Written byLiam Edwards, Consultant at Lewis Sanders
Liam specialises in both private practice and in-house legal recruitment in Singapore. Liam has forged close relationships with a wide range of clients in Singapore most recently with in-house clients in the technology sector. Over the years, his passion for building long-lasting relationships have enabled him to not only meet, but exceed both clients and candidates’ expectations and role requirements.
I’m sure we have all been feeling the united pressures of the current market, and this worldly situation.
However, during these times of unprecedented change, I feel there is a need to reach out more to clients / candidates alike to solidify trust and reassurance in an otherwise unstable time.
Previously, just as this pandemic was starting, I read Bill Gates’ thoughts on the situation, and I was inspired by the idea that “this is reminding us that after every difficulty there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase in this great cycle. We do not need to panic; this too shall pass.” I believe this is continuing to ring true.
As we approach the end of 2020, my recent conversations with clients, businesses and candidates alike tell me that it’s not just Bill Gates that has felt this way. So as a reminder I wanted to share a few positive observations I’ve had lately on the build up to the end of what has been a year of change, and adaptation for us all, in the hopes that they’ll encourage you to keep persevering and having conversations about the future.
When one door closes, another opens –
My clients and candidates in Hong Kong, Singapore and across APAC have continued to adapt, overcome and persevere. I’ve had some incredibly refreshing phone/Zoom calls and coffees over the last few weeks – both on a business and personal level – so thank you! What they’ve been telling me is that businesses over the last few months have been using this time to look internally at their structures, analyze their efficiency and pursue key strategic hires. Which are now coming to light with engagement for such hires.
The message: there is an opportunity right now to cherry-pick the very best talent available.
Now is not the time to stop processes completely –
The current market has given us a lot of reasons to slow down, and it’s tempting for companies to put a pause on all hiring until we see how this awful situation plays out. Counter-intuitively, however, a common line of reasoning I am hearing from HR contacts and hiring managers who were around during SARS is that stopping all recruitment at this time is a dangerous approach.
After the industry recuperated from SARS, there was a huge amount of competition for talent as the market rapidly recovered.
Therefore, the safe approach many clients are taking is to keep hiring during this rough patch to ensure businesses are not caught out when the bounce back happens. We are starting to see this now, with more and more exciting roles coming through.
It’s important to control the controllables –
Something I use in both business and life. We can’t control the virus, the measures put in place by global governments, or their effect on the economy! What we can control is how we view this situation, how we maintain and nurture key relationships and ultimately how we build ourselves up stronger in anticipation of the eventual global recovery. It has been the perfect time to start building new relationships.
Though some of us might be reading this while still working from home, a lot of us may be back in the office, and some of us reading from a hotel room currently serving out their quarantine period – a new normality will soon be restored.
Perseverance, Relationships, and Conversations
Liam specialises in both private practice and in-house legal recruitment in Singapore. Liam has forged close relationships with a wide range of clients in Singapore most recently with in-house clients in the technology sector. Over the years, his passion for building long-lasting relationships have enabled him to not only meet, but exceed both clients and candidates’ expectations and role requirements.
I’m sure we have all been feeling the united pressures of the current market, and this worldly situation.
However, during these times of unprecedented change, I feel there is a need to reach out more to clients / candidates alike to solidify trust and reassurance in an otherwise unstable time.
Previously, just as this pandemic was starting, I read Bill Gates’ thoughts on the situation, and I was inspired by the idea that “this is reminding us that after every difficulty there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase in this great cycle. We do not need to panic; this too shall pass.” I believe this is continuing to ring true.
As we approach the end of 2020, my recent conversations with clients, businesses and candidates alike tell me that it’s not just Bill Gates that has felt this way. So as a reminder I wanted to share a few positive observations I’ve had lately on the build up to the end of what has been a year of change, and adaptation for us all, in the hopes that they’ll encourage you to keep persevering and having conversations about the future.
When one door closes, another opens –
My clients and candidates in Hong Kong, Singapore and across APAC have continued to adapt, overcome and persevere. I’ve had some incredibly refreshing phone/Zoom calls and coffees over the last few weeks – both on a business and personal level – so thank you! What they’ve been telling me is that businesses over the last few months have been using this time to look internally at their structures, analyze their efficiency and pursue key strategic hires. Which are now coming to light with engagement for such hires.
The message: there is an opportunity right now to cherry-pick the very best talent available.
Now is not the time to stop processes completely –
The current market has given us a lot of reasons to slow down, and it’s tempting for companies to put a pause on all hiring until we see how this awful situation plays out. Counter-intuitively, however, a common line of reasoning I am hearing from HR contacts and hiring managers who were around during SARS is that stopping all recruitment at this time is a dangerous approach.
After the industry recuperated from SARS, there was a huge amount of competition for talent as the market rapidly recovered.
Therefore, the safe approach many clients are taking is to keep hiring during this rough patch to ensure businesses are not caught out when the bounce back happens. We are starting to see this now, with more and more exciting roles coming through.
It’s important to control the controllables –
Something I use in both business and life. We can’t control the virus, the measures put in place by global governments, or their effect on the economy! What we can control is how we view this situation, how we maintain and nurture key relationships and ultimately how we build ourselves up stronger in anticipation of the eventual global recovery. It has been the perfect time to start building new relationships.
Though some of us might be reading this while still working from home, a lot of us may be back in the office, and some of us reading from a hotel room currently serving out their quarantine period – a new normality will soon be restored.
Let’s not get caught on the backfoot!