Blog - NPAworldwide

The Future of the Global Workforce

September 18th, 2018 by Veronica Blatt

Today’s post is from Nerissa Reyes from AVANTI People Partnership International in Manila, Philippines. Nerissa is the immediate past chair of the NPAworldwide board of directors. AVANTI People Partnership provides executive search and staffing for various multinational companies across functions. In the fast-growing “business process outsourcing” arena, AVANTI provides cross-border recruitment solutions on a global scale.

During a future of work conference, we were asked this question, “If you were a car, what type of car would you be?” The answers included traditional cars from the reliable Volkswagon Beatle to the flashy Lamborghinis. The best answer was a driverless car, an UBER type…the car of the future, enabled by satellite, reducing human intervention.

It’s a global phenomenon, advances in technology have created disruption in our lifestyle and the way we think and work.

The Philippines and India have been business process outsourcing hubs supporting global back office services for the past 18 years. However, artificial intelligence and automation, deconstruction of jobs have threatened even the outsourced jobs. Entry-level roles across various functions & industry sectors including IT, financial, manufacturing, retail, and wholesale are easily automated. Hence, we are now experiencing job losses and looking at hundreds of positions that have become redundant.

How can the global workforce catch up? Employees must be flexible enough to learn new skills. Artificial intelligence can collect online personal data, financial information, and market trends, but human intervention is still needed to analyse and interpret conflicting data,

How do we position recruitment firms? According to Ian Knowlson, futurist and business growth and sales coach, the niche recruiter will be in demand. You have to be a specialist in your field. There will be jobs that require your sourcing expertise due to the predicted shortage of skilled professionals in the highly advanced professions of the future.

Clients will value your knowledge of their market and strong industry network. Use artificial intelligence and automated tools for your recruitment process. Review your current business model to compete in the scarcity of talent and provide solutions to client needs.

In every country, across industries and age groups, the global workforce is facing dynamic changes. In every disruption there is opportunity to be bigger and better.

Why Work Contract Placements?

September 13th, 2018 by Liz Carey

The recruiting industry is ever-changing, and one trend we have seen is direct placement recruiters starting to accept and work temp/contract roles, so much so that NPAworldwide has created a contract placement specialty group to bring similar members, positions and opportunities together with the goal of more success and placements together.

Some longtime direct hire recruiters think contract roles aren’t worth it because they don’t get one big lump fee like they would with a direct hire. But, they need to consider the benefit of additional revenue (weekly/monthly payments add up, and add to your bottom line!) and the ability to service all of your clients’ needs, both direct and contracting, will likely lead to more work for you. Read the rest of this entry »

Global Recruitment News Headlines

September 4th, 2018 by Veronica Blatt

As the third quarter winds down, here are some global recruitment news headlines to start your week. Labor and skills shortages around the world are contributing to a variety of workforce changes from increased salaries to more freelancers to overall difficulty in hiring and retention. Skilled recruiters will be needed as employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find, hire, and retain the talent needed for their critical openings. Read the rest of this entry »

Presenting Records to Your Trading Partners

August 30th, 2018 by Liz Carey

In a recruitment network, there can be hundreds of trading partners to choose from and work with. If you have a job order, how do you get the attention of a great exporter to provide candidates for it? And likewise, if you have a great candidate, how do you present it to members with jobs? Here are some helpful tips, straight from some of the most successful members of NPAworldwide:

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How to be an Effective Split Placement Partner

August 28th, 2018 by Veronica Blatt

Whether you have a long track record of success or are new to the concept, here are some ideas to help you be a more effective split placement partner.

If you have the job order (“importer” in NPAworldwide lingo):

Supply your split placement partner with a few screening questions. If there are critical areas that need to be confirmed prior to an interview, consider supplying those screening questions to your partner. These could be as simple as “What size budget did you manage?” or “How many years have you been programming in Ruby on Rails?” The point here is that you’re helping your partner screen more specifically to your client’s needs. Your partner will be able to have better conversations with potential candidates and you’ll get the value-added detail you’re expecting.
Know your audience! The job description that you (or your client) wrote is FOR THE CANDIDATE. It is NOT for your split-placement partner. The language used is likely marketing-oriented with lots of sizzle. This does not give your partner good information for searching. Tell your partner specifically what machines are being used, what size the facility is, how many direct reports and at what levels, what kind of technology is in use. The more granular the detail, the better your partner will be able to target the right candidates.

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Client Global Expansion: A Case Study

August 23rd, 2018 by Sarah Freiburger

The opportunities and rewards that come along with transitioning a business in to a global operation are plenty, but so are the risks. Once your home operation is steady and strong, moving to new strategically picked markets is a good next step for the right company. As a global organization, our recruitment member’s clients frequently take on this type of expansion. Here is an informative case study on how a they accomplished a move to a new market using their international recruitment firm.

A network client, a privately-held US manufacturing company, had a strategy that called for a phased expansion into China. Their plan was to develop a supply chain for materials while cultivating short-term contract manufacturing partnerships. The ultimate goal was a dedicated China-based manufacturing operation.

The immediate challenge was a need for local talent in advance of the brick and mortar expansion of operations. The manufacturing company’s EVP had a relationship with a local US-based recruitment firm, one of our 500+ partner affiliates. Our affiliate firm explained how their network enables global connections to meet talent requirements anywhere in the world. The EVP partnered with our affiliate firm to leverage their network for the identification of local Chinese candidates for the China-based supply chain development position.

Our affiliate activated their connections with Asia-based partners. The local affiliates took on the challenge and developed a shortlist of candidates for the position. The manufacturing company’s hiring managers went to China to meet with the candidates sourced by affiliates. Within two weeks, a preferred candidate accepted an offer and set a start date. Throughout the process, our partner firm, with assistance from the local affiliates provided coaching on local HR requirements, payroll issues, housing and other critical details that made a successful close to a complex process possible.

The manufacturing company’s expansion plans are on track and full speed ahead. A single point of contact with an international recruitment firm local to their headquarters location, allowed for global connections and the leveraging of those valuable affiliations for a confident and well planned expansion into a new market.

Phone Screen Interviews Have Changed

August 21st, 2018 by Veronica Blatt

Our guest blogger today is Michael Neece, the CEO of InterviewMastery.com – the world’s most widely -used job interview prep program. Recruiters use these video programs to increase placements and save time. More than 54,000 people in 73 countries have used Interview Mastery to advance their recruiting businesses and careers.

Traditional phone screen interviews are being invaded and replaced by the use (or misuse) of software technology. For better or worse, job applicants must now deal with technologies that further dehumanize the hiring process. As if the applicant tracking systems were not frustrating enough. Read the rest of this entry »

Leaders Unleash the Power of “Yes”

August 16th, 2018 by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest blog is from People 2.0, a premier global contingent workforce deployment platform and full-service business process outsourcing (BPO) provider for the staffing and recruiting industry. People 2.0 offers comprehensive back-office support and a complete employer of record (EOR)/agent or record (AOR) platform—empowering individuals and organizations to focus on growing their business and placing top talent.

As a leader, have you unleashed the power of yes with your team? In particular, are you offering unequivocal “yeses” as often as possible? Every leader or manager knows that saying “yes” to an idea, proposal, or request can positively impact morale, engagement, and performance. The power of a “yes” is that it encourages more problem-solving, initiative, and proactivity in a team and among team members. Read the rest of this entry »

Recruitment Conferences 2019

August 14th, 2018 by Dave Nerz

This might sound strange to some, but we are beginning our budget process for 2019. In order to have an effective and accurate look at 2019, we need to start thinking about how and where we will spend in the year ahead. I have a great interest in hearing what recruitment conferences exist and what some opinions are of the events you have attended in past years. Read the rest of this entry »