Bringing Companies And The Right Talent Together
Posted on 31/07/2012
Achieve has matched more than 5,000 candidates with organisations in the region in the past 5 years.
IT certainly lives up to its name. Founded in 1990 as a “one-man” company, Achieve Group is now a leading People Solutions provider.
The company comprises two business entities: Talent acquisition and human resource consulting. The latter was formed last year to help Achieve’s clients see more engaged and more productive employees.
“The philosophy of achieving continual success lies in the consultative, caring and partnership approach with our clients, candidates and consultants,” said Joshua Yim, chief executive and founder of Achieve Group.
Over the past 21 years, Achieve has acted as a matchmaker between employers seeking talent and individuals looking for their dream career. Driven by the belief that “people are the most critical assets behind any organisation’s success”, Mr Yim leads a team of 60 experienced HR professionals.
Achieve is known for its speedy and effective delivery of People Solutions to Fortune 500 multinational corporations (MNCs) and conglomerates within the Asia-Pacific region. Facilitated by its committed workforce, proven process methodology and efficient support system, Achieve has successfully matched more than 5,000 candidates in the past five years with the right organisations in the Asia-Pacific region and achieved a total turnover of $16 million in 2010.
Business philosophy
“We always strive to add value to our clients’ business by getting them the right people while helping to fulfil our candidates’ aspirations and providing unlimited opportunities for our own people to succeed within the Achieve Group of companies,” Mr Yim said.
He believes in understanding the customer’s needs and then ensuring the accurate matching of candidates with potential employers.
Feedback from clients is taken seriously with necessary changes made to align best practices and ISO 9001 standards, as the group received ISO certification in 2009.
With its strong reputation, Achieve stands out in a highly competitive HR industry marked by many MNCs from overseas.
Never-say-die attitude
Business has hardly been plain sailing for Achieve. The company has weathered three crises – the first being the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis and the latest the 2008 Great Financial Tsunami. However, the toughest time was between 2001 and 2003 when the company was hit by a triple whammy: the bursting of the dotcom bubble, the Sept 11 attacks in the US and the Sars epidemic. The company lost almost $800,000 during that period, bringing Mr Yim to the brink of bankruptcy.
But with their boss’s strong faith, perseverance and never-say-die attitude, Achieve survived the crisis and got back onto a safe track by early 2004. Mr Yim’s hard work eventually won him the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2009, which honours top entrepreneurs for their contributions to the economy and society. This was followed by the Spirit of Enterprise Award in 2010 which recognised 30 entrepreneurs who have shown resilience and tenacity in building up their respective businesses.
Driven by the belief that satisfied and happy employees can add great value to a company, Achieve has put in much effort to create a company culture that is inspirational while offering the best incentives to its recruitment consultants and employees.
Every month, the top consultants and teams are acknowledged with their names listed on a “Hall of Fame” board on the wall in the boardroom.
All employees are also treated to a celebratory lunch on a quarterly, bi-annual and annual basis to recognise employees’ performance, during which they are presented with platinum, gold and silver awards. There are also other awards such as the Best Improvement Award and New Rookie Award given out to motivate the under-achievers and new employees to help them realise their potential. Additionally, teams that achieve their monthly targets are given a “half-day incentive” whereby the entire team can celebrate their achievement with a fully paid for lunch and entertainment.
Business has hardly been plain sailing for Achieve. The company has weathered three crises – the first being the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis and the latest the 2008 Great Financial Tsunami. However, the toughest time was between 2001 and 2003 when the company was hit by a triple whammy: the bursting of the dotcom bubble, the Sept 11 attacks in the US and the Sars epidemic. The company lost almost $800,000 during that period, bringing Mr Yim to the brink of bankruptcy.
Despite the competitive environment, caring and sharing are not forgotten. For consultants who are unable to meet their targets, the team leaders and even the CEO will chip in to help by looking at what is holding the employee back and devising a strategy for him. For every achievement of the employee, the company makes an effort to share the success story for the benefit of all colleagues.
The company even has an “hourly leave” scheme not just for working mothers to take leave on an hourly basis but for every employee in the firm to attend to emergencies. This is a privilege rarely seen in the industry that all Achieve employees enjoy.
Achieve also believes in continual investment in its infrastructure and people in order to attain greater productivity.
In addition to investing a lot of resources into information technology systems over the years, the company acquired a CRM and candidate management system to increase efficiency to the tune of more than $100,000 last year.
Every month, the company also conducts a “Book Club” that encourages all staff members to read a chapter from a recommended business or management book and then share their learning points with the rest of the organisation.
There is also a companywide annual survey conducted to understand if there are policy gaps or dissatisfaction within the company that the management can address or look into and make improvements.
CSR
Achieve strongly believes in giving back to society. The company supports Compassion, an international organisation that helps children who are living in extreme poverty in more than 26 developing countries.
Every year, Achieve adopts one more child and its support is not confined to financial aid but includes providing emotional support and encouragement through writing to the children. To date, Achieve has sponsored 21 children across the Asean countries, mirroring its 21 years of business operations.
By partnering with Achieve, some clients have also become supporters in Achieve’s mission to give back to the less fortunate in society.
Growth trajectory
Achieve is always on a growth trajectory and continues to expand its vision and increase its presence in the Asia-Pacific region by seeking new opportunities and providing new services to better cater to market needs.
Achieve is now developing its HR consulting business to complement its talent acquisition expertise. Aimed at enhancing clients’ people management capabilities, the new business line will offer strategic HR solutions in three key areas: Assessment capability development, behavioural capability development, and HR systems and frameworks.
The services include developing customised capability assessment centres for employers; conducting employee engagement surveys for clients to propose ways to enhance the staff’s behavioural capabilities; coaching skill enhancement training for managers; building practical and cost-effective competency models and systems for training, performance and talent management; and succession planning.
Achieve’s aggressive expansion plan includes generating an annual revenue of $100 million by the year 2020, increasing its current Singapore workforce to 200 and opening new branches in the Asia-Pacific region including China.
The Achieve Group of companies has also won many accolades such as the Singapore Prestige Brand Award 2010, the Top 10 Preferred Recruitment Firm title from Human Resources magazine in 2009 and 2010, and Enterprise 50 Awards in 2011.
It was also named the first runner-up in the “Employment” category at the Asean Business Award 2011.
Source: The Business Times, 31 July 2012