Archives December 2006

The Twelve Steps of Direct Sourcing

Edge believes it is time to confess to your sins and embrace these Twelve Steps that will lead you to the land of milk, honey, and better candidates…

We admitted we were powerless over our fear of the phone – that newspaper ads, job boards and Internet sourcing had become limited.

Came to believe that Ma Bell – a power greater than ourselves – could provide a steady stream of potential candidates that will invigorate our careers.

Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the use of the telephone as we embrace the telephone as a friend.

Made a searching and fearless metric-based inventory of sourcing channels and found these to be full of hot airs.

[You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting. In what world could you possibly beat me? ~Chaucer]

Admitted to ourselves, to our bosses and to each other the exact nature of why we couldn’t get past the use of newspaper ads, job boards, Internet sourcing¡­and Gatekeepers.

We humbly ask to have our fear of the phone eviscerated.

Humbly asked our bosses to pay someone to come in and help us learn the one true path to candidate sourcing.

[She can be reached at 513 899 9628. ASK for Maureen]

Made a list of all the jobs we short-shifted and resolved to use the names we found calling directly into companies to make amends to our past hiring managers or customers.

Made direct amends to hiring managers wherever possible, except when to do so would cause them to berate us for not telephone sourcing in the first place.

Continued to take a career inventory, becoming aware when our past sourcing habits tempted to lead us astray and back into the vaporous confines of newspaper ads, job boards and Internet sourcing – and guarding vigilantly against those temptations.

Sought through telephone and some internet research and reading Sourcers Unleashed (and ASK Maureen on ERE and the Edge) daily, to improve our physical contact with potential candidates and our spiritual contact with telephone sourcing Gurus, invoking our powers to continuously improve and continuing to seek out knowledge on the subject.

Having had this career-changing awakening as the result of all these steps, we try to carry this message to other print and web-bound sourcers who only use newspaper ads, job boards and Internet sourcing, and to practice these principles in all our recruiting decisions.

Will Recruiters Become Extinct?

1. job postings should be free. the value is not and never will be in the posting. the value is in connecting with the right person to hire.

Don¡¯t agree.
a) Advertising costs. Should a TV commercial be free? Last time I checked, Super Bowl ads cost well over $1MM per minute, and they don¡¯t guarantee results either. Job boards are advertising with the added benefit of being direct response.
b) Connecting with the right person to hire can happen in many ways – direct application, research, sourcing, third party recruiters, referrals, etc. In today¡¯s competitive world, companies must use many sources to find great candidates.

2. employers are struggling with the quality vs. quantity gap in online recruiting. job boards provide quantity while hiring managers desire quality.

Depends on what online tools they are using and how they use them. People are still getting quality resumes and applicants from the big job boards, if they focus their efforts on quality. There are also many other online resources which can augment candidate flow with quality prospects.

3. the value of job boards (as we know them today) is beginning to erode for employers with well known brands as most active jobseekers are more than able to go directly to the career websites at companies like starbucks, microsoft, google, etc.

Don¡¯t really agree. The value of large job boards (for employers) comes from large candidate pools. The value of large job boards (for candidates) comes from the ability to find multiple jobs in their field from many employers. Something they can¡¯t do by visiting Microsoft¡¯s career center. This is what is driving the vertical job boards. Employers will always go where the candidates are and candidates will go where the jobs are. My personal feeling is that niche job boards are where the future lies. IT boards for IT companies and professionals, HealthCare boards for Healthcare companies and professionals, and yes, even Restaurant Job boards for restaurant professionals.

4. referrals have been and always will be a great source of quality hires. not the only source, but an important source.

Totally agree. I think this is why almost every big company has some sort of incentive program to reward employees for bringing in referrals who are hired and stay for a specified period of time. Companies (and employees) that use inventive ways of leveraging networking technologies will see increased effectiveness in referral hiring.

5. as has occurred in other markets like travel, and as is increasingly transpiring in real estate, over time we will see new marketplaces evolve which eliminate the need for the specialist (recruiter) and enable the purchaser (hiring manager) to transact efficiently with the seller (candidate).

Totally disagree. In order for Jason¡¯s prediciton to come true, one would have to assume that the only value of a recruiter in recruiting candidates would be the initial introductions or that all the other value propositions offered by recruiting specialists could be replaced through online technologies. I don¡¯t know if Jason has ever actually done any recruiting, but to assume that the value proposition of recruiters can be replaced by Jobster or some other Internet thingamajig is naive. There are still plenty of Realtors, and there are still plenty of travel agents. The industries may have been shaken up by how people use the internet, but they are still thriving industries¡­ as is recruiting 10 years after Monster.com and as recruiting will continue to be far into the future. Just as there are some percentage of home sales that are done in the FSBO style there is still great value in specialization and many customers who are willing to pay for specialized help so the largest percentage of sales in the housing market are done by professional realtors.

In conclusion, let me just say that my prediction is that recruiters won¡¯t become extinct and neither will Internet based job boards. Now, I may be a little biased because I am after all a recruiter and have a very small job board myself – it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t plan on being extinct any time soon.

Maximum cap for pay rises in state firms cut

CHINA has cut the maximum allowed margin of wage rises in state-owned companies for this year to keep pay growth, especially in monopolistic sectors.

State enterprises which paid employees twice as much as the average level of local urban wages in 2005 can increase total pay not more than 0.6 percent for each percentage of profit growth this year, according to a circular on the Website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security late on Wednesday. The original cap was 0.75 percent.

The ministry said the government will stringently inspect the linkage between corporate profits and wage payments in state-owned companies where wages are too high and increasing too fast.

“Such a link-up mechanism is of great importance to help create a healthy relationship between growth in wages and profits,” the circular said.

The adjustment came amid a backdrop of intense public calls, starting in the second half of this year, for a wage reform in state firms where employees are considered outrageously overpaid than the average worker, widening the gap between the rich and poor segments of society.

“The latest move is a step forward to increase state control in reining in wage growth,” said Hou Ning, a columnist for several business newspapers. “But I think there is still a long way to go.”

Workers in state companies, typically in highly regulated industries such as telecommunications, energy and tobacco, usually earn much more than they deserve based on the profit they produce.

The monopolistic nature generates complacency resulting in these state firms operating at lower efficiency than global counterparts, thanks to competition. State firms are accused of contributing lower profit while holding a huge amount of state assets and reserves.

Several reports and surveys have indicated average wage for employees in monopolistic industries is up to three times the national average. The gap could be widened to as much as 10 fold if non-wage income like bonuses and pensions are included.

Cable Video and IPTV Software Development/QA Manager/team lead

Company Introduction:
One of the Top 3 IT communication network company in the world

JOB RESPONSBILITIES
As a technical lead and/or manager of the Software Engineering team, this position will be responsible for managing and/or leading Cisco’s Cable video and IPTV development team. The management responsibilities include leading a strong team of development engineers to be responsible for software design, development and work closely with testing team to assure the quality of the product. Project responsibilities include working with local and overseas teams to manage multiple projects in all aspects of project planning, tracking and execution. In addition to strong project management and personnel development skills, the candidate must engage technically and have the ability to think at a high level about systems and articulate. Responsibilities may expand to manage and lead Quality Assurance team as well.

REQUIREMENTS
1.BS in CS/EE or equivalent.
2.7+ years of software engineering experience.
3.At least 3 years of experience of software development management or team lead.
4.Proven project management skills with emphasis on execution and product delivery, ability to hire and retain top talent, motivate teams, and strong communication and presentation skills.
5.Hands on technical expertise and the ability to set team priorities through application of solid development engineering discipline and system engineering skills.
6.Solid understanding of the complete software development and support life cycle.
7.Proven track record in cross-functional partnering and collaboration
8.Have experience of working with Offshore development team
9.Must be able to give technical directions to software engineers. Ability to lead team and strong project management skills. Ability to manage multiple projects
10.Experience with managing development projects which utilize C/C++, Java/J2EE, CLI, GUI design, XML, Unix, Linux and Apache/Tomcat is highly desirable.
11.Clear understanding, and hands-on knowledge, of network protocols including IP, TCP, and UDP. Experience with streaming protocols; RTSP, RTP/RDP and LSCP is a plus.
12.In-depth knowledge of Video technology, Cable Video and IPTV architecture. Great understanding and experience with encoding scheme such as MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264 and AVS.
13.Significant experience working in UNIX/Linux environments
14.Strong problem solving skills, with outstanding written and verbal communication skills
15.Strong communication and presentation skills.
16.Excellent English is a must.

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to: ‘topjob_it065sh@dacare.com’

Cable Video and IPTV Product Manager, APAC Region

Company Introduction:
One of the Top 3 IT communication network company in the world

JOB RESPONSBILITIES
As Product Manager, you will help managing Cisco’s industry changing Cable Video and IPTV product, for Asian Pacific Region. You will help manage Cisco’s products from existing ideas, and more importantly, use your industry experience, vision and business contact to develop new ideas. Successful individual must possess a unique blend of business and technical savvy; a big-picture vision, and the drive to make that vision a reality.
Job responsibilities include communicating with all areas of the company. You will work with engineering team to define product release requirements, work with marketing team to define the go-to-market strategy, helping them understand the product positioning, key benefits, and target customer. You will also serve as the internal and external evangelist for your product offering, occasionally working with the sales channel and key customers.

REQUIREMENTS
1.5+ years of product marketing/management experience.
2.5+ years experience with Networking products and technology, including routing and multicast protocols.
3.In-depth knowledge of Video technologies (MPEG/H.264/AVS, streaming protocol etc.) and interactive services.
4.Strong consumer facing skill and experience
5.BS in Business, Computer Science or equivalent experience
6.MBA not required but a strong plus
7.This position requires travel in China & Asia Pacific Region (25%).
8.Proficiency with Microsoft Office software required.
9.Strong writing skills desired.
10.Strong communication and presentation skills.
11.Excellent English is a must.
12.3+ years Cable Video and IPTV work experience required.

JOB DESCRIPTION
1.Collect customer/market requirements from internal and external sources (customers, prospects, sales personnel, etc.), Define functional requirements for Cable Video (VOD, nPVR), telecommunications and IPTV products, working with other organizations to assess customer needs and competitive positioning.
2.Work with engineering department to define product roadmap and to structure product releases to achieve maximum customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.
3.Manage product life cycle from conception to introduction to end-of-life
4.Introduce Cable Video/IPTV products to other organizations and to customers
5.Specify market requirements for current and future products by conducting market research supported by on-going visits to customers and potential customers.
6.Develop, implement and execute a company-wide go-to-market plan, work with all departments to execute.
7.provide a technical interface and commercial support to Sales and Account management during the pre-sales process and contribute to the Bid/Proposal process
8.give presentations to both internal and external parties on current and future product developments, as well as publish regular Product Updates related to new system functionalities and other high-priority product issues

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to: ‘topjob_it064sh@dacare.com’

Cable Video and IPTV Business Development Manager, APAC Region

Company Introduction:
One of the Top 3 IT communication network company in the world

JOB RESPONSBILITIES
As Business Development Manager, you will help developing new business and service existing accounts of Cisco’s industry changing Cable Video (VOD, nPVR, Ad insertion) and IPTV product for Asian Pacific Region. Successful individual needs to have extensive business contact in Cable and Telco space, develop new business relationships with end customers, solution providers and distribution partners throughout APAC region.
Job responsibilities include communicating with many areas of the company. You will develop and implement strategy, provide pre-sales support and assist Sales account team and our partners to secure business deals. You are also required to monitor industry trends and identify new markets and opportunities, and communicate such information to the product teams. You will conduct sales presentations, product demonstrations as well as represent Cisco at international trade shows and conferences. You will work with Sales account team to follow up on customer relationship and close this deal. You will also work with product marketing team to define product release requirements, go-to-market strategy, helping them understand the product positioning, key benefits, and target customer.

REQUIREMENTS
1.7+ years of Cable and Tier-1 Telco sales and Business development experience.
2.Proven ability to manage complex negotiations with senior executives of Tier 1 carriers.
3.Proven success in selling to APAC Cable/Telco and ISP market and environment
4.Self-motivated, responsible and able to work independently
5.Strong communication skills in English, both written and spoken
6.BS in Business, Computer Science or equivalent experience
7.MBA not required but a strong plus
8.This position requires travel in China & Asia Pacific Region (25%).
9.Proficiency with Microsoft Office software required.
10.Strong communication and presentation skills
11.Excellent English is a must.
12.3+ years Cable Video and IPTV work experience required.
13.Video processing and switching experience a plus.

JOB DESCRIPTION
1.Collect customer/market requirements from internal and external sources (customers, prospects, sales personnel, etc.), Work with Sales team, as well as partners to identify customer need, requirement, and competitive positioning.
2.Work with Sales account team to project Sales Revenue forecast.
3.Capture new sales opportunities, either directly from customers or indirectly from Sales partners, build customer relationship and help sales account team fulfill sales target.
4.Manage virtual team for signing sales contract
5.Account management for existing customers
6.Work with Product marketing team to perform market and competition analysis
7.Introduce Cable Video/IPTV products to other organizations and to customers
8.Developing, implementing and executing a company-wide go-to-market plan, working with all departments to execute.
9.synchronization with corporate and long-term strategies, Engineering for scoping and design of solutions to product requirements, Customer Service and Account Management for product-related customer issues

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to: ‘topjob_it063sh@dacare.com’

Senior Manager-Financial Planning &Analysis

Company Introduction:
Senior Financial Analysis Manager expetriated to Seoul, Korea, USA Corp.

JOB SUMMARY:
The position is primarily responsible for managing financial analysis processes, presentation for management and identification and prioritization of actions to be taken. The person will also provide analytical support for short-term forecasting, long-term planning and the annual budgeting process, as well as perform ad hoc analysis as requested. The position also needs to demonstrate a potential career path to CFO.

Responsibility
1.Collaborate with business team in reviewing spending request against budget, profitability analysis, formulating conclusions, and developing action plan
2.Provide timely and accurate periodic financial analysis report to measure business performance
3.Lead the forecasting and annual budgeting including establishment of financial targets, metrics, and guideline, coordination with other functions and consolidation of the result
i.Perform and manage ad-hoc projects, modeling and financial analysis

REQUIREMENTS
Bachelors degree in field of Accounting or Business Administration
CPA and/or MBA preferred
1.At least 5-10 years relevant experience, with 3 years management or similar position, preferably in the multinational company, very strong hands-on experience.
2.Entirely familiar with local procedures, tax laws and finance regulations
3.High degree of competence in management reporting, financial accounting practices and business performance analysis, just be flexible and adaptable to meeting reporting objectives and deadlines.
4.Strong communication skills with the managers at all levels, can provide solutions to be effective business partner
5.Experience in supervising team members, projects, budgets and other business requirement tasks
6.High level of proactive manner, self-motivation capability, changing mind in the dynamic environment.

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to: ‘topjob_fi126sh@dacare.com’

A Top semiconductor Company

Company Introduction:
A Top semiconductor Company

Responsibility
1.To further improve the quality and reliability of the parts with all the resources available.
2.To evaluate/source equipment to meet the needs and to seek breakthroughs whenever possible.
3.To manage the group to provide prompt and meaningful analysis of the in a timely fashion.
4.To suggest corrective actions, whenever possible to all concerned parties so that appropriate actions can be taken to produce better quality and/or reliable parts in a timely manner.
5.Formulate plans and lead a team to achieve Section goals and objectives.
6.Train, develop and retain staff.
7.Plan and maximize available resources.
8.Manage the budget and cost of the Section to ensure cost effectiveness in all its operations.
9.Responsible for cost, productivity and quality improvement programs.
10.Participate or lead in plant wide cross-functional activities.
11.Liaise with global DA community to achieve the ¡°virtual lab¡± vision.
12.Other duties as assigned by supervisor.
13.Accord resources necessary to meet the customer expectations.
14.Set goals for productivity and competency.
15.Plan for future capabilities in failure analysis.

Qualification
SUPERVISION EXERCISED: 6-10 DA engineers / Reliability engineers
1.General understanding of all phases of operations.
2.Preferably with knowledge of wafer fabrication/design/assemble process and material used.
3.Provide the necessary support to ensure smooth operations.
4.Able to lead and execute plans to achieve required goals.
5.Effective management and leadership skills.
6.Help build and maintain effective teams.
7.Independent, resourceful and takes initiative.
8.Effective communication skills.
9.Degree above in Electronics Engineering / Material Science with 5-7 years relevant experience. PhD is preferred.
10.Oversee the operations, involved in budget planning for equipment, and interface with other engineering groups.

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to: ‘topjob_051sh@dacare.com’

Sales Manager

Company Introduction:
A fortune 500 Company started out as a company with a handful of employees and a burning passion. That company soon became a world-renowned camera maker and is now a global multimedia corporation. That Company will continue using its technologies to benefit people as it pursues its objective of becoming a company that is loved by people throughout the world.

Responsibilities:
1.Develops and implements strategic sales plans to accommodate corporate goals;
2.Directs sales forecasting activities and sets performance goals accordingly;
3.Reviews market analyses to determine customer needs;
4.Directs channel development activity and coordinates sales distribution by establishing distributors;
5.Meets with key clients, maintaining relationships and negotiating and closing deals;
6.Resolves issues with clients and distributors;
7.Coordinates liaise between sales department and other sales related units;
8.Prepares periodic sales report showing sales volume, potential sales, and areas of proposed client base expansion;
9.Directs product research and development.

Qualification:
1.University degree in sales and marketing management or equivalent;
2.At least 5 years sales and marketing management experience with a multinational company;
3.Excellent both written and spoken English;
4.Computer literate in word processing, spreadsheet and electronic mails application;
5.Good interpersonal communication skills;
6.Good project and time management skill;
7.Good industry intelligence and wide contacts;
8.Good leadership.

Education:
BA/BS Degree.

Next stop China for rail jobs

THE next generation of trains for Sydney’s rail system will be built by a Chinese company with little experience delivering passenger trains to a developed country, a move that will cost hundreds of jobs in the Hunter region.

The Premier, Morris Iemma, made no mention of the Changchun Railway Vehicle Company a fortnight ago when he awarded a $3.6 billion order for 626 rail cars to a consortium headed by the maker of CityRail’s Millennium Trains, Downer EDI Rail.

The Reliance Rail consortium said at the time the experience of EDI in building and maintaining the Millennium Train was a “key plank” in securing Australia’s largest-ever train order.

But EDI will only be responsible for the design and the final fit-out of the double-decker carriages, to be imported from China. Their electronics will be provided by the Japanese company Hitachi.

Changchun boasts on its website the “great progress” it has made in the international rail market, referring to Iran, Pakistan and Zimbabwe as its notable export success stories. Its carriages also operate in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

The 626 carriages in the contract are due to enter the Sydney rail network between 2010 and 2013. They will also replace 498 carriages in the existing fleet.

The Minister for Transport and Deputy Premier, John Watkins, said the Reliance bid provided a superior train at better value for money, “making it a clear winner”.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union campaigned for the contract to go to two local bidders, EDI or United Goninan. The union’s state secretary, Paul Bastian, welcomed the contract going to EDI, but blamed the State Government for requiring only 20 per cent local content. EDI and United, against foreign bidders, had no choice but to look at sourcing some trains from overseas to mount a competitive bid, he said.

EDI says 290 jobs will be created at its Cardiff plant in the Hunter from the contract. However, there is expected to be a net loss of rail-related jobs in the Hunter. United may have to lay off some of the 550 workers at its Newcastle plant.

The NSW director of Australian Industry Group, Mark Goodsell, said the contract required less local content than comparable contracts let by other states.

“There is a risk – a risk to local capacity to build trains and our ability to service them in the future,” he said. He warned of flow-on effects to other manufacturing with the loss of skills.

Mr Watkins defended Changchun’s quality and reliability. “CRC has significant experience building trains in joint-venture arrangements with major international rolling stock manufacturers, including Alstom, Hitachi, Bombardier and Siemens. It also has significant expertise in stainless steel car body construction and is building 540 stainless steel cars with Bombardier for the Beijing Airport line for the 2008 Olympics.”

It was one of few companies that could produce more than 2000 carriages a year.

The Opposition said the project was running late and had blown out from $1.5 billion to $3.6 billion.