Singapore's best recruitment agencies for client service

The inaugural edition of the Asia Recruitment Awards in Singapore saw Elliot Scott HR taking gold for the nation's best client service among recruitment agencies.

The awards, which are judged by practicing HR directors across Asia, saw ScienTec Consulting win silver, while Spencer Ogden Energy and Henderson Scott shared the bronze.

When an Australian client approached Elliott Scott HR late last year, desperate to fill an HR role that had already proved difficult to fill, the team sprung into action by taking a new perspective.

The search was split into two strategies, each one led by a consultant, one to look for an interim hire for the role, and the other to concentrate on the permanent hire.

The intense focus paid off, as a shortlist of candidates was lined up in just four days, even as such roles take two weeks to complete on average, surprising the client pleasantly.

The interim candidate was onboarded in just over a month, particularly impressive since the search took place over the annual festive period. Alongside, the permanent candidate was set up to start working within this year's first quarter.

Stuart Elliott, CEO and owner of the company, commented: "To be recognised like this is just a fantastic achievement and full credit should be given to the hard work, dedication and willingness from Vincent (Romano, MD for Southeast Asia) to continue to strive for excellence.

"Let's enjoy the moment and then get better!"

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Silver winner ScienTec Consulting prides itself on a seven-step recruitment process, all the way from assignment brief, to wooing and warming, right uptil transition and retention.

A recent example was an MNC looking to set up a facility in Singapore, with less than 10 weeks on hand to secure the first batch of 20 core hires, with a festive season looming.

In response, the company developed bespoke candidate attraction tool kits, highlighting the company’s unique competitive edge, as well as career growth opportunities, while handling cross-border recruitment logistics, accommodation and reimbursement processes.

A total of 35 niche candidates were flown to Singapore for scientific presentation and final selection. The timely process ensured speedy onboarding, avoiding operational delays and financial penalties for the client.

Karen Tok, CEO, Asia at ScienTec Consulting credited this tailored approach to the achievement.

"We tailor our recruitment approach to create a differentiated client experience: detailed requirements gathering, process design, delivery model, selection of team matrix in client servicing, and value add with the sharing of market insights," she commented.

"Most importantly, we put ‘People First, Always’ and this we believe is the principal element behind the numerous success stories and over 400 client testimonials we have received to date."

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At Spencer Ogden Energy (SO), one of the unique initiatives was to develop contract recruitment solutions, in responses to clients’ temporary sourcing needs for oil & gas projects.

Besides injecting funds to set this up, SO worked to develop an end-to-end service, including full immigration, local payroll, mobilisation and in-country support - all by mobilising contract recruiters from its head office in London to transfer best practices.

As a result, one client that approached the company for payroll, immigration and visa solutions roles in the Middle East saw successful completion of the project within the timeline.

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Henderson Scott also introduced its Partnership Programme in response to client requirements, which saw the launch of initiatives such as provision of in-house teams at client site as part of RPO offering, regular focus groups with clients and candidates, and comprehensive salary and market reviews.

As a result of this partnership approach, repeat business now counts for over 80% of the company's operations, with the majority of new business coming from client recommendations.

The company also cites its consultants as being able to actually consult clients instead of being preoccupied with the cold calling involved in new accounts.

Group managing director Mark Bailey said the company was delighted to be credited with the award.

"We pride ourselves on the exceptional levels of service we deliver to our clients and it is a testament to the continued hard work and dedication of our APAC director Aaron and his team that we have been recognised for our service on a global scale," he noted.

Winners' photos:

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