Reference Checking for Executives - Executive Search Headhunter

The Principals of Chalre Associates are well known and respected within the business community. Below are some examples of Public Addresses delivered by them at major events throughout the Asia Pacific region.

The Chairman of Chalre Associates, Richard Mills, presented at the most recent Leading HR Summit in Singapore. The event was organized by the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) - the region's largest HR industry association. Richard was asked to provide attendees with a detailed overview of the burgeoning field of HR Outsourcing.

To review Richard's in-depth

presentation, click the icon below.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION & BENEFITS EXPO

The Chairman of Chalre Associates, Richard Mills, was the Keynote Speaker of the most recent Executive Compensation & Benefits EXPO. Held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Singapore, the 2-day annual event is of interest to regional business leaders. Other featured presenters included Asia Pacific leaders from companies including Mercer, Gallup and HayGroup. Richard provided his views on the near term economic outlook for the SE Asia region and its impact on career progress for senior managers.

Download Richard's detailed presentation by clicking the icon below. (The event brochure is also available here.)

RECRUITING SENIOR MANAGERS IN SE ASIA

The Chairman of Chalre Associates, Richard Mills, presented recently for the American Chamber of Commerce on the challenges of acquiring and developing senior managers in South-East Asia. The presentation covers global trends to more specific information relevant to fast growing sectors like Business Process Outsourcing. Richard's personal comments have been added on most slides.

To review Richard's in-depth

presentation, click the icon below.

The Executive Basics of HR Outsourcing

The Chairman of Chalre Associates, Richard Mills, was the Keynote Speaker of this year's Regional HR Shared Services & BPO Conference. Held in Singapore, the event is the largest in Asia for the booming sector. To learn about the state of offshore outsourcing in Asia, view Richard's detailed presentation by clicking below.

To review Richard's in-depth

presentation, click the icon below. (The event brochure is located here.)

The Chairman of Chalre Associates, Richard Mills, delivered the Keynote Address of Successful Shared Services. The event was a region-wide conference held in Singapore. Richard's presentation provided a broad overview of Shared Services as it relates to multinational companies and regional managers. The event featured Outsourcing Leaders from Reuters, Johnson & Johnson, Convergys and others.

To review Richard's in-depth

presentation, click the icon below. (The event brochure is located here.)

The Chairman of Chalre Associates, Richard Mills, provided his insights on Retention and Succession Management to business leaders in the booming city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Richard Mills, Chalre Associates Chairman, was a featured speaker of this event, one of the largest IT/BPO related conferences in Asia.

He delivered a highly motivational presentation to describe the monumental opportunity that exists in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

The most revealing information to come from the conference was the tremendous quality ratings being achieved by young Filipinos. Citigroup, HSBC, GXS, Siemens and others reported world beating performance rankings from their Philippine facilities.

Richard Mills, Chairman of Chalre Associates, was asked to address the annual convention of the Semiconductor & Electronics industry association (SEIPI) in 2006. The sector is the largest in Philippines accounting for 70% of the nation's export earnings and 34% of GDP.

Richard's presentation discussed the future outlook for Philippines and the specific impact of the booming Business Process Outsourcing industry. He provided an optimistic view of the economic situation over the next couple years.

To review Richard's in-depth presentation, Click Here.

Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) organization is the main umbrella association for the Philippines IT-enabled services/BPO industry. It is the second largest such association in Asia.

Richard Mills, Chairman of Chalre Associates, was asked to address BPA/P to provide his insight on the fast moving sector in the country.

He spoke along with Beth Lui, Country Managing Director of Accenture, whose company employs 7000 people in Philippines. Richard's presentation was titled: “Philippines as an Outsource Destination - What CEO's Really Think”.

To review Richard's in-depth presentation and to learn more about the current views of Senior Decision Makers in the BPO Sector in Asia, Click Here.

C o n t a c t U s

+ 632 822 4129

leaders@chalre.com

Reference Checking and Candidate Intelligence

Background Confirmation

Candidate Intelligence

& Reference Checking

For many thousands of years, people have been trying to figure out ways to predict the future actions of human beings. Of the many concepts devised, only one has shown itself consistently useful.

Past behaviour is the best predictor of

future behaviour of people.

If someone has been a superstar salesman for the past 15 years, then he will probably be a superstar for the next 3 or 4 if you hire him. If someone has been a great ball player all his life, he will probably continue to be so if you buy his services for your team.

The basis for Candidate Intelligence is that to determine candidates' potential to thrive in another organization, it is critical to understand their career and personal characteristics exhibited over a long period of time.

Formal References

Checking references provided by candidates are an important step in this discovery process but such sources almost always provide information that is flattering to candidates.

Informal References

It is critical to research deeper by acquiring informal background information from various sources: former supervisors who have moved on, colleagues, competitors, suppliers and clients. The objective is not necessarily to find scandalous gossip about the person but to find information that will help ensure the people's success in a new working environment.



Candidate Intelligence Interview:



In doing research for Candidate Intelligence, it is important to use an informal conversational style when speaking with sources. It is also important that discussions be structured and not degrade into idle chit-chat with no result. We have found the format below to be useful over the years.



I. Opening the Conversation

1. Please tell me about yourself and how you came to know the candidate?
2. When did you meet and how well do you know him or her?

II. Basic Information

1. What was your reporting relationship to the candidate?
2. What was the candidate’s title and main responsibilities at the time?

III. General Impressions

1. How was your overall experience working with the person?
2. What would you say are his most important personal qualities?

IV. Leadership skills

1. How would you describe his or her management style?
2. Did he lead any major change in the organization?
3. Did the candidate have profit & loss responsibility?

V. People Skills

1. How did the candidate relate with his staff and other managers in the organization?
2. How does he or she relate to senior management?
3. Do you remember a time he or she had to resolve a serious conflict in his staff or management?
4. How does he motivate his people?
5. How would you rate his overall communication skills?

VI. Strengths & Weaknesses

1. What would you say are the candidate's major strengths?
2. What would you say are areas the candidate could improve?
3. How would you rate the candidate’s attention to detail?
4. How strong are the candidate’s selling skills?
5. Can you describe a situation when he or she worked under a lot of pressure?

VII. Accomplishments

1. What do you recall as the candidate’s main achievements while he worked with you?
2. Do you think he had any lasting impact on the organization or others in the firm?

VIII. Closing

1. Why did the person leave his position?
2. Would you like to work with the candidate again?
3. Do you think the role I described would be suitable for him or her?
4. Is there anything else that should be said about the candidate?

People living in countries with strict anti-discrimination legislation need to be aware of the legal requirements for conducting background confirmations. Check your HR department for specifics. The Association of Executive Search Consultants (http://www.aesc.org) is another source of information on this important matter.

When hiring senior managers in countries with large populations and highly mobile work forces, it can be difficult for a few referred individuals to know everything necessary about a candidate. They may have worked with the person for a few years only. Therefore, it can be necessary to separately verify critical details such as the following:

EMPLOYMENT – check position titles and dates with the specific employers named by the candidates.

EDUCATION – substantiate the person’s university and college degrees and professional certifications.

CRIMINAL & CREDIT RECORDS – In sensitive industries, sensitive information relating to criminal and credit background is required. Candidates need to be made aware ahead of time and often their permission must be given in writing.

In smaller countries such as those of Southeast Asia, senior executives are usually well known in the local business community. It is relatively easy to find key people who have known the candidate for some time. Such people will usually be able to confirm the career history of individuals.



Hiring Leaders

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by employing its dominant people.

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Executive Search & Management Consulting:

Chalre Associates provides its Executive Search and Recruiting services throughout the emerging countries of the Asia Pacific region with specific focus on Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos. We are proactive and well known in our sectors of focus.  Regional Managers use us to help bridge the gap between local environments and the world-class requirements of multinational corporations.

C o n t a c t   U s

+ 632 822 4129       leaders@chalre.com

Asia CEO Forum

Asia CEO Forum presented by PLDT ALPHA Enterprise is the largest regular business event in Philippines and considered one of the most important in the Southeast Asia region. The forum serves as a hub for the spreading of ideas that help executive managers overseeing enterprises across the Asia Pacific region.

Attendees are both expatriate and Asian management personnel overseeing multinational and regional organizations. Held in Philippines, presenters are leaders in their industries and engaged in momentous pursuits of significance to the entire region.

Asia CEO Forum is operated as a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activity of Chalre Associates, one of Southeast Asia's most prominent senior management executive search firms, to promote Philippines as a premier business destination in the Asia region.

Click Here to go to Asia CEO Forum now!

Asia CEO Awards

Asia CEO Awards presented by Aseana City represents the grandest alliance of local and international business people ever created to promote Philippines on the world stage. As one of the largest events of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, it is considered a must-attend occasion for business leaders active in Southeast Asia.

The star-studded Board of Judges of Asia CEO Awards give away 10 awards to many of the most accomplished leadership teams and individuals currently operating in Philippines and the region. The awards recognize extraordinary leaders who have demonstrated outstanding achievement for their organizations and contributions to others.

As one of the fastest growing nations on the planet, the world's business leaders have their eyes on Philippines like never before. The annual gala was established as a natural outgrowth of Asia CEO Forum, the largest regular networking event for the business community in Philippines.

Click Here to go to Asia CEO Awards now!

SPECIAL DOWNLOADS:

Media organizations throughout the world call upon the Principals of Chalre Associates for thought leadership. Below are some examples of published material written by our consultants or international journalists who refer to them. For a complete list of published work, Click Here.

Getting Ready For The Deluge: Outsourcing in Philippines

by Chalre Associates senior staff

Download [PDF file, 62KB]

The Economist Intelligence Unit of the Economist magazine asked Chalre Associates' Chairman, Richard Mills, to write a chapter about the Philippine outsourcing sector in its annual Business Guide Book. The material provides a Executive Briefing on the progress and major issues facing this industry that is certainly one of most significant growth stories in the world. more

Asia Pacific Mining Conference 2007 - Report

by Chalre Associates senior staff

Download [PDF file, 28KB]

The 7th Asia Pacific Mining Conference put on by the Asean Federation of Mining Associations was perhaps the largest such event in the region. Richard Mills, Chairman of Chalre Associates gave this report on what was said by the prominent mining people who presented. more

The State of BPO in Philippines: Dan Reyes Speaks

by Chalre Associates senior staff

Download [PDF file, 31KB]

Richard Mills, Chairman of Chalre Associates, interviewed Dan Reyes of Sitel for ComputerWorld (US) recently to get his views on the state of the BPO industry in Philippines. Dan presented US readers with compelling information to support his view that Philippines is currently seen as the "Number 1" option by global companies sending BPO work to offshore destinations.

Dan Reyes is easily one of most experienced Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) managers in the Asia Pacific region and the world. He is head of the extremely successful Philippine operations of Sitel, the world's largest call center organization. Among other things, he is a founder and former president of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.    more