In today’s challenging talent landscape, SME leaders face increasing difficulty in finding the right people to support their growth. With leaner teams and fewer resources, every headcount counts—and hiring the wrong person can have immediate and lasting consequences on the operations and morale of the organisation.
This half-day workshop is designed to help SME owners, directors, and senior leaders take a strategic approach to hiring and retaining talent. In the SME context, it is essential to hireg with an “open eye”—to understand what the job truly demands and type of skill-sets the business needs in a longer term. It is critical to know what each candidate brings to the table (or may lack), and to have a system in place to close those gaps from day one.
Through practical frameworks, real-world examples, and actionable tools, participants will learn how to make better hiring decisions, onboard with intention, and support new hires with the right development plans to help them thrive. This workshop empowers SME leaders to build a workforce that is capable, committed, and aligned with their business goals.
On the completion of this course, you will:
- Understand critical success criteria for selecting talents that support long-term business success
- Apply effective interview questioning techniques to assess candidates’ strengths and identify skill gap
- Oversee the design and develop an effective onboarding programme to engage and equip new hires
- Creating staff learning and development plans to enhance employee performance and growth
Programme Outline
Workforce Optimisation – A Strategic Imperative for SMEs
- 3 “W”s perspective – Workplace, Work, Worker
- Job role as the function of the work
- Polling – What levers are SME leaders prioritising to “do more with less”
- Navigating the talent shortage – why every headcount matters for SMEs
Hiring with the Future in Mind
- What to look for – Critical success factors
- How to uncover strengths and weaknesses through effective interview techniques
Effective Onboarding – Consideration for Long-Term Retention
- What to include in onboarding – Articulating key outcome & areas of focus for SME success
- Self-review to determine current state of onboarding effectiveness
Making Learning More Productive – Considerations for Staff Development Planning
- What to include in staff development plan – Performance expectations & workplace learning methods
- Group exercise to complete sample template for SME staff development planning
Intended For
SME Business Owners, SME Business Leaders and Professionals
Competency Mapping
Others = 3.50 Hours
Schedule & Fees
Date & Time
23 Jul 2025 (1:30 PM - 5:00 PM)
Fee (inclusive of GST)
SGD pricing -
For Members:
$ 163.50
For Non-Members:
$ 163.50
Programme Facilitator(s)
William Thien
Venue
60 Cecil Street
Singapore 049709
Testimonial
Funding
No funding Available!
Programme Facilitator(s)
William Thien
Mr William Thien is a consultant and trainer with over 20 years of experience. He is a certified Practicing Management Consultant (PMC), Certified Productivity Consultant (CPC) and a Certified Workplace Learning Specialist (CWLS). He is an Associate Consultant with the Singapore Productivity Centre as well as the Centre for Learning and Performance of the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL).
Professionally, he holds a Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management from the Singapore Institute of Management and has also completed the Advance Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) from the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL).
As a consultant, his work reflects his wide and in-depth hands-on experience in human resource management. He leads a team of consultants to provide services to several organisations. He is a pre-qualified consultant for the Innovation and Capability Voucher (ICV) scheme administered by SPRING Singapore. He has also worked with Singapore National Employers' Federation (SNEF) and various SME Centres as associate consultant to extend his consultancy services.
As an author, William is the key contributor for 'The Hands On Guide - Human Resource Manager, Singapore' and 'HR Letters, Forms and Policies, Singapore’ published by CCH Asia Pte Ltd since 1999. He also co-authored the Singapore chapters of ‘Employment Law Asia’ by the same publisher. He has been an editorial advisor of the publication People Strategies.
In today’s challenging talent landscape, SME leaders face increasing difficulty in finding the right people to support their growth. With leaner teams and fewer resources, every headcount counts—and hiring the wrong person can have immediate and lasting consequences on the operations and morale of the organisation.
This half-day workshop is designed to help SME owners, directors, and senior leaders take a strategic approach to hiring and retaining talent. In the SME context, it is essential to hireg with an “open eye”—to understand what the job truly demands and type of skill-sets the business needs in a longer term. It is critical to know what each candidate brings to the table (or may lack), and to have a system in place to close those gaps from day one.
Through practical frameworks, real-world examples, and actionable tools, participants will learn how to make better hiring decisions, onboard with intention, and support new hires with the right development plans to help them thrive. This workshop empowers SME leaders to build a workforce that is capable, committed, and aligned with their business goals.
On the completion of this course, you will:
- Understand critical success criteria for selecting talents that support long-term business success
- Apply effective interview questioning techniques to assess candidates’ strengths and identify skill gap
- Oversee the design and develop an effective onboarding programme to engage and equip new hires
- Creating staff learning and development plans to enhance employee performance and growth
Programme Outline
Workforce Optimisation – A Strategic Imperative for SMEs
- 3 “W”s perspective – Workplace, Work, Worker
- Job role as the function of the work
- Polling – What levers are SME leaders prioritising to “do more with less”
- Navigating the talent shortage – why every headcount matters for SMEs
Hiring with the Future in Mind
- What to look for – Critical success factors
- How to uncover strengths and weaknesses through effective interview techniques
Effective Onboarding – Consideration for Long-Term Retention
- What to include in onboarding – Articulating key outcome & areas of focus for SME success
- Self-review to determine current state of onboarding effectiveness
Making Learning More Productive – Considerations for Staff Development Planning
- What to include in staff development plan – Performance expectations & workplace learning methods
- Group exercise to complete sample template for SME staff development planning
Intended For
SME Business Owners, SME Business Leaders and Professionals
Competency Mapping
Others = 3.50 Hours
Programme Facilitator(s)
William Thien
Mr William Thien is a consultant and trainer with over 20 years of experience. He is a certified Practicing Management Consultant (PMC), Certified Productivity Consultant (CPC) and a Certified Workplace Learning Specialist (CWLS). He is an Associate Consultant with the Singapore Productivity Centre as well as the Centre for Learning and Performance of the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL).
Professionally, he holds a Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management from the Singapore Institute of Management and has also completed the Advance Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) from the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL).
As a consultant, his work reflects his wide and in-depth hands-on experience in human resource management. He leads a team of consultants to provide services to several organisations. He is a pre-qualified consultant for the Innovation and Capability Voucher (ICV) scheme administered by SPRING Singapore. He has also worked with Singapore National Employers' Federation (SNEF) and various SME Centres as associate consultant to extend his consultancy services.
As an author, William is the key contributor for 'The Hands On Guide - Human Resource Manager, Singapore' and 'HR Letters, Forms and Policies, Singapore’ published by CCH Asia Pte Ltd since 1999. He also co-authored the Singapore chapters of ‘Employment Law Asia’ by the same publisher. He has been an editorial advisor of the publication People Strategies.