OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2025HR TECH OUTLOOK8In My OpinionOliver Guo, Head of HR Business Partner and Talent Acquisition, CIMB SingaporeByHR AS A BUSINESS ENABLEROliver Guo is currently the Head of HR Business Partner and Talent Acquisition at CIMB Singapore, overseeing the entire candidate and employee life cycle, from recruitment and onboarding to offboarding.With a background that includes starting as a Graduate Analyst at Merrill Lynch before transitioning into recruitment and HR, Oliver Guo brings a unique perspective to the role. Having experienced the business side before moving into HR, they serve as a true business enabler, bridging the gap between HR and business operations. Their work ethos is rooted in thinking like a business leader who specializes in human capital, ensuring HR strategies align with overall business objectives.Talent Acquisition and Employer BrandingTalent acquisition typically resolves the need for the now but incorporating long-term workforce planning is critical to ensure we protect the livelihood of our employees as well. Experience is what you did in the past; skills is what you can do going forward. For existing employees, this can mean identifying the skills gap between their current role and how the role will be evolving over time and providing them adequate training to upskill and succeed in the eventual role which aligns with business goals. It is the job of HR leaders to ensure this gap is bridged and we avoid the unfortunate ending of lay-offs.In my opinion, a strong employer brand is even harder to build than a consumer brand fir example in fashion given there is no touch-and-feel to add to the experience. Hence, the number one priority should be to look internally and ensure our employees are also our brand ambassadors. That means ensuring employees are well-taken care of and generally are happy working for the organization. On the talent acquisition front, this can lead to candidate referrals from employee and I have seen cases even after the employee left for a different industry, he still referred his contacts to us!Subsequently, it is then about amplifying our brand presence in the market so we can attract even more candidates regardless active or passive to be aware that we are hiring as well as understand our employee value proposition. Aside from working closely with the organization's brand and marketing team, it can also be working closely with some of your recruitment agency partners to ensure they represent your organization accurately when recruiting on behalf of the organization.Strong employer brands were not build in a day so organizations need to conscientiously put in effort to build a strong employer brand that resonates with both active and passive job seekers.Oliver Guo
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