From virtual interviews to online applications, the recruitment landscape is constantly changing. Often it’s technology that drives progress, with online job boards, applicant tracking systems, and collaboration tools leading the way in fundamentally changing how we manage recruitment and apply for jobs.
With that in mind, we spoke to Hitesh Suresh about his career and the latest trends in HR. Having spent years in the industry and, more recently, as the Head of APAC and a Board Member at Careerminds, Hitesh knows a thing or two about the industry and how technology is helping it to evolve. He generously gave up an evening to chat with us, delving into topics ranging from entrepreneurship to AI.
How did you get to where you are right now?
I was born and raised in Singapore, but my parents are from India. Growing up as the child of immigrants, I was fortunate to learn from their incredible work ethic and strong values.
Post graduation, I started my career in finance, working at a hedge fund. The hours were intense, but I learned so much from working alongside some really driven and smart people. Interestingly, most of the investors in our hedge fund were entrepreneurs, not finance folks.
Their example inspired me to follow in their footsteps. My first company was a solar panel circuitry manufacturer. We were fortunate to land a few marquee clients, including Europe’s largest solar panel manufacturer. Eventually, I exited the business, selling my shares to our majority investor.
Around that time, the internet was starting to take off. Facebook and Twitter had just IPO-ed and it felt like all the action was happening in the tech space. There was so much opportunity, and I knew I had to be part of it.
I launched an online CV writing business that quickly expanded into job placement, recruitment, outplacement, and career coaching. We grew it into the largest business of its kind in Asia-Pacific, eventually leading to its acquisition by the parent company of Careerminds.
Post-acquisition, my role has expanded significantly. These days I’m focused on building software to deliver more value to customers and expand our business units. With the rise of generative AI, it’s been incredibly exciting to use technology to deliver more value to clients while driving great financial results for our employees as well.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
What sets us apart is undoubtedly the bespoke nature of every project we take on. Every jobseeker’s journey is unique, and every jobseeker has their own strengths and aspirations. It’s up to our team to create a customised career plan that helps each individual to land a great new role that fulfills their career ambitions.
Work takes up such a significant part of our lives. Aside from choosing who to marry, choosing where to work is probably one of the most important decisions we ever make.
That’s why it’s so important for our team at Careerminds to do great work. We play such a key part in helping jobseekers find roles that complement their innate skills and enrich their lives.
It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly!
Is there a project you’ll always remember?
One of my favourite clients in recent years was a CFO at a publicly listed company. She came to us after resigning from a senior role because she disagreed with the company’s ethics. She was eager to get back to work but felt completely lost. She had never needed to apply for a job before.
At that stage, I wasn’t doing many coaching calls since the business was really starting to scale, but with all our coaches fully booked, I ended up stepping in to help out, working with her personally.
We provided her with career coaching, revamped her CV, and optimised her LinkedIn profile, giving her the full white-glove experience that we offer to all our clients. The results were phenomenal: she received multiple job offers, including one callback just 30 minutes after applying, and her LinkedIn inbox was flooded with messages from headhunters. She ultimately landed a fantastic new role and went on to have a highly successful career.
She was so pleased that in the three years since, she’s referred over 10 clients to us!
This CFO remains one of the most intelligent, talented, and memorable clients I’ve ever worked with. Not only did she teach me a great deal about career management, but she has since become a close friend. We still text each other today!
What has been the biggest change in HR in the past few years?
Definitely generative AI. In our Asia-Pacific business, we initially took a hit when AI first became mainstream, but we’ve since embraced it to create tools that help clients achieve even greater success in their job searches.
The impact has been overwhelmingly positive for everyone. Our newly-built in-house AI tools enable clients to achieve better career outcomes while reducing costs. At the same time, our career consultants can automate the more mundane aspects of their roles, freeing them up to focus on providing a more tailored, high-touch experience.
Companies that fail to embrace the AI trend will find themselves in serious trouble. For us, it has been a game-changer – we’re so much better as a company, and we’re now delivering a level of service that I never thought possible.
In your opinion, what are the biggest issues in HR right now?
For job seekers, it’s becoming harder to secure interviews because applying for jobs is easier than ever. As a result, they need to submit more applications to stand out and get noticed.
For recruiters, the ease of applying has led to an overwhelming number of applications for each role, many of which are unsuitable. While this creates challenges, emerging AI tools are helping recruiters to manage the sheer volume more efficiently.
For companies, AI is prompting a fundamental shift. As AI can replace many tasks, job roles need to be redesigned to focus on more human-centric skills. We need to help humans focus on tasks which the machine cannot do. The companies who can redesign the workscopes of their teams and embrace AI will be the most successful.
AI brings both opportunities and challenges for everyone involved in HR, and it’s undeniably the most significant driver of change we’re facing today.
What is your advice to more junior HR professionals who want to become leaders?
HR is one of those professions where genuinely caring about people makes all the difference. The most successful HR leaders I know are deeply invested in the well-being and growth of the individuals in their organisations. They focus on keeping employees energised, engaged, and challenged in their roles.
At its core, HR is a people-centric business. If you truly care about people and their success, you’re going to have a great career!
In need of outplacement assistance?
At Careerminds, we care about people first. That’s why we offer personalized talent management solutions for every level at lower costs, globally.