5 things we learnt at the inaugural Talent Experience Forum 2018

Among the innumerable nuggets of learning derived from the on-site conversations among HR leaders at this debut event, Aditi Sharma Kalra sums up five of them here.

Having hosted Asia's first-ever Talent Experience Forum at the Sheraton Imperial, Kuala Lumpur on 23 October 2018, the Human Resources project team, led by Heather Ang, put together a number of innovative conversational formats for this debut conference.

The event is dedicated to delivering a consistently engaging yet unique experience as an employer, and since there are multiple ways to do that, the event provided room for lots of intense, interactive sessions among delegates and on-stage speakers. [check out some of the event photos]

After starting with two plenary sessions in the morning, the group of 130+ delegates then split into two streams for the rest of the day - one focusing on streamlining the recruitment process, and the other on developing and improving the employee experience.

It was a truly immersive experience, as the team put forth a number of brand-new sessions, such as the 20-20 Case Study, Knowledge Cafe, Panel Debate, and a Fish-Bowl Panel Discussion, after having opened conference proceedings with three of PwC Malaysia's human capital leaders taking the stage.

[Check out some of the event photos]

Among the innumerable nuggets of learning derived from the on-site conversations, we summed up our top five below:

Employer branding: When it comes to employer branding, one of the keys is to be connected with your target audience, i.e. current and prospective employees. Not only do you need to identify the specify demographics you're speaking to, but you also need to be having conversations with them - for example, talking to them at career fairs, talks, conferences, etc.; or thanks to technology, simply tracking what they are discussing or expressing on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Gamifying recruitment: Common problems in using written testing for recruitment include self-doubt, unconscious bias, and the Lake Wobegon effect, i.e. the natural tendency to overestimate one’s capabilities and see oneself as better than others. Using game-base assessments may help talent acquisition practitioners overcome these specific challenges, as they don't measure how people answer questionnaires, rather how cognitive processing leads to their behaviours.

Nurturing invisible leaders: The concept of the invisible leader originated in the books of Laozi, 'Dao-de-jing'. In this model, 'talent' and 'teams' are the core essential factors. By utilising the six key elements of the model (i.e. choosing the right talent, high-trust environment, highly-effective team, common goal, effective empowerment, coaching and developing talent), the potential of both factors can be unleashed, which will attract further talent to join the company.

University collaboration: To attract the best young talent to your organisation, collaborating with academia is critical, and some of the tried-and-tested ideas that may work well include guest lectures in the form of experience sharing and career talks, workshops, competitions such as best student award or best CV award, site visits through career fairs and industrial trips, and more.

Establishment of a talent council: It may be fruitful for specific organisations to establish a centralised 'talent council' comprising line managers across various core operating functions. This may serve as the approval authority on decisions such as career development activities and their budget, identifying employees with the potential to assume greater responsibility, approving the recommended talent pool, and reviewing the talent pool on a yearly basis.

This knowledge was shared at the Human Resources’ conference, Talent Experience Forum 2018, Malaysia. To know more and attend such events, please visit: http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/events/.

Presenters, panelists and moderators at Talent Experience Forum 2018, Malaysia included:

• VJ Posadas, general manager, APAC, Arctic Shores
• Jowie Yu, director, Autopilot Leadership Lab
• Koljit Singh, head of organisational and cultural excellence, BASF PETRONAS Chemicals
• Grace Chan Hwee, senior general manager, group human resources and administration, Berjaya Corporation
• Vikram Anand, head of human resources – cluster lead for Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, British Council
• Murugahia Tiruganasambathan, head of human resources, Courts Malaysia
• Noorul Uteh, Malaysia HR leader, Dell EMC, Southeast Asia
• Rayyan Irwan, head of talent pipeline and development, Domino’s Pizza Malaysia & Singapore
• Teo Mye Lene, head of human resources, Hilti Asia IT
• Kamarunnihar Abd Samad, general manager human capital, ICON Offshore
• Michelle Yeoh, head of human resources and corporate services, LF Logistics Services
• Elaine Chong, human resource director, MacFood Services
• Chen Fong Tuan, chief people officer, Mah Sing Group
• Naresh Kumar, group head of human resource, Putrajaya Leisures & Services Group
• Salika Suksuwan, human capital leader, PwC Malaysia
• Sherriza Rashidi, employer branding and talent acquisition, lead, PwC Malaysia
• Joanna Van, employer branding and employee engagement, PwC Malaysia
• Munawir Ab Ghani, head of human resources, SilTerra Malaysia
• Sharma Kumari, founder, consultant, talent development, Step by Stepz Solutions
• Vinnie Raviraj, senior director, human resources and talent acquisition, SRG Asia
• Kenneth Z Tan, head of human resources, Sunsuria
• Haikal M Z Akmar, corporate director, human resources, UOA Hospitality

Human Resources would like to thank all its sponsors and partners who have supported this event:

1. Gold sponsors
   1. Arctic Shores
   2. Autopilot Leadership Lab
2. Exhibitor
   1. RGF Executive Search

[Check out some of the event photos]