Tag Archives: Asia Employment

Career Builder – Make Social Networking Events Work

Thursday, 14 May 2015 06:48

For most foreigners who just come to China, they have very limit connections. For many Chinese job seekers who sent thousands of CV with no reply, there is a great way of connecting with others that people are accustomed to. There arises the social networking event. So if you go to the right event and perform in the right way, you might just make big step forward on your career!

In this Career Builder show, hosts and hostess from the studio will discuss this topic with Ruben van den Boer, a manager and an experienced recruitment specialist of RMG Selection. As a Dutch expatriate who have been in Beijing since 2009, Ruben actually went through the whole stage from knowing very few people to getting well acquainted with a lot of people in his career. He believes networking events are really important for everyone. Through social events people get the chance to talk to and get to know each other. Moreover, they have high probability to build positive RAPPORT in networking events.

Curious on how Ruben kicked start his awesome career? Want to know what networking events can help you further develop your career? Mostly importantly, how to make your networking really WORK? Listen on, through the following questions you will pick up a lot of practical and helpful tips to build your career!

Have you come across the terminology “Guanxi”? Please give us your take on this term?

There is a difference between “Guanxi” and Networking. “Guanxi” absolutely does not equal to networking.
Networking is about building rapport and building a long-term relationship that is based on trust.

What are specific approaches to leave others the impression that I am an asset to the company not just someone who begs for jobs?

SECRET: everyone’s forehead is written a sentence which is “I want to feel important”. Few people are interested in others’ stories; most people are only interested in their own stories!
Everyone has a little ego in themselves. To begin with networking, you have to be a good listener instead of a speaker.
The more others share about themselves, the more connection they can feel with you. There are always problems or emotions. Then you are allowed to get involved and talk about yourself.
People do business with people they like. Business is about LIKING people.

What if I disagree with the topics or arguments of someone in the networking? And in the position of a listener, how can I direct the topic?

Everyone is able to build chemistry. Find right topics.
In terms of directing a conversation, for example, if you talk about job seeking, from personal stuffs you can talk about the company, the structure, the team or even their problems in life.
At some point of the conversation, you can introduce yourself as a solution. Or you can present yourself as someone who fits what s/he is looking for.

For someone who is very shy, how can s/he butt in a conversation and chat up with others?

Everyone can be shy. You have to get out of your shell if you want to network.
Think about worst of all what could happen. On the other hand, also think about what if it is the best scenario.
If you are really shy, then just be a good listener!

Do you have any advice for aggressive people?

Don’t be too aggressive, otherwise you will push people away.
Train yourselves to HOLD BACK.
Silence is golden! Have a moment of silence somewhere.

What kind of events do you recommend and where can people access to these social networking events?

Morning events from Chambers of Commerce (from different countries) for business purposes.
You can apply for newsletters from different chambers. Check up their websites or social media channels (Weibo or WeChat).
Expats communities like the Dutch society or groups of other countries sometimes have excursions or networking events on a casual level.

Can people apply for jobs or send resumes in Chamber networking events?

The answer is not to do it. Applying for jobs is different from networking.
A good channel to apply for jobs is on LinkedIn.

Listen to the original radio, please click: http://english.cri.cn/7146/2015/05/13/3262s878558.htm

Career Builder – Most Valued Aspects at A Job Interview.

Wednesday, 13 May 2015 08:27

Most valued aspects at a job interview?

Everyone wants to do their best when going to job interviews. you always want to show your best qualities, but you didn’t display them successfully by the end of the interview, so the question becomes what are most valued aspects at a job interview? Robert Parkinson, CEO of RMG talks to CRI.

1. What are is the employer looking for in a job interview?

2. Is there any difference between HR and Hiring Manager?

3. What’s the best way to show your professional Knowledge/skill during the interview?

4. Communication is listed as the No.2 most valued skill. However, we always find it hard to show the soft skill than the hard skill. (Soft skill means communication skill, personality, and team work. Hard skill means educational background, certificates, technical skills and so forth. )So what is the best way to show your communication skill?

Listen to the original radio, please click: http://english.cri.cn/7146/2015/04/02/3481s872625.htm

For further useful tips and insights on what are the most valued aspects at a job interview and how to boost your career listen to other episodes of “Career Builder” RMG’s twice monthly radio slot of China Radio International which you can find here https://www.rmgselection.com/category/radio/ and to visit CRI’s website click here http://english.cri.cn.

Find Your Job on Chinese Social Media

Wednesday, 13 May 2015 03:39

Find Your Job on Chinese Social Media

If you think Chinese New Year is about visiting family to extend greetings and give “red envelopes”, it’s time for you to connect with your friends! Ninety percent of New Year’s greetings I received this year were via WeChat, and guess what, there were “red envelopes” in them! Today, sending lucky money in red envelopes through Chinese social media has become a new trend among young Chinese people. This shows the popularity of social media in China and its power to transform tradition. More important, it is becoming an emerging force in recruitment. So, if you are worried about your latest job application and haven’t received feedback from CVs you have sent out, social media could be another avenue to explore job opportunities and increase your long-term career prospects.

Is Chinese social media or foreign social media an effective job seeking tool? The way employers attract talent through social media answers this question. The Wabco case is an example. Wabco, with nearly 10,000 employees, is a leading global provider specializing in commercial vehicle safety and efficiency control systems. According to Sophie Liu, HR manager of its Qingdao Branch, Renren has become one of their major channels for campus recruiting. The company also posts vacancies and up-to-the-minute company news on its public WeChat account, which it opened in 2013. The dedicated team operating it creates more effective communication between candidates and the company. They now receive 30-plus CVs every day via social media. And other competitors in this industry have started to use this new recruitment method, too.

Inter-personal communication is another example of how social media can boost your career. You can connect directly with HR managers or hiring directors via social media. In addition to LinkedIn, the famous social media site for professional networking around the world, there are many alternatives Chinese people use for this purpose, for example, Dajie, Wealink and Tianji. Compiling a thorough profile on social media and sending invitations to HR departments will expand your job opportunities.

To build an effective connection with others and be a candidate the HR departments you are aiming at can instantly locate, you can try the following career-boosting 101 on professional social media:

Open an account on one or several networking sites and paint a complete picture of your skill set.
Make your job objective and intended career path clear to others, assigning to it and tagging five to eight key words. Reiterate them as often as you can in your self-introduction.
Pick an appropriate profile picture. If you don’t want to use an official portrait, that’s fine, but the photo of you sunbathing on the beach is an absolutely no-no.
Update posts related to your industry and the position whenever possible.
Make sure your basic contact information is available on all your accounts because it is not 100 percent certain you can be active on all of these. For example, you could add your WeChat QR code to your LinkedIn page and make sure your WeChat is redirected to LinkedIn. This will save time in your communications.

Of course, there are pros and cons to social media as a job-seeking platform. What you say on social media matters, so be careful. Remember this: What you post online could be a reason why companies do not want to hire you. Do not post a fiery speech or negative and confidential information about your current employer or related business secrets. Check everything before you post, in case you accidentally send something confidential out. Don’t complain about your current or previous employers. Finally, make sure you chose the right time to post. Posting online during working hours is a rather foolish move. Would you hire someone who was constantly updating his or her WeChat Moments while at work? Think about it.

The magic of social media is about more than multiplying the number of CVs employers receive. It is about increasing the influence of brand culture and improving communication. As Sophie Liu said, “Social media will add more soft power to a company.” For job seekers, your hard power matters; but social media could provide more added value to your soft power. If landing the perfect job is indeed 99 percent hard work and one percent good luck, why not make full use of social media to get lucky?

Read the original article: http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/ctenglish/se/txt/2015-04/07/content_681956.htm

日企公司文化的新解读-Japanese Corporate Culture

Wednesday, 13 May 2015 03:32

This article is published on CBNweekly. Wang Jingyu, consultant of RMG Selection, gives her views on Japanese corporate culture. Japanese companies tend to have longer training period and slower promotion. But steady salary increase and low-risk career development make them popular among job-seekers. Several tips are also offered here to help employees adapt to Japanese companies as soon as possible.

如果聊起日本公司的特点，一般人总能够随口说出点什么，比如严谨、刻板、公司里规矩很多、职场上爱论资排辈等等—在所有的外资公司里，日企算是性格鲜明的一种。

当这些特性被运用到商品中时，往往能带给我们很好的购物体验。比如无印良品的陈列担当会将顾客视线的平均高度作为设计货架的标准；在优衣库遇到巡店的日籍员工时，他们会立即停止手中的工作，向你点头问好—更不用说这两家店里任何时候都被折叠得整整齐齐的衬衫了。

对于日本公司的做事方式，王继跃的感受要更深刻，因为她的职场经历基本都与日本企业相关。她曾经在日本三菱东京日联银行中国总行工作了5年，这是一家日资全资银行。对于这段工作经历,她感受最深的是日资企业的计划性。王继跃曾经参与过一个客户资金管理系统开发的项目。在决定立项之前，公司花了3年的时间进行调研。有了一个初步的规划之后，还花了大量时间去审查各种法规和公司规定，在确保万无一失之后，他们才终于开始了这个系统的研发。

日本公司的确多少都有这样保守的作风，与开放自由的欧美公司形成一个对比，反映到职场环境里，就是日企的入职培训周期、晋升机制也更长。这种风格受到了许多因素的影响，最直接的一种，是循规蹈矩的日本人很喜欢将日本成熟的管理者派往中国市场，而这些人又往往带有很明显的“总部”特质，即日本的公司文化。

“日本最大的问题是保守和怯懦”，优衣库创始人柳井正在为《麦肯锡季刊》（McKinsey Quarterly）写的一篇文章中这样自我剖析，他对日本商业的一个总结是“日本商界人士和公司缺乏个性”。

这两年我们也的确看到日本公司在很多行业的表现都很平淡。曾经在消费电子领域成绩斐然的索尼，近年来甚至让人担心它要变成第二个诺基亚。而在新技术对汽车行业这波革新浪潮里，日本的几个汽车品牌同样反应较慢。而职场上，日企也往往给人一种刻板的印象，这些都影响着它的人才吸收。

美世咨询高级分析师潘晔博主要服务日资客户，在接触了60多家日本大公司之后，他发现这些公司在中国市场面临着不小的人才竞争。“中国市场越来越成熟，人才竞争开始激烈，日本企业会面临一些人才流失，这让它们开始改变一些策略，在人力资源管理上变得更本土化。”他对《第一财经周刊》说道。

其中一个细小的佐证是日本公司在选择人才的时候更加灵活。东芝医疗中国区人力资源部副总监江涛在进行招聘时，已经不会特别注重候选人的日资背景或日语能力。“对专业技术背景、行业经验及团队合作等方面会比较看重。”她这样总结道。

尽管日企由于它的谨慎可能会带来比如晋升缓慢这样的问题，或许不太适合那些想要在职业发展初期就能获得快速成长和显著晋升的人。不过我们也从美世咨询最近发布的一些数据中看到，日企的这些特性也使得它们往往能提供更稳定的薪酬涨幅和职业发展。因此我们认为仍然有必要从职场角度为你解读一下日本公司。

A 除了严谨，还有一些事你得做好心理准备 A Except rigorous work-style, there is more you need to know about Japanese corporate culture.

培养周期长 Long Training Period

无印良品在成都开出一家旗舰店时，这家公司也打算把IA（Interior Advisor）和SA（Styling Advisor）两种服务引入中国。像这样的看起来类似于专业导购的差事，无印良品竟大费周张地从中国员工中挑出10名，两次去日本进行半个月的封闭培训。

这并不是个案。在一般的日企里，人才培养的周期往往也长达3至5年。它们通常采用的一个方式是轮岗制度。潘晔博也有这样的观察，“例如，从业务轮岗到人事部门，再从人事部门到行政部门，日企对人的培养是非常综合的。”他告诉《第一财经周刊》。

即便是专业性强的制造业也是如此。一个叫做TSP（Trainee Sales／Service Program）的项目从2005年就开始在东芝医疗内部形成。这家公司为没有任何医学背景的销售和服务岗位人员进行专业知识培训。因此尽管日企的培训可能是很长的时间成本，但公司人也能学到一些东西，并同时发现更多职业的可能性。

晋升缓慢 Slow Promotion

王继跃花了3年的时间，才从经营职能的岗位，转移到偏后台管理的岗位。在这家日资银行当中这相当于完成了一次晋升。

员工序列制是日企比较明显的一个升迁机制。“根据你的资历来排你的级别，在一个企业中，下级员工必须等到上级职位产生空缺，才有被提升的可能。”罗迈国际猎头顾问王婧娱告诉《第一财经周刊》。

“In a Japanese corporate, your rank depends on your experience. One will not be promoted until his superior left his position. ” Consultant of RMG Selection Wang Jingyu told CBNweekly.

比如在一家日资公司中，假设某部门的部长职位空缺，如果该部门的其他员工工作年限没有达到部长级别—通常是15年以上—那么将从其他部门借调部长。这个时候，长期的轮岗培训也发挥了作用。根据潘晔博和美世咨询的观察，通常全行业30岁至31岁的员工可以实现经理级别的职级，但是在日本企业需要32岁。

从美世咨询发布的数据中我们也观察到，随着职级的递增，日企员工的薪酬涨幅并没有其它企业来得快，某种程度来说，日企的晋升动力没那么大。

B 日本公司靠什么吸引人？Why is Japanese corporate is attractive to job-seekers?

薪酬福利还算有竞争力 Tempting Salary and Bonus

“日企的薪资还是有保障的，”王婧娱说，“与欧美企业容易受市场影响相比，这算是种优势。”王婧娱服务过的东芝、奥林巴斯等公司都推行“自动涨薪制”，即薪酬与工作年限相关，而不随着公司效益而波动。

“Japanese corporate offers steady salary”, said Wang, “Compared to that of western company,salary of Japanese corporate is unlikely to be influenced by the changing market.” Toshiba, Olympus and other Japanese companies she served for all implemented kind of “automated salary increase” system. In other words, salary is related to one’s working term rather than a corporate’s profits.

从美世的一份报告中也可以看出这种薪酬优势。9.1%是日资公司2015年预测的薪酬涨幅，这个数字超过了中国一线城市全行业7.9％的平均薪资涨幅。

这也是王继跃最初选择进入日资公司的原因之一，除非经济萧条—这实在有点极端—不然王继跃的薪酬每年会保持10%至20%的增长。

职场风险小很多 Lower Risk in Career Development

王继跃认为在日企银行工作，除了能够给她带来稳定增长的收入，也降低了职场发展的风险。王继跃发现自己身处的公司当中，大约90%的人都按部就班地工作，稳定性是他们所看重的。

美世咨询2013年的一次调研显示，日资企业的被动离职率为3.3%，而当时人才市场上的被动离职率是5.3%。2014年上半年，日企的这个数字下降到了1.2%。

C 日企偏好温和型和结果导向型员工 C Japanese corporate has a preference for mild and result-oriented employees.

热衷于尝试新鲜的东西、对创业曾有很大的幻想、渴望相对自由开放的职场环境……真实的日本公司可能会让你有点失望。

我们并不是说你的创意想法在日本公司就无法得到实施，只不过过程比你想的要严谨。日本公司偏好性格温和且行事规范的人。“相对于完全的结果导向，上级更希望员工能用正确的方法做正确的事情。”潘晔博这样总结。

日企从面试时就开始观察你是否具有这样的特性。王婧娱曾为一家医疗行业的日本公司推荐过两名候选人。其中一位具有日本留学背景，但他在与面试官沟通的时候，多次打断对方，表达自己的观点。另一位虽然条件及能力稍微逊色，但由于谦逊的表现最终被这家日本公司录用。

Wang once recommended two candidates for a Japanese corporate in medicare sector. One of them repeatedly interrupted the conversation and expressed his own opinions during the interview. Despite the fact that he used to study in Japan, he finally failed to win the interviewer’s heart. However, the other candidate got hired for his modest performance, though his background and ability were inferior.

结果导向型的人也是日本企业欢迎的一种。这类人往往懂得规避风险，执行力比较强。“日本雇主可能不需要员工有太多新想法，但是要有很好的执行力。把既有的事情做好，同时较强的适应能力能帮助公司人快速习惯在日本企业里各个方面对工作的严谨态度。”王婧娱说。

“Japanese employers may not want many new ideas from employees. Instead they require workers to act quickly. Those who take good care their share of the job and have strong adaptability can soon get used to the rigorous work-style in Japanese Corporate.” said Wang.

D 两个Tips帮你更好地适应日企 D. Here are two tips to help you get accustomed to Japanese corporate.

调低心理预期 Lower Your Expectations

如果你是一个进取心很强的人，那么在日资企业工作就需要调低自己的心理预期。王继跃也尝试过这么做，不过最后她还是选择离开这家日本公司。她感觉自己虽然获得了晋升和加薪，但在做的事情却是比自己低级别的同事也能完成的，对个人能力的提升实在有限。现在她在一家律师事务所工作，她觉得自己的可能性提高了许多。王继跃的故事或许可以给你一个警惕。如果打算继续从事这样一种稳定的工作，那么多少需要调整心态。不过你也不妨变得积极一些，例如支持部门的员工，通过轮岗制调职到相对专业的岗位工作，就可以把握一些机会。

长远规划很重要 Better to Make a Long-term Plan

因为培训和晋升周期比其他公司更长，所以一份更清晰的职业规划对你的帮助可能更大。“从长期规划，也有利于自我成长，”潘晔博说，“日企更倾向于从本公司提拔管理层，而且选拔机制是相对公平的。越来越多的中国人正在获得原来日本人的位置。所以公司人应该做好长远职业规划，利用好这个有利的趋势。”

阅读原文，请点击：http://www.cbnweek.com/v/article?id=16565 Read the original article, please click: http://www.cbnweek.com/v/article?id=16565

Smog magnifies staffing woes for EU firms – RMG on China Daily

Wednesday, 13 May 2015 03:20

Attracting and keeping personnel is becoming an increasing problem for European businesses in China

As European small and medium-sized enterprises in China try to find a steady footing on the shifting sands of the country’s economy, one thing that is keeping them off balance is staffing.

Maija Kurte, country manager in China of the Latvian company Linearis Translations, which has been in the country for four years, plans to open another office in southeastern China soon, but says staffing will present a challenge.

“Attracting and keeping talent is very hard,” she says. “Staff turnover is always high, and it is good to have potential replacements on hand, but that is difficult to do.”

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China in its magazine EURObiz, the first issue of which has just been published, says that from many consultations the center has had, it has emerged that the kinds of problems businesses report has changed over time. Regulation, barriers to market access, macroeconomic changes and even smog problems have been high on the list, and problems with human resources and competition have gradually become more prominent.

One of these is the difficulty of attracting highly skilled people to China. Difficulties in obtaining visas, the rising cost of living and severe smog issue are all deterring expatriates from coming to China, the magazine says.

The Business Confidence Survey 2014 issued by the European Union Chamber of Commerce says that attracting and keeping talent was ranked No 3 and regarded as significant by 55 percent of European companies, after the Chinese economic slowdown and rising labor costs. Rising labor costs and a shortage of talent were identified as two main human resources challenges.

The chamber has more than 1,800 members in China, more than 80 percent of them SMEs.

The survey found that the smog issue has been an important reason for the difficulty in attracting talent to China, with 68 percent of companies saying the air quality issue is one of the top three challenges for them.

Another challenge for the companies is attracting talent from within China. The chamber’s magazine says China’s reputation for possessing unlimited, cheap labor is rapidly evaporating. Finding, attracting, training and retaining staff is expected to become even more difficult in the next five years as costs for local labor continue to rise, it says.

Ruben van den Boer, a consultant with the headhunting company RMG Selection, says that in trying to attract new local talent, European SMEs have some clear advantages. First, most Chinese employees prefer the open business culture and international environment that Europe-based companies can provide. Second, Europe-based companies may provide an employee with more career opportunities in the long run, for example international business travel or temporarily working abroad. The ability to practice English or a third language is another benefit European SMEs may offer employees.

However, it seems this bias toward Europe-based companies is evaporating, too. As more Chinese companies expand abroad, the way they do business is becoming more open and international, and similar to that of their Europe-based rivals. Examples include Lenovo, Huawei and Alibaba. For Chinese employees, these international China-based companies have some advantages over Europe-based SMEs.

“For instance, Chinese employees might have better opportunities to fill senior positions compared with in Europe-based companies, where most senior positions, even in China, are often reserved for European citizens,” Boer says.

Read the orginal article: http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2015-04/17/content_20453262.htm

Page 2 of 16