Tag Archives: Beijing Recruitment

Major cities losing their allure for new graduates

Monday, 17 February 2014 07:32

RMG China Talent Flow Survey 2013 (TFS2) appears in China Daily again! This is the second version of Chinese job market and talent flow market research since 2012! There are 13 classic questions and specific analysis based on region, gender, education background, industry, function, age etc. People who are interested in getting more info about job market in China should not miss TFS2!

After much consideration, Ying Hanlu decided against finding work in Beijing and Shanghai and instead returned home after graduating in the summer.

“My boyfriend and I were having a hard time with a long-distance relationship, so after he found a job in our hometown I followed,” she said.

Rising property prices and tightened restrictions on hukou – permanent residence permits – made life “too uncertain”, said the 27-year-old, who finished graduate school at Shanghai International Studies University. She plans to marry her boyfriend next year.

A study released last week by online recruitment company Zhaopin and Peking University’s Institute of Social Sciences found collegestudents are showing less interest in working in China’s mega-cities – Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou – after graduation.

Only 38.7 percent of the 10,800 students from 200 universities interviewed said they would choose to work in the three cities aftergraduating, a downward trend for three consecutive years, from 53.8 percent in 2011 and 42.1 percent in 2012.

Soaring property prices, air pollution and traffic congestion were major reasons, according to the report, Best Employer Award2013.

Similar findings can be seen in the RMG China Talents-Flow Survey 2013. Although 35 percent of the 4,000 employees polledchoose to stay in one of the major cities, 53 percent said they had considered relocating to second or third-tier cities, up 16 percentyear-on-year.

Some expressed a willingness to move further to even smaller cities.

“As the central government is tightening the household registration policies in major cities, I suppose the inflow of talents will beaffected in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai,” said Max Ma, chief operating officer of FESCO Adecco in Shanghai, a multinationalhuman resources company.

Zhu Hongyan at Zhaopin said her company’s data show in recent years small and medium-sized cities in central and western regionsof China have provided more job opportunities than eastern counterparts.

“The local economies in developed cities in East China are slowing down while the inland cities are quickly catching up and many big companies are expanding their business to second or third-tier cities, which have created more jobs for educated young people,” she said.

Mobility among different cities is helpful for China to realize a more balanced development among different regions, said Robert Parkinson, founder and managing director of the international recruitment group RMG Selection.

Contact the writers at [email protected] and [email protected]

(China Daily USA 01/27/2014 page5)

CV – the Vital First Step

Friday, 14 February 2014 06:31

Latest article from Robert Parkinson (CEO & Founder of RMG Selection) on China today! # CV – the Vital First Step# To keen overseas job seekers who want to work in China: When enjoying the excitement of coming to China to find a job, does it ever occur to you that 100 of the CVs you’ve sent out don’t even get a glimpse from the Chinese HR?! Find out how to present yourself in CV together with Robert now!

To keen overseas job seekers who want to work in China: While anticipating the excitement of coming to China to find a job, does it ever occur to you that maybe 100 of the CVs you’ve sent out won’t even get a glimpse from the Chinese company HR? Does that shock you? If you expect to get a good job because of your years of work experience and career achievements, would you believe that the Chinese HR might miss your point entirely? Having worked as a headhunter for 15 years and lived in Beijing for 10 years, I have read thousands of resumes from foreign job seekers, and can tell you that just a few changes on your CV could make your dream career in China a reality!

The first thing we need to understand is just exactly how long CVs are scanned for, particularly for junior and mid-level positions. It’s about 23 seconds. That’s all! So when you’re composing your CV, what you leave out is just as important as what you put in.For example, I’ve seen resumes that are literally flooded with information. I recently read one from a senior manager that was eight pages long! Piling on details about your work experience will only make HR workers lose interest. Of course, all work experience matters in one’s career, but you have to bear it in mind that it’s important to distill it down to key responsibilities and achievements, and write as concisely as possible.Last but not least, remember that you are only as good as your last deal. So you should devote the space that your experience of 15 years ago would take up to your current job. Employers aren’t so interested in what you did 15 years ago, so balance the space in your CV accordingly. As a general rule CVs should take two sides of A4. One page isn’t enough. But if it’s any longer than three sides, your CV will not be read.

Don’t be coy about photos or age. Specifying age might be banned in the U.S., but it isn’t here: age is relevant, so include it. Likewise, Chinese hiring authorities like to see photographs. But make sure the one you show isn’t a studio-style shot that is flattering but does not reflect your age! I met a candidate last week whose CV and the photo on it impressed me and gave me a good feeling. But when she entered my office it was clear that the photo had been taken 10 or more years earlier. This to me was tantamount to deception.

Don’t tell stories from the 1960s: I like reading biographies of people like Steve Jobs and Angela Merkel, and the career stories of job applicants take up a considerable share of my reading matter. But Chinese HR have absolutely no interest in the career stories applicants tell on their CV. Describing a job in the 1960s on a supermarket check-out is not really advisable, especially for senior job seekers. Another point I want to make is about the order of work experience. I strongly recommend reverse order – starting from the most recent job. This will instantly inform Chinese HR whether or not you fit the position. The same applies to education background part. Start with your most recent and most impressive academic degree to make the best HR impact.

Bullet points: Keep it brief: I clearly remember one of my university courses on writing cover letters. A cover letter is indispensable to job applications in most Western countries. But no matter how hard or long you work on your cover letter, it really makes no difference to HR people in China. Remember, the Chinese HR worker only allocates about 20 seconds to each CV. Nobody will spend extra time reading your cover letter. What you can do is to write a brief, professional e-mail. In my headhunter capacity, I suggest that this email include specific attributes, in the form of bullet points, which make you the right person for the company. This, again, will help Chinese HR workers spot your suitability for the job. Job hunting in a completely different country is no easy task, and your CV is the vital first step towards your Chinese dream career. Nobody expects their painstakingly prepared resume to be cast aside after a cursory glance. If you take a few minutes to incorporate in it my suggestions, I can more or less guarantee more responses from Chinese HR departments. If not, well, you can always come back to me, as long as you don’t apply for a position that bears no relation to your previous experience.

Robert on Easy FM Round Table show talking about Job Market

Tuesday, 28 January 2014 01:06

CEO of RMG Selection, Robert Parkinson, joins Easy FM Round Table show to talk about Job Market as well as the findings of the “2013 China Talent-flow Survey (TFS2)” released by our company. He also answers listeners’ questions about job-hunting career planning. In general, we have four topics in this show: 1. China Talent Report 2. Job Hopping 3. First job of college graduates 4. Changing jobs after a long holiday. Click here to find more information : http://english.cri.cn/4926/2014/01/23/1561s809663.htm

Source: http://english.cri.cn/4926/2014/01/23/1561s809663.htm

China Dream Sours for Foreign Companies- Financial Times

Tuesday, 13 August 2013 03:37

Government investigations and state media exposés targeting foreign investors have become a regular feature of the country’s business landscape By Tom Mitchell in Beijing The “Chinese dream” articulated by China’s new president, Xi Jinping, is fast becoming a nightmare for some of the world’s most powerful corporations. Mr Xi’s speech, on his accession to the presidency in March, hinted at a more assertive approach to match China’s economic power – and since then, government investigations and state media exposés targeting foreign investors have become a regular feature of the country’s business landscape. Public officials say this simply reflects broader efforts to tackle bad practice, but some executives complain that foreign groups appear to be encountering particularly heavy scrutiny under the new leadership. Those suspicions were reinforced this week, when the powerful National Development and Reform Commission fined six baby formula manufacturers $110m for anti-competitive pricing policies. Five of the six companies were well-known multinationals including Mead Johnson of the US, Danone’s Dumex unit and New Zealand’s Fonterra group. This first high-profile enforcement of Article 14 of China’s 2008 anti-monopoly law, which bans companies from imposing retail price floors for their products, came just weeks after an explosive police investigation into bribery by staff at GlaxoSmithKline, the UK pharmaceuticals group. None of the milk powder companies is challenging the NDRC’s penalties, and GSK has said some of its employees may have violated Chinese law. Other investors in China have had to fend off state-media campaigns accusing them of lesser sins such as quality control failings and poor customer service. Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, made a high-profile apology on April 1 for “misunderstandings” and stressed his company’s “immense respect” for China. State media had accused the company of “greedy” and “incomparably arrogant” behaviour, citing complaints about substandard after-sales service for Chinese customers. Volkswagen recalled 380,000 vehicles because of gearbox problems highlighted by an investigative report in March by CCTV, the state broadcaster. For some executives, the critical drumbeat in the five months since Mr Xi and his premier, Li Keqiang, formally took power has been too intense to be dismissed as a coincidence. “They may have found something against these [foreign] companies,” said one lawyer who defended a multinational targeted in the NDRC’s baby formula investigation. “But what about the Chinese companies?” “As a government official, going after state-owned companies is difficult,” adds Steven Bing, an analyst who previously worked in China for several western pharmaceutical groups. “So if you want to make an example of someone to fix the system, you target the foreign companies.” Chinese government officials reject suggestions that there has been a co-ordinated effort to gang up on foreign investors. On Thursday, the NDRC denied that its investigation into pricing practices in the baby formula market was coloured by anti-foreigner bias. In a statement on its website, the commission dismissed such speculation as “groundless” and welcomed the “important” role played by foreign investors in China’s economy. The government’s defenders point out that a Chinese company, Biostime International Holdings, paid the highest fine in terms of percentage of annual revenues, equivalent to 6 per cent of turnover. Illinois-based Mead Johnson paid the largest fine assessed: Rmb204m ($33m), or 4 per cent of its China unit’s turnover. The anti-monopoly law allows the NDRC to impose fines ranging up to 10 per cent of a company’s annual revenues. Two foreign companies, Nestlé’s Wyeth Nutrition unit and Meiji Dairies of Japan, were also included in the NDRC’s probe but were not penalised. Some observers believe that the action against foreign companies is merely part of a much bigger government campaign. “I wouldn’t say the anti-foreigner bias is as strong as some people might think,” argues Veronica Lockyer, a competition lawyer with Orrick in Shanghai. “There are often other motivations in the background for anti-monopoly enforcement.” Chief among these is the government’s determination to assuage public discontent over the high price of essential goods and services, especially as an aggressive propaganda campaign attempts to foster the idea that every citizen has a stake in Mr Xi’s “dream”. As Robert Parkinson, at recruitment company RMG Selection, says: “The cost of living in Beijing is just crazy for younger workers.” Spiralling healthcare costs are of particular concern to the government, and many suspect this is a factor in the criminal probe into alleged bribery and corruption by some GSK employees. The NDRC is separately conducting a review of pricing practices in the pharmaceutical sector. The high cost of foreign milk powder brands also makes them an easy target. Demand and prices have soared in the five years since tainted domestic formula products killed several babies and made thousands more sick. Some lawyers also point to a long but quiet build-up in pricing and other anti-monopoly investigations that targeted both foreign and local companies and predate the Chinese leadership transition. Before these investigations, enforcement of the 2008 anti-monopoly law had focused on asserting Chinese regulators’ right to weigh in on the world’s biggest merger and acquisition agreements. Glencore is selling a Peruvian copper mine, which could fetch about $5bn, as a condition for Chinese clearance of its merger with Xstrata. “Previously the anti-monopoly law was all about merger law and merger filings,” says Ms Lockyer. “But there were signals last year that something else was going to happen. The NDRC in particular had an increase in its personnel. It was a sign that it was beginning to flex its muscles.”

Read the origional version at:　http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4c9d9f06-00bd-11e3-8918-00144feab7de.html

HR: Attract Employees from Tier-one Cities to Tier-two or Tier-three Cities

Monday, 05 August 2013 09:00

In recent years, China has been reshaping its industrial landscape and tier-two and tier-three cities are now considered as the new developing markets in China. Both State-owned enterprises and multinational companies are taking the opportunity to shift their businesses to these new markets that promise lower start-up and development costs (labor, capital, materials costs). Corporations can also take advantage of the working process of tier-two and three city officials that they seem to be easier and more supportive than tier-one cities in granting land approvals. However, tier-one cities remain the preference for many skilled workers and experts due to the better standard of living and working opportunities. Therefore, how to attract more talent from tier-one cities to work in Tier-two/three cities is a big challenge for most companies’ HR departments.

According to the China Talent-flow Survey Report published by RMG Selection, almost 70% of those surveyed have considered relocating to other cities if the job opportunity is good enough and 20% of them are willing to go to any cities including tier-two and three cities. This is obviously good news for companies in tier-two/three cities, but at the same time, it means that employers should look at employees’ concerns and expectations in relocating to different cities. Moving to a different city to work is never an easy process for anybody, especially for people from tier-one cities where the living standards are a lot higher. Considering the challenges from the perspective of employees (candidates) will help HR departments have a better understanding in order to solve problems and be able to attract talented candidates to the company. Below are some key issues and suggested solutions:

1. Future development: The very first concern that most candidates think about is future development in their career path. Most of them are working in their companies’ headquarters in Tier-one cities where they have already built up strong career networks which can be a great advantage for promotions or their future employment opportunities. While moving to a different city may mean they have to start everything over again, having a chance to foster a strong sense of the new community is not as easy.

Solution: HR departments should consider giving candidates a career plan that promises them potential opportunities to support their future development. The HR department should be able to provide candidates with an action plan with detailed steps to help employees acquire knowledge about their own ability, their career paths and opportunities. By giving them a broader view of their career goals, the company could possibly help candidates realise that relocating to a different city might be a boost for their career in the long-term. The company can also offer candidates the chance to join in social business events in their headquarter city, as well as the new city, so that employees can keep in touch with their current connections and also build up new networks in the new location. Another point that HR should mention to candidates in the first place is working in Tier-two and three cities could benefit employees in terms of career development, as an office in Dalian, Tianjin or Chengdu might be the heart of the corporation in the near future.

2. Family Concerns: This is one of the biggest issues for most employees when it comes to relocating. It is believed that the living standard and educational standards in Tier-one cities are better than those in Tier-two and three cities. The majority of employees want to let their children (family) remain in Tier-one cities in order to receive a better education. Moving to a different place to work also means being away from their wider family. It is especially hard for younger families when they already have kids (it might be easier for people who are still single). Moving away from home can be so tough for most people that they commonly feel lonely, isolated and overwhelmed. This would strongly influence their working spirit as well as their performance and productivity at work.

Solution: It is very important for HR departments to understand that employees in any organisation need motivation to keep them performing quality work. In this case, the company should not only consider general motivational strategies, but also the specific motivational appeals that focus on employees’ feelings toward the potential family concerns. It is recommended that HR department should offer employees a certain amount of transportation and cell phone allowance so that they can feel comfortable to visit and contact their family frequently. I would also recommend that the company gives employees who work in different cities an extra vacation or a trip for their family to visit them once a year. Family is a crucial factor as it is one of the basic desires that guides human behaviour and motivates our actions in general and the working efficiency in particular. Therefore, the only way to attract employees to a job that requires moving away is to facilitate and make it easier for them to communicate and feel closer to their family. This is also an easy way to be more competitive than other companies.

3. Salary: Working in tier-one cities often guarantees a higher salary than that in tier-two and three cities. Normally, for the same level in similar companies, the salary of employees in the tier-two cities takes up 70% of those who work in Tier one cites. However, that also means an employee from tier-one cities when relocate to tier-two, three cities might get a higher position. This is because different cities have different salary ranges, thus employees might hesitate in making the decision to relocate.

Solution: Most of the time, salary negotiation is a crucial process between HR department and candidates. Although it is lower in tier-two cities for the same level, HR could find excellent candidates and give them opportunities to be hired at higher levels. On one hand, the higher title is attractive; on the other, the salary budget is wider. The challenge for HR here is to find talented people with great potential. Secondly, everybody knows that the living costs in tier-two cities are lower than Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. However, no one knows the exact details of how different. It will be very helpful if the HR department prepares a detailed description of how much money people can save from the lower cost of housing, telephone, traffic, meals and even commuting time. Sometimes, even if the salary is lower than before, the employee can still save more money in tier-two cities. Thirdly, it is more than just the salary it is the whole compensation package that a company can offer for employees moving from tier-one cities to work in tier-two and three cities. As mentioned above in the family concerns, other perks vary widely upon the significance of the position. The HR department can always prepare a comparison chart of pros and cons between the two regions in order to show employees how beneficial it is to work in tier-two and three cities.

By Robert Parkinson, CEO of RMG Selection.

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