Mobile Payment – A recruiter’s perspective: By Luke Phibbs, PSD Group

Although the actual figures in the various research reports vary significantly, the widespread adoption of the mobile phone as a payment mechanism now seems a certainty. PSD has recruited into the payment space since the mid-nineties and we were around for the false dawn and demise of the Simpay consortium a few years back (MPW 53, 65), so we're aware that these predictions aren't always fool proof.

The difference this time is that everyone else was around then as well, so companies are taking a much more considered approach and are aware of the challenges and pitfalls which need to be overcome.

Now I'm not the best person to say whether the handset manufacturers will fully commit to the single wire protocol without intervention from the operators or when the merchants will be willing to upgrade their existing EFTPOS to accept NFC payments. There are plenty of people better qualified to comment on these technical issues but where I am able to give some insight is on the recruitment challenges arising as these industry sectors converge.

Recently I was working with a client on an assignment. They wanted to hire someone into a senior position in order to drive their mobile payment strategy but were having difficulty defining the profile. They'd clearly spent some time on it and had come up with a wish list of skills and experience that would be beneficial; however, narrowing it down to what was essential had proved more difficult because it was so radically different to anything they'd done before.

After discussing the skills required with the client and assessing the availability of these skills in the market, we were able to re-work the brief, target suitable individuals and fill the role. During the course of this article, I would like to highlight some of the issues we had to address during the process, many of which will be faced by companies recruiting in the mobile payments space.

Whether you're looking at the market for the first time, beginning to position mobile payment as a commercial prospect, or building on an existing team infrastructure, you need a clear understanding of which skills are crucial to the success of the project. It could be argued that this is a difficult task, as the skills and experience may be alien to those you've recruited for before. However, the task can be simplified and I work with several companies who have recognised that they need to treat these as ‘niche market' positions and they have put processes in place to maximise their chances of success. I've also spoken to companies who treat these roles no differently from those that they normally recruit for and struggle to fill them.

The fact that the industry is still fairly embryonic means that there are very few people who have gained a breadth of experience across the sector (snap them up quickly if you're lucky enough to find one!). At the moment, mobile companies are looking for candidates from the payments space and vice-versa. This can add to the uncertainty as to what is required because not only do you need to be able to judge someone's ability to perform, you also need to gauge whether they're able to transition between industries. Having spent a lot of time speaking to candidates and clients from both the mobile and financial services market, there are massive differences in how they operate and not everyone is ready for this change.

You then need to consider how to attract the candidates. If they're coming from outside of your industry, the likelihood is that traditional recruitment methods won't be applicable. From the trade publications they read, to the websites they visit, the options are likely to be very different and even your established recruiters may struggle, as the required approach, skills and candidate motivations aren't always the same for every industry (There's a reason our traditional mobile and payment teams are separate, and it certainly took me a while to get used to differences in the way they work!) So, choosing which methods you use to get your message out is all important.

Once you have considered all of this, you will have a clearly defined brief and established where this person may come from; you will have determined how to gain their interest and carefully considered how they will fit, not only with your own company culture, but also within the broader dynamic of your industry. There is still one other critical factor to consider - time.

As we all know, the mobile payment market, whether it be SMS, NFC or remittance is gathering pace and this means that there are many other companies looking to take advantage of the opportunities it presents. So, once you've identified someone who can do the job then you can guarantee that you won't be the only ones taking interest. I've already highlighted the fact that there are relatively few people with the right blend of skills and this means that you really can't afford to miss out. If you lose a potential hire now it could be quite some time before you find someone else who ticks the same boxes.

It can be a dilemma though, moving quickly to offering a candidate, particularly when it's a brand new venture. In an ideal world you would identify two or three quality candidates to interview and choose the best one, but given that there may not be two or three people with the right skills, let alone two or three who are in the right location and looking for a new position. Nothing I've discussed above represents new ideas and really they should be followed for any role you recruit for, but ensuring that you follow it for these roles will make the decision more comfortable if you do need to move quickly.

If I am making the recruitment process sound overly complex, then it's really not the impression I wish to convey. There are some key obstacles to getting it right, however, and given that internal expertise in recruiting into this market is limited, it comes as little surprise how many companies are looking for outside help!

For help defining your long term m-payments strategy or for identifying the role which you are looking to hire for please see www.mobilepaymentsworld.com/consulting.