We have found there are more applicants for roles than ever before and shortlisting candidates has proved ever challenging. Our employers still want the best, and every candidate believes they are the best. As a recruiter we often have the task of selecting from this list. It can be a daunting challenge at times, and we know some candidates will be disappointed.

At ITRS-Asia we like to see everyone succeed. We genuinely believe there is an employer that suits everyone's skills and needs. It is through helping clients and candidates navigate these challenges that we identify a pattern in those who are most successful.

- They set goals

- They step out of their comfort zone (with goals that challenge them)

- They take action on the above

This demonstrates to employers they have self motivation. They are driven. They seek to excel and better themselves. 

Given the choice between two identical candidates the one who demonstrates their ambition to succeed always appears most attractive to an employer.

At ITRS-Asia we thought it useful to share some of our ambitious goals for the future, and create a little public accountability. (Bonus tip: public accountability can motivate you to action)

1) Bring new skills into our team

- We want to increase our presence further in the Asian job market. We want to support more clients and better engage with our customers. To do this we are going to expand our team.

2) Be more confident in presenting our achievements

- We want to tell more people what we have done. We will do this by expanding our online presence, not just supporting our current clients but future clients too.

3) Embrace more direct marketing strategies

- We see some great candidates on LinkedIn, but they don't all indicate they want a new job. We know they will be a great fit for one of our clients and the salary can be very attractive yet we often overlook them. We are going to be more direct with some of the great looking candidates that are out there. We want our clients to have the best staff. This will require us to be more direct with our recruitment campaigns.

4) Put more content on LinkedIn

- This service has really grown over the past several years. While I can be stubborn in business, Lucy reminds me that our business can not be stubborn, particularly when it comes to marketing. This ties closely into the above goals.

5) Embrace the connection opportunities with other recruiters

- For too long we have looked at this as competition. However we realize that in our desire to help everyone that we really can not do this as a small online business. It is time to accept that we should connect with other recruiters and not be afraid to recommend talented individuals to them when we lack the capacity to help.

I think that's all we wanted to share in this post, and we hope that it proves useful.