“Many qualified and skilled professionals are stuck in the middle”

By Bernice Rajan

HR Cornucopia HR Consultant Sonia Chinnaiyah says very often good candidates do not apply for jobs but rather they have to be searched and good search firms have the ability to identify the right candidate for the right job. Sonia holds a first class honours degree specialised in Human Resources Management along with three Gold Medals from the University of Colombo. Following are excerpts of an interview:

Q: To begin, what is HR Cornucopia’s value proposition and what role do you play at HR Cornucopia?

A: HR Cornucopia provides cost effective, simple, yet professional and practical ‘people centric business solutions’ for MNCs, large organisations, start-ups and small and medium enterprises. HR Cornucopia’s uniqueness comes from the people within the organisation and their broad experience in different organisations and business issues. It is advised and supported by a global advisory board, whose members are of very high standing in their respective countries.

HR Cornucopia Sri Lanka is the local arm of HR Cornucopia Asia, which is presently operating in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and in Singapore. Since its inception from 2005, the Sri Lankan operation has built a good network with the cream of industry, both local and in the region. With a strong business ethic and experience rooted globally and in the region, we understand the challenges faced by organisations in Asia. My role is to liaise with clients to design people centric business solutions for strategic and other company-specific HR issues.

HR Cornucopia HR Consultant Sonia Chinnaiyah

Q: Why are talented professionals unable to reach their full potential?

A: In my view, many qualified and skilled professionals are ‘stuck in the middle’ and unable to excel in their careers due to various unreasonable factors such as office politics, favouritism or may be due to poor attitude of their immediate superiors and management, who have failed to promote many sleeping giants whose sincere contributions were overlooked for many years.

Further, many professionals are also not aware of other lucrative job openings that could create the turning point in their careers. Thus, there are many frustrated and competent professionals in leading organisations whose skills are being wasted and are faced with irrational stumbling blocks to ‘reach for their stars’.  

Q: How will companies like HR Cornucopia assist such professionals to build their careers?

A: If competent professionals have the right ingredients to move up in their career, head hunters can help take their careers to the next level, as they control access to the best and most important executive jobs in the industry that are unpublished.

Head hunters get paid by the company based on every successful hire so, their aim is to get their candidates get hired. They will act as cheerleaders and recommend such professionals’ profile directly to the hiring managers. They will also prepare candidates for interviews and will provide additional details to ensure they succeed at the interviews. Thus, professionals who approach companies like HR Cornucopia can have an edge over another candidate whose application is just part of a pile of faceless CVs.  Even if such candidates do not succeed at few interviews, head hunters can find other job openings as they are regularly in contact with reputed business icons and hiring managers who are on the lookout for external talent.

Moreover, companies like HR Cornucopia will ensure confidentiality of all job applicants’ details. Hence, they could also assist professionals to quietly find their next job without upsetting their current employer.

Q: Is executive search a better recruiting method than the traditional vacancy advertisements?

A: Head hunters or executive search consultants have been in business for many years but has taken much prominence in the recent past. There are many success stories of head hunters based in Sri Lanka. HR Cornucopia has also built a good track record since it launched its executive search services from 2007. Very often, good candidates do not apply for jobs hence, they have to be searched and good search firms have the ability to identify the right candidate for the right job.

Q:  Do head hunters create any value to business organisations in Sri Lanka?

A: They have the impetus to shape corporate performance by helping organisations find the ideal talent.

As head hunters are in the business of finding talent from various avenues, they have a special sense to identify the right candidate for the right company. They will also have access to additional details regarding prospective candidates’ core strengths and weaknesses that hiring managers would not be able to find out due to their busy schedule.

The final decision to choose the ideal candidate will be at the sole discretion of the hiring managers / key decision makers of the company. However, head hunters will do the necessary transactional work like sifting through many CVs, calling candidates for interviews, etc. Therefore, hiring managers would also be relieved from part of their recruitment responsibilities whose time could be invested in other critical aspects.

They can also expand companies’ options as head hunters also work with other leading professionals who can recommend prospective candidates that hiring managers would have overlooked or have never reached. Thus, head hunters’ voice can be paramount on this regard to make the final decision to pick the ideal man or woman for organisations’ key positions.

Q: What is the uniqueness of HR Cornucopia’s head hunting services?

A: HR Cornucopia’s uniqueness comes from the robust network it has built over the years and its regional presence. As we also undertake salary surveys for leading organisations, we are well updated regarding the market rates. Thus, unlike just plugging holes within companies, we would take a strategic view and source the right candidate from a large pool of untapped talent and can even negotiate salary that would ensure a ‘win-win’ situation for both the prospective employer and employee.