Hiring strategies you may not have thought of

Engaged, effective staff grows your business, and dysfunctional, uninterested staff increases stress levels throughout the office, as many people involved in hiring will tell you. It’s challenging finding people who are a good fit for the job and team — whether you’re hiring financial advisors or office assistants.

To help make this easier, three MDRT members shared some of their ideas for finding new employees:

Hiring people others overlook

Working in an insurance office doesn’t appeal to younger people in Hong Kong, said Ng Chi Lap Kinson, a 26-year MDRT member from Hong Kong. While new, enthusiastic graduates from mainland China flock to Hong Kong to work, the law requires an annual salary of HKD 180,000 (about USD 23,000) for university graduates from mainland China or overseas to stay in Hong Kong and qualify for a work visa. This makes working on commission a dicey option for people who need a guaranteed income.

Ng’s solution is to hire people as financial advisors who are close to retirement age and may come from other industries and are looking for a second career. While they may not find selling enticing, they’re keen on retirement planning. Ng, a Top of the Table qualifier, also looks to some of his policyholders for people interested in trying a new career in financial services.

Another source of talented employees for Ng has been women who left the workforce to raise children but are now looking to work part-time. “They’re great to hire because they were professionals before they had kids, and they do a great job,” he said.

Recruiter shortcut

As part of a pilot project, “Cindy” Tan Sheu Chen, a nine-year MDRT member from Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, pays a recruiter to find her new team members. Furthermore, there’s an added retention bonus for the recruiter if the employee stays for three months and reaches key performance goals. The recruiter interviews and tests candidates to select the best fit for clients. In the pilot program’s first six months, the recruiter found 10 people for her to interview.

University student lecturing

Since April 2018, Shizuko Ozaki, a 17-year MDRT member from Tokyo, Japan, gives free monthly lectures to soon-to-be university graduates (her insurance company doesn’t allow her to collect a secondary income). She lectures for 90-minutes about communication manners and rules as a businessperson. She also gives another 90-minute talk about attitudes and beliefs toward work.

About 10% of lecture attendees express an interest in going into the life insurance industry. So far, two attendees have been interviewed by Ozaki’s company.

Ozaki, a Top of the Table qualifier, arranges the lectures through a former colleague who now runs a consulting and human resources company, which regularly provides lectures in their training rooms for university students.

For more ideas about hiring employees who will benefit your team

• Read “10 ways to improve your hiring”
• Read MDRT’s Hiring Guide for best practices for hiring and keeping staff
• Read “7 steps for creating a successful office team”
• Watch “Evaluating employees” an Annual Meeting presentation about hiring and staff management