your team and help them feel as though they belong. A positive introduction significantly impacts job satisfaction, retention rates, and overall employee performance. You can create a successful onboarding program that gives in-depth insights into company values and expectations by offering clear guidance on organisational processes, tools, and resources, creating clear timelines and goals, and assigning mentors or implementing buddy systems helps new hires integrate into the team. Gather and Implement FeedbackBy actively seeking input from candidates, you’ll gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of your hiring procedures and how candidates experience them. Asking for feedback once again shows you’re committed to transparency and accountability, and it gives you the opportunity to refine your hiring process for even better outcomes. Make sure that you take the time to review the feedback you gather and implement any suggestions or changes that come out of it. By putting candidates at the centre of your recruitment processes you’ll not only be able to attract top talent but also develop engaged, happy new hires who’ll want to commit to your organisation long term. As Thailand's leading Industrial, Logistic and Supply Chain recruitment agency, we can support your expansion into Thailand and Southeast Asia and help you hire experienced, technically proficient, English-speaking candidates. Learn more about JacksonGrant’s innovative service offering or get in touch to discuss your requirements.

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5 Narcissistic traits that help me as a recruiter
Nov
6
5 Narcissistic traits that help me as a recruiter

While reading Greg Savage’s book there was a statement made which really stood out to me which said that the best recruiters are obsessed with making the perfect match. They are not concerned primarily about the money that they will make nor are they totally concerned about closing the job as quickly as possible but they are obsessed about getting the right candidate for the client and helping the candidate to choose the best path for their career. When I read this it really resonated with me as this is my primary approach to all recruitment activities that I do. I realized that I am indeed obsessed with finding this match. Why you may ask? For this you need to delve deeper into the psyche of the recruiter; in this instance it’s me. Truthfully speaking I have several traits of a narcissist. Luckily these traits are not dominated in the negative aspect the first trait I have is: 1.   The need for control I want to be the best. I want to be right. I want to be the most competent. I want to do everything the correct way. I want to own the process and I want to have a sense of control in the recruitment process. Actually, I want total control of the process. Why? I believe that if I have full control of the process I can make sure that the process is completed in a correct manner. 2.   The need for perfection The second trait that I have is that I want everything to be perfect! I want the events to happen as I expect them to and I want the situation to play out precisely as I envision. To make sure that this happens it is imperative that I complete my work correctly which includes research, market mapping, candidate approach, candidate introduction, candidate behavior based interviews and really analyzing the candidates motivations and the motivation to accept an opportunity.  3.     Being afraid of being ridiculed The third trait that I have is I'm afraid of being ridiculed, rejected, being wrong or somebody betraying me. This is one of the other reasons why I'm so meticulous in the work that I do.  4.     Self importance When I do a good job and the client is happy with what I've done plus making the candidate very happy in their career choice this gives me an overall feeling of self-importance. I know this sounds really negative but it makes me feel good and this is what really gives me the motivation to keep on recruiting. It's almost like a drug and it's one that I always enjoy taking.  5.   Disconnect emotionally The final trait that I have as a narcissist is the ability to disconnect emotionally with the work that I do. For example, if things go wrong I'm able to see the logic in it not the emotion in it and move on quickly to find the next win. I can analyse where it went wrong and I care about correcting any mistakes.  Are these the traits of a top billing recruiter? How many out there in recruitment can identify with these? Who thinks these are negative?  For more follow me on Linkedin and the JacksonGrant website at https://www.jacksongrant.io/.

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