Quality-competitive IT-specialised headhunter XPAND GROUP is proving to be the ‘silver bullet’ for progressive firms seeking swift, accurate, transparent and reliable recruitment service without the ‘premium’ tag.

Looking to hire ‘best-in-class’ professionals from sectors like AI, cyber-security, robotics, machine-learning etc.? So are your competitors but chances are you’ve now discovered something they haven’t.

Hong Kong is home to one of the region’s low-profile yet top performing recruiters specialising in IT. A stable favourite of the territory’s smartest companies, the Xpand Group has increased its market share significantly over the last decade.

Speaking to the current Director of Xpand (Hong Kong), we learn that Xpand has been in operation and at the forefront of Digital and Technology IT recruitment since 1993.

“We have continued to move with the times, staying as far ahead of the tech curve as possible so to be best able to support our customers with their hiring in these candidate short markets,” Ingham says.

“We identify the skill gaps and the main needs by understanding the trends as well as our clients requirements well ahead of time so that we can readily identify suitable talent from our talent pool on demand and as requested.”

Art of Matchmaking

“We go through a very rigorous process of identifying and meeting with the right talent—people who hold the technical and hard skills that our clients have specifically requested,” says Ingham, adding that this is itself is no mean feat, given the sheer width, length and depth of the market.

“In this business, the challenge is to ensure we identify the right match, and to do that we must fully understand our clients’ working styles and environments so that we can match the soft skills to the precise requirements of the job.”

“We ensure that we have all of the relevant information from the first stage of the hiring process so that we can manage the interview process, particularly further down the line when we are managing the offer and negotiation process.”

“We are not just satisfied to fulfil a mandate. We aim to amaze, to build a relationship of trust and a reputation for reliability” – Xpand Group

What’s Hot. Why?

According to Ingham, artificial intelligence (A.I.), Machine Learning and CyberSecurity are all very hot growth areas at the moment with growing levels of demand.

“The ability to automate and make everyone’s roles/lives easier is a huge growth area for companies. Security online is a major concern for companies and consumers meaning there is a massive appetite and need for these professionals.”

“Xpand was recently acquired by Salt Recruitment Group, a global digital recruiter that specialises in building teams to support an organisation’s digital transformation. We are very excited to be joining forces as we work together to build a stronger presence in the market. We look forward to delivering great service to our candidates and clients, and we value the relationships we have built over the years.”

Xpand offers a variety of solutions to clients including contracting employees where needed and providing benefits such as insurance and relocation assistance. Ingham says: “Nearly 15% of our hires come from overseas and so managing complex processes is something we are very experienced with.”

Xpand Group receives the trophy of excellence at Mediazone’s Most Valuable Companies in Hong Kong 2020 Awards ceremony on December 12, 2019.

Exceeding Expectations

“We are not just satisfied to fulfil a mandate. We aim to amaze, to build a relationship of trust and a reputation for reliability, which is why we offer a guarantee covering a standard probation period. This is in place to give clients comfort that we are happy to shoulder some of the risk of a candidate not working out because of motivational/interpersonal issues that we should have identified in our qualification process. This encourages any recruiter not to take short cuts or try and mask any issues that might make them unsuitable for the role/company.”

“I would say that on price alone we are competitive although perhaps slightly more expensive than some companies. Price is such a focus point for clients in Hong Kong when looking at partners and so it needs to be a major factor here.”

“Quality is where we excel and clients often praise us for our delivery and support and we are regularly reached out to provide insights on various roles, processes and plans as our clients understand we have the expertise they often require and are willing to go above and beyond. Our level of experience in the market allows us to be true specialists within digital and tech recruitment.”

For additional information, please visit www.xpand.com.hk

Hong Kong’s Business Leaders share market and interest intelligence in the pages of HKMVC 2020

Tagged in: