MRINetwork Worldwide Blog

Effective talent management in the multi-generational workplace is a challenge all companies face. This was highlighted by Tal-os Director Erica Briody who spoke on” Engaging Gen X and Y employees in today’s multi-generational workplace” at the SCMP/Hewitt HR conference.

In conjunction with the presentation, a small survey on this topic was distributed among the attendees. A total of 78 responses were returned of which around 75% of the respondents are in-house Human Resources Managers and Directors working in companies with over 100 employees. This paper highlights the views obtained from these respondents. Summary of Findings

1. Generation X employees make up the majority in 3 out of 5 Hong Kong companies.
This means that in many instances business culture and environment in HK is
influenced the Gen X segment.

2. HR executives have an almost equal preference, at over 80%, towards hiring from
Generation X and Generation Y in the future. These generational groups appear to be
the most attractive to recruit particularly because these segments make up the base of
a company’s workforce - from middle management down.

3. More than one-third of respondents find the gap between Baby Boomers and
Generation X and Y employees as the biggest talent management challenge today,
followed by employee engagement issues.

4. Almost all HR executives perceive a “sense of entitlement” from Generation Y
employees.

5. HR managers believe that the mixture of leadership and individual control is the
preferred leadership style to engage and motivate Generation Y employees.

6. Companies prefer to post job vacancies through their website (over 60%) and on job
boards (over 50%), an indication of the internet becoming an established recruitment
channel.

7. A majority of those surveyed have indicated that they will not hire candidates who
have risqué photos on their websites.

Click here to download pdf of the Survey Tal-os Gen X and Y Survey

About Tal-os Asia
Tal-os Asia Limited was set up in 2006 to provide a range of human resource solutions to MNCs and Chinese enterprises. It is a partnership formed by leading recruitment firm MRI China Group in Asia, Barkers Resourcing from UK and Chandler Macleod from Australia and New Zealand. Tal-os is headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Manila, Macau, Seoul, Singapore and Taiwan. For more information, please visit
www.talosasia.com

For more information regarding the study please contact
Erik Hellquist: +852 3656 5680, erik.hellquist@tal-osasia.com

In a previous post I had talked about our awards held in celebration of the success in our Asian region. I wanted to give a little more detail around the awards as our offices were recognised during the gala awards dinner at the Goldcoast Hotel, Hong Kong for achievements in the past 12 months.

The MRI China Group with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Seoul and Singapore all collected awards during the ceremony.

“I am delighted with our results and believe it reflects how we have successfully responded to our clients’ requirements”, said Tony Dickel. “We have implemented a number of changes that were necessary for our continued growth and we were able to evolve in a positive manner”. In fact, he believes their success is due to three key factors.

Firstly, they have in-depth knowledge of the industries, and in particular the discrete cultural environments, within the markets they serve. The MRI China Group was set up in 1998 and today, the group has over 250 staff focusing on the Banking, IT, Chemicals, Industrial and Automotive, SCM/Logistics, Manufacturing, Architecture, Real-estate and High Tech industries.

Secondly, Their in-depth knowledge of their industries led them to identifying a gap in the market. Many companies in the region are looking for highly-skilled, specialist candidates, which are in short supply and would often mean that it took a significant length of time to find the right candidate. The MRI China Group therefore established two research and data-mining centres in Manila and Chengdu to enhance market intelligence services for its clients. This enables them to source candidates, such as those with overseas experience and different languages, and therefore respond quickly to their clients’ needs.

Lastly, in 2006, the MRI China Group partnered with Barkers Resourcing to set up Tal-os Asia Limited to provide Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solutions, large scale recruitment solutions and talent market research solutions to Chinese and global MNCs, which has enabled them to have a dedicated resource to meet these clients’ requirements.

Tony Dickel is a great example of how a successful formula can be replicated among a number of offices. His business continues to grow across the Asian region and we expect this trend to continue,” says Michael Jalbert, CEO of MRINetwork.

Teh Kwan Koon, Chief Executive Officer at MRINetwork MRI Worldwide in Malaysia, also received several awards for his office based in Kuala Lumpur. “We are committed to providing our clients with the ideal candidates for their current and future business,” says Teh Kwan Koon. “I am a firm believer in professional training so all of my consultants undergo full training with regular refresher courses and this is the key to our success.”

Business in the Asia-Pacific region is still growing year on year and it is a significant area of business for MRINetwork. To reflect their truly global organisation and the growth in the Asian region, MRINetwork has recently launched its website in Simplified Chinese www.mrinetwork.cn

Last week MRINetwork offices gathered in Venice to attend the Networking Venice ‘08 meeting which was organised by Trond Larsen from The Scandinavian Search Group in Norway and Wim Hernalsteen and Lieve Goedefroy who run the highly successful Talent Gallery in Belgium & The Netherlands.

Delegates from MRINetwork offices in 18 countries attended this two day event , and we were joined by the CEO of MRI Network, Michael Jalbert who travelled from the US to attend this meeting.

To read more click on the following link to read the review written by Stephen Kennedy Talent Partners.

The first annual MRINetwork Charity Classic in Greensboro last week was an outstanding success raising £25,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

The accompanying picture is of Jake Solomon and Gary Williams taken during the live auction in Greensboro. Jake is a patient at St. Jude and has been getting treatment for a rare brain tumor. St. Jude’s is one of the few hospitals in the world where Jake can get the help he needs.

The actual check will be handed over to St. Jude’s in a few weeks. At that time I’ll provide more photographs. A special thanks to those who made the trip to Greensboro and the generosity of our sponsors who helped make the Classic such a great success.

At the recent Regional Meetings, we were pleased to announce the winner of this year’s Service to the Network Award, Sandra Hill.This is the only award that is not related to financial performance and Network Members nominate the award winner themselves. It is given to Network Members who exemplify the spirit of the MRINetwork Worldwide group. It considers selfless giving to others, a contribution that has an impact on many, rather than just oneself and above all, is an opportunity for grateful colleagues to simply say “thank you”.

Well done Sandra!

A great night was had by all, at the 2008 Franchise Marketing Awards. There was good reason to let our hair down on the night. MRINetwork Worldwide were up for awards in 3 categories (Best Overall Marketing Campaign, Most Innovative Marketing Campaign, and Best International Expansion). 

With baited breath we waited for the awards to be announced. Finally being announced as the winner for the Most Innovative Marketing Award was simply thrilling. It helps recognise the work, effort and determination needed to get something truly great done.

You can see more of the campaign for yourself on the www.yourbusinesschannel.com site. Our content can be found under the Find the right people section.

I’ll get some more of the photographs posted in the next couple of days once they have been appropriately censored!

MRINetwork Worldwide are attending the British & International Franchise on April 4-5th. With our next franchise class starting in June we have a couple more places ready for select individuals.

If you’re looking for a new challenge and want to become your own boss, The British & International Franchise Exhibition could help make this a reality and kick-start your future in running your own executive search business.

Franchising is a great way to start out on your own, giving you the support of an established business model and proven brand. To download an eTicket to gain free entry to the exhibition click here - eTicket (Free Entry). We look forward to seeing you there.

In this day and age, there are three main ways to start your own recruitment consultancy. You can just do it on your own with a loan from the bank or with your own savings, you could join a franchise network or you can take advantage of venture capital opportunities. In recent months each of these options has been discussed at length
within the recruitment press, so if you’re considering any of these, Carol Davids, Operations Director at MRINetwork will be able to help find the right person to speak to about your goals.

Forever and a day

In general terms, having a venture capitalist backing you means that they provide you with the investment to start the business and then you are free to shape it as you see fit. To anyone keen to start up their own business, this sounds like a fantastic opportunity and for many people it’s just that. However, in some cases it can also mean you give up a substantial equity stake, with further equity taken if targets are not met. Unless your venture capitalist has a team of advisors with recruitment experience, this is a route that should be considered carefully as you may find you are left to fend for yourself, with little operational support.

To be making a decision like this in the first place, you will already be confident in your sales ability, but perhaps you may need help with other areas of the business. As a franchisee you become part of an extended family and although the initial outlay may seem greater, you have the peace of mind that there is a dedicated team waiting in the wings, ready to share their expertise with you at any time and helping you grow your own business.

We are such stuff.. as dreams are made of

After working in the recruitment industry for some time, you decide you want to start your own business. You have the capital, you have the ideas and you’re raring to go. But there are so many things to consider: your office location, your IT and telecom needs, marketing and PR to promote your company to the outside world, staff training, financial management… the list goes on. Being part of a franchise means that you don’t have to do it all alone.

Why, then the world ’s mine oyster

One of the main criticisms of franchising is that you are limited to a geographic region and therefore limited to local clients and candidate talent pool. This is true of some opportunities, but it’s not always the case. MRINetwork for example, does not limit franchisees to a geographical region. Instead franchisees work within specific industries where they have proven expertise. In today’s market where both potential clients and candidates are scattered all across the globe, this really makes a difference. Also, the power of having colleagues in over 35 countries and a network of over 1,000 offices specialising in almost every major market and many niche markets is a key way of not becoming just another boutique recruitment company.

This above all: to thine own self be true

At the end of the day, it’s your business. One of the misconceptions of franchising is that you have no control over what happens to your business and are restricted in many ways. At MRINetwork we provide the tools and support you need to create a successful, thriving recruitment consultancy which belongs to you in its entirety. MRINetwork operates in every major industry, serving multi-national companies on a global basis. Our search and recruitment specialists, most with experience in the sectors they serve, have earned their reputations as highly specialised industry experts. They interact in the
marketplace on a daily basis, locating, screening and recommending exceptional talent. We have over 40 years’ experience of helping individuals like you build your own business using our tried and tested methodology. A recent survey showed that 27% of our global network members were able to cover the value of their royalty payments just through Inter Office Referrals alone.

If you want to start your own recruitment business, or maybe just expand the potential of the one you already have, why not consider a franchise opportunity with MRINetwork Worldwide. For more information, please contact Carol Davids on +44 (0)870 777 39oo.

We have just been notified that we have been shortlisted for three separate categories in this years franchise marketing awards.

The Franchise Marketing Awards recognise the industry’s most innovative and effective marketing campaigns for products, services and franchisee recruitment. Now in their third year, they have again attracted a record number of entries from many franchise companies across a wide variety of sectors. Judged by an independent panel of experts, the Franchise Marketing Awards recognise and reward companies that have raised awareness of franchising and what they offer and, as a result, achieved sustainable growth. The winners will be announced at a glamorous dinner at the Royal Lancaster, London on 4 April 2008, the first night of The British & International Franchise Exhibition.

The categories and other shortlisted companies are;

Best Overall Marketing Campaign
• Bartercard UK Ltd
• Cash Converters
• Dial A Hubby
• HiQ
• MRI Network
• Tumble Tots (UK) Ltd

Most Innovative Marketing Campaign
• Bartercard UK Ltd
• Dial A Hubby
• Lasertech UK Ltd
• MRI Network Worldwide

Best International Franchise Expansion Programme
• Home Instead Senior Care
• MRI Network Worldwide
• Sandler Training
• The SUBWAY Chain
• Zumo Juice and Smoothie Bars

We will let you know how the presentations go, and ensure that we take some pictures of the big night. It is a great to be recognised after all the hard work that goes on here at MRINetwork. This will be a great chance for us to let our hair down!

Last week saw the graduation of the first MRINetwork Worldwide offices in Brazil and Columbia. Julian Garcia and Carlos Rivera from the Master Licensee team in Latin America joined the class to celebrate their graduation. This class has now added two countries, Brazil and Colombia, to the existing Latin American network.

The Brazil team, based in San Paulo, had three members in the graduating class: Marcelo Machado and Eduardo Trench (franchise owners) and Maria Paula Itikawa (who will be their first team member). They will be focusing on Aerospace/Aviation, FMCG, IT and Legal.

The Colombia team, based in Bogota, had two members in the graduating class: Juan Fernando Jimenez (franchise owner) and Claudia Restrepo. They will be focusing on Sales & Marketing and HR positions within FMCG, Telecoms and Petroleum. The new office in Bogota will become the permanent division for one of the largest contracting businesses in Colombia.

I first spoke to Juan Fernando Jimenez in early 2007 about the posibility of his existing business in Columbia joining the MRINetwork. It is just great to see that he and Eduardo have graduated, it was even more impressive when I heard that Eduardo made a placement during the course!