Aminuddin runs Natures Ville, a healthcare company that focuses on supplement products for overall health and nutrition. Early this year, Amin and his team decided to expand their team of telemarketers for wider outreach. Despite numerous attempts to hire, they soon realised that the candidates they interviewed lacked the experience they needed.
Keen to explore alternative options, Aminuddin attended a Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) briefing in June this year, where he connected with our WSG Business Advisors and applied for the Work Trial Programme by Workforce Singapore (WSG). In this feature, we sit down with Amin to find out how the programme has benefitted his company in addressing the challenges they faced.
1. Share with us some of the challenges you faced in finding the right talent.
Our company was growing rapidly and we needed to recruit more telemarketers. Despite several attempts, we were unable to find the right candidate as they had neither any experience in the field or the language proficiency required for the job. Some of the candidates were also asking for a high salary and it was beyond our budget.
2. What made you get on board the Work Trial Programme?
We came across the programme during a briefing at SNEF’s office and were drawn to the prospect of assessing potential employees for a short period of time before offering them a permanent job. This was an opportunity for us to save cost as we found out from SME Centre @SMCCI that we need not fork out the employees’ salaries as they would claim it from WSG directly.
3. How has it benefitted you?
Through the programme, we shortlisted 5 potential candidates but only 1 had the experience we needed so we offered him the job on a temporary basis. This gave us the chance to know him better before offering him a permanent role in the company.
4. Would you recommend the Work Trial Programme to fellow SMEs? Why?
Yes, definitely. It enables SMEs to evaluate each candidate on their strengths and weaknesses before hiring. Plus, candidates are given the opportunity to assess the job scope and decide if it is the right fit for them.