EMEA Recruitment Podcast #142 - Recruitment: An Art & a Science – Hung Lee

We were honored to welcome Hung Lee, Curator of Recruiting Brainfood, onto the EMEA Recruitment podcast. 

“We have to do a better job at aligning people to the work they are good at, the work they are passionate for and well compensated for. As a society, we have to get that right and, as a recruiter, we play a non-insignificant part in that.”

This episode begins with Hung reciting the breakfast recipe he has consistently made for the past several years. Although this may sound like a tiresome meal to some individuals, Hung sees the value in routine; it allows him to spend his time and energy on the important things – a common theme we see in entrepreneurs and people in executive positions. 

Paul Toms questions Hung about his passion and drive for the recruitment industry. We discover this came from an interest in how people work together, their motivations and ultimately how they operate, persuading him to study courses like Philosophy and Sociology at college. He adds that recruitment is both an art and a science. 

Paul also questions Hung on the career path he would have taken instead of recruitment. He explains how, upon leaving university, there was little guidance. He acknowledges that, at the very early stages of a career, many people don’t understand which career may suit them best. Hung references some of his own friends, who he credits on being hardworking and smart, but ultimately unhappy in their jobs. 

Hung later shares a story from his recruitment career back in 2012. He remembers the defining moment of knowing when it was time to quit his job – the moment he became top biller at a recruitment firm. 

“If you’re not all in, that’s when you are going to start failing. You have to be totally in – your passion is one of the reasons that makes you good at the job.” 

Hung later shares his initial business idea and the reason why it was difficult to sell and how he addressed these issues. He gives his advice to anyone considering becoming an entrepreneur, his experiences on risk taking and puts forward the question: ‘How long can you stay in the ring?’. 

He recites the three things he has learned from his own lessons, which people have to consider if they wish to be successful. These are: 

1. Understanding your mental and financial burnout 
2. Plan – but don’t over plan 
3. Revaluate your revenue model 

Furthermore, Paul asks how Hung feels about being an entrepreneur with a successful idea. Hung is pleased and gives the audience an insight into how Recruiting Brainfood has developed, alongside Hung’s need to serve the recruitment ecosystem further to continue to provide value.

Additionally, during this episode, Paul and Hung talk about how technology has affected the recruitment cycle. Listeners will be keen to hear about the developments made in interview intelligence software and how implementing this into your recruiting service could give you a competitive advantage and a means to innovate, regarding efficiency, capability and credibility. 

The episode ends with a discussion around the true cost of a bad hire and the importance of honesty from the candidate, recruitment agency and the hiring manager.

If you wish to contact Hung, he recommends you sign up for the Recruiting Brainfood newsletter, which then will give you the chance to contact him via email: https://www.recruitingbrainfood.com/subscribe-now/ 

You can watch the full episode on YouTube:

 

If you’re looking for a particular part of the episode, use the timestamps below:

01:35: Hung’s breakfast concoction & thoughts on routine
04:30: The last thing that made Hung smile
07:50: Hung’s passion for recruitment
10:05: Alternative career paths Hung may have fallen into
13:00: The moment Hung decided to quit
17:15: 3 steps to consider when starting a business
24:15: The creation of Recruiting Brainfood
27:30: How Recruiting Brainfood developed
31:10: Interview intelligence software
41:55: The true cost of a wrong hire & the importance of honesty
48:40: How to contact Hung 

 

EMEA Recruitment is a proud partner of international medical charity Operation Smile, which provides life-changing surgery to children and adults with cleft lip and palate. To help us create 100 new smiles through this partnership, please donate: https://www.emearecruitment.com/operation-smile

 

This episode is hosted by Paul Toms and Rose Jinks. 

You can find out more about our recruitment services through our website: https://www.emearecruitment.com/

You can also follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emea-recruitment-limited/

Visit LinkedIn if you’d like to connect with Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultoms/

Or you can follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/paul_toms

 

If you have any feedback on the EMEA Recruitment podcast, please get in touch with Rose: [email protected]

 

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