Managing employees the Dell way

By DIANA ROSLAM (diana@mystarjob.com)

Diana Roslam speaks to Dip Kang, a Senior Manager Human Resources / Talent Acquisition of Dell Malaysia about what the MNC looks for in employees and how the company goes about retaining staff.

What do you generally look for in an employee?

Employees should have three key features; eagerness, hunger and keenness to learn. When you show your eagerness, you take the proactive approach by going straight to the person-in-charge to ask for help. When you’re hungry, humble and want to learn, people around you will guide you and teach you.

At Dell, we have the Individual Development Plan (IDP) where the employee is encouraged to plan their career path; what they want to do, what they want to learn, etc. The managers will sit and go through this with the employee and discuss the possibilities. It is no longer a dictatorial approach.

We also have a mentor-buddy system in place. New employees will have a buddy assigned to them to guide and help them blend in for a period of time. This mentor-buddy system can be suggested by the managers, but they can also be chosen by the employees themselves.

Which one is more important when selecting employees - paper or experience?

They both matter. You need to have certain standards to get into a multinational company (MNC), like a degree or a diploma, depending on the job. That’s the minimum qualification. But that doesn’t mean that you need to get the highest degree to join Dell. What matters are the criteria; the eagerness to learn, etc. The experience does matter, of course, especially in senior positions. They might have only a certificate or a diploma, but they have been doing this for years, so in the old days, a degree didn’t really matter that much.

What do you look for then? Both the paper qualification and experience carry a value. New employees need the qualifications and qualities to join an MNC. For middle management, it's very important to have paper qualifications but you need to have the right work experience, too.

Is it hard to get employees in Cyberjaya?

It’s a chicken and egg kind of story. We get them very easily. Like other global brand names, Dell is one of the best companies to work for. It boils down to how innovative you are in getting talents.

For the Talent Acquisition Team, we pride ourselves as the ambassadors of the company and we take matters seriously in terms of how we present ourselves and how we attract the candidates to join us. Once we’ve got them on board, it’s up to everyone; the management, the senior employees and colleagues to make sure that these new employees are working in a better environment. It’s a team effort.

What are your challenges?

Getting the right talent is our main obstacle. Business strategies change and, like other companies, we need to hire seniors and juniors and the competition is tough out there.

The supply is short when it comes to the Information Technology (IT) industry in Malaysia, as opposed to other countries. Therefore, we need to compete to make sure we get all the right people in.

I have to say, Dell has been doing pretty well so far, but then again, we need to be more creative and think outside the box as far as strategies are concerned. Talent acquisition is no longer about sitting and waiting for people to apply for jobs. You need to go out and get the people in. It is more proactive than it is passive.

What are your pet peeves during interviews?

For me, first impressions matter. When you come dressed up in a suit and formal attire, please present yourself accordingly. If you don’t present yourself in a friendly manner; not smiling, not making eye contact, not humble regardless of how senior you are, that’s immediately a no-no. Therefore, first impressions do matter.

Give due respect when you enter the building, even to the receptionist and the security guards. Address them accordingly because if the management or interviewer finds out, it is not a nice thing as it reflects on you and what kind of person you really are. Watch your demeanour and manners at all times.

Do your homework and ask questions. Everything you need is available on the Internet; the company profile, mission and vision and function and also understand the role that you’re coming in for. Come prepared with questions because if you don’t and just sit there, it can be a boring interview. Interviews are about interactions - don’t forget that.

How do you expect the candidate to perform after employing them?

I expect the person to understand the job and their responsibilities. Both parties (the employer and employee) need to communicate with one another from time to time. Both need to lay out the goals for the next few months and discuss the weaknesses that need to be improved on.

What are the effective ways of retaining employees?

We are talking about different generations here, therefore there are many factors involved. In saying that, I don’t think that salary is a big factor, although it helps if you pay a market rate or above the market rate.

As a HR manager, I believe that having a better work environment helps and that comes with various facilities. At Dell, we provide the employees with a gym, pool table, videogames and a lounge area for them to take a break from their work. It creates a balance and ultimately, a better environment.

What are your talent management strategies?

Different companies have different talent management strategies as they focus on many different things. But then again, employee retention can be a very tricky game. Where we are based, we can feel the competition coming up as more and more companies compete to get the best talents. You can see the same scale sets but some companies are willing to pay their employees more than others. Truthfully, we can’t always compete with the salaries that are being paid above the market rate. But what we can do is come up with strategies on how to make the working place a better environment so that people would actually stay.

What is your advice to jobseekers who want to work at Dell?

To those who want to join Dell, I have to say, you’ll be making a good choice as it is a great company to work for, with a good working environment, and you will be rewarded based on meritocracy and performance. We do not practise favouritism. It’s a very flexible company to work for and we have all the facilities here, especially in Cyberjaya. We make sure all the employees are well taken care of. Dell will add value to your career and your work experience. At an MSC (Multimedia Super Corridor) company like Dell, you will be able to learn so much that even when you go to other companies in the future, you can adapt very easily.