Tag Archives: China Radio International

Career Builder – Preparing For Company Background Information

Thursday, 19 March 2015 08:22

In this Career Builder show Robert Parkinson, CEO & Found of RMG Selection, is going to talk about interview preparations on company background! In a job interview, the interviewer might ask you a lot of questions. Some questions are really easy to answer, but some you might have no idea if it is good or not.

One of the most nerve-racking questions for interviewees is what they know about the company. Having checked up the official website and a few experiences sharing on Baidu or Google, do you think that you have prepared enough for this question?! If you do, think again! If you don’t think so, congratulations that you will find out what you need in this Career Builder session. The following questions and key points will guide you through this show.

Why should job seekers prepare for company background information?

If you prepare well, you will get yourself in front of the queue among all the job applicants.
Talking about relative information of the company at the right time will impress the interviewer.

If interviewees mess up the information of their potential employer, is that an unforgivable mistake?

The answer depends on how the interviewee mess it up.
Interviewer and employers get really irritated when interviewees pretend they have checked up the company background information, but in fact they didn’t do the homework.
If interviewees have not checked any company background information, then the best they can do is to be honest with interviewers.

If the interviewee tells the interviewer that s/he has little information about the company background but strong interest in the job, would the company still be willing to employ him/her?

If an interviewee is truly interested in the company, it is not possible that they don’t check anything about the company background.
Limited access to company background information is not an excuse. 18 years ago when everyone has to queue up for 5-10 minutes internet surfing was understandable because of limited resource, but that is not reasonable in the 21^st

Is there any company background information that employers/interviewers expected interviewees to know?

This depends on whom the interviewee is going to meet. The key ask the right question/say the right thing to the right person.
If the interviewee is meeting a junior HR who is just graduated from university for about 6 months, s/he will follow a checklist in the interview. Such as your period of experience, skills, certificates etc.
If the interviewee will meet a CFO/ a high level staff in a listed company, then they expect the interviewee know the share price, the annual report, the marketing strategy etc.

If the interviewer finds some negative about the company, maybe a scandal or a shortfall, can the interviewee mention that they can help the workflow on those?

That is actually why companies should work with qualified third party recruiters; because they can help interviewers explain the negative side of restore the company image by calling or meeting the candidate.
There might be misunderstanding of negative information. To bring these up, interviewees must measure who they are talking to in the interview.

What kind of information should interviewees prepare before they go to job interviews?

An interview is like a sale pitch. It is about selling yourself. Figure out what the interviewer expect you not to know is the key.
Know the position and the job content is a must.
Extra market information about competitors and market share.
Financial performance of the company or the update to date reference check of the company.
Suit up for the interview.

Is there any difference between local companies and transnational companies when it comes to what they expect interviewees know about them?

Interviewers overseas are very interested in the general picture of candidates.
Interviewers from transnational companies also check if candidates fit the company from culture very carefully.
Chemistry is another important factor that western style interviewers care.
Chinese interviewers actually really drill down to the detail. For example, if an interviewee had 3 months gap between two jobs. They have to know especially what they do in that period and why.
Like ticking boxes, a lot of junior HR people check interviewees based on a checklist.
Having said that, you also have to take the fact that there are British, French, German, Spanish, American companies interviewing people in differently ways into consideration. Simply putting companies in Chinese and non-Chinese is not fair.

To the question of “What do you know about our company”, what is way to begin?

Brief & concise
Drop relative information about the company. Here is an interview example from RMG Selection.

“RMG is a recruiting firm. You did a lot in the recruitment industry. You have a lot of employees in China. And you won the Best Job Board award in Asia last year”.

Give 1 or 2 examples of what has the company done to show that you have further researches on the company background.

“I read that one of your company values is teamwork. That is particularly important to me. That is also why I come here for an interview today. Let me give you an example……”

Use the FBA (Feature, Benefit, and Accomplish) method to explain how you are interested in the company.
Make sure the answer to this question is within 1 minute.

Do you think using flattering tone is good for the interview?

We use a lot of different strategies in an interview.
If the company is genuinely compelling to you, then highlight it in a subtle and unstated way is not going to hurt you.
But if it is not genuinely, say you just make it up, it is not going to be helpful in the interview.

Listen to the radio show on CRI: http://english.cri.cn/7146/2015/03/18/3481s870588.htm

People In the Know – China to Further Ease Employment Pressure in 2015

Wednesday, 18 March 2015 10:06

China will create more than 10 million jobs in the urban areas in 2015, and to ensure that registered urban unemployment rate does not exceed 4.5 percent.

That is according to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s government work report.

He also highlighted in the report that popular entrepreneurship and innovation would be the new engines to spur economic growth in the country.

The Chinese government encourages emerging industries and new types of businesses by adding more funds for business development and innovation to the 40-billion-yuan government fund that is already in place.

So will China be able to produce millions more new jobs this year, with the downward pressure on its economy? How can China encourage more business startups, especially by college graduates?

Ni Hao, you’re listening to People In the Know, presenting you with insights into the headlines in China, and around the world, I’m Zheng Chenguang in Beijing.

People in the Know’s Qian Shanming speaks to Professor Yang Yansui, Director of the Career and Social Security Research Center of the School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University in Beijing, and Robert Parkinson, CEO & Founder of RMG Selection, an international recruitment group.

Listen to the radio show on CRI: http://english.cri.cn/7146/2015/03/13/3621s869883.htm

Career Builder – Q&A Session

Monday, 09 March 2015 02:17

March is the peak season for job-hunting and job-hopping. Some of our listeners are about to graduate and try to find jobs, others want to change their jobs and hop to another company. They want some enlightening ideas from the expert in Career builder by putting forward their questions to us.

Today Robert Parkinson, founder and CEO of RMG Selection, gave his answers to these challenging questions in this Q&A session of Career Builder. Go and get the answers by yourself.

Question from Cattle:

In China, there is a common custom for employers to ask what kind of salary package you want. But if there is a proper manner to ask the employer about the salary package and when is the appropriate time to ask?

You cannot talk about money staff in public. But you may say what you expectations are. You’ve got to use your common sense and go with your opinions. Actually, it’s a question of judgement in the situation.
The other thing you can do is to research how much the position would pay. This is to make sure that your predictions are realistic and in line with the market.
Sometimes the employer may ask how much salary you want and that may be the appropriate time to raise you expectations. And when you answer this question, you should be both realistic and confident.

Question from Z:

Z is unsure about the direction he wants to take his career in and is not sure how to find the right field for him. So can you please suggest?

Do some testing, like DISC. All these tests may give you indications that what kind of person you are and what kind of jobs are appropriate for you. So use some available tools out there.
Talk to experienced people who are at the age of 4 or so. I guarantee you be someone different.

Question from Draco:

I have a year’s work experience and since then have spent several months doing part time jobs without being able to find another full time position. How should I explain this during my next job interview?

It depends on the context why you left your first job. If the reasons are not reasonable, it’s better to leave them off the CV. But if it is reasonable for you to make the change, then it is completely fine to do part-time job. Actually it shows initiative.

Question from Susan:

I’m working at a joint venture company here in Beijing, and I am thinking changing my job to another one, which is my company’s rival in the market. I can’t get my supervisor to recommend me of course, but I’ve got a friend in my current company who can help me write a reference. I’m concerned about whether such reference will raise doubts about my friend’s ethic standards.

I think it depends on which context you put the reference. If it is a character reference, I think it is OK. But you can’t really place it as an employee reference. It depends on what the rival company means and the rival company may well-anticipated that situation.

Question from Chenlin:

I switched jobs three times in the last year. I have heard that the employers within the same city and industry often know each other and I am scared that I may have built up a bad reputation with the industry, is that really true? How should I also explain this to my next employer? Have I ruined my career?

The world is small. You need to be careful because people do talk. Don’t do this again. Stay in your current job at least for the next three or four years.

Question from Paul:

I have been working in my current company for a year and I really like my job, while I don’t get on particularly well with my co-workers. Sometimes I really want to leave my job but I am scared that would look bad on my CV. Should I try and gain another year of experience here for the sake my CV or just move on?

You should investigate about the causes of the poor relationship. And ask yourself the following questions. Is that something you can overcome or you can do something about? Would that be a mini achievement for him to learn to get on with people? Or are you discriminated against?
To solve the issue with your colleagues would be a great thing to do. Because you didn’t do that, chances are that the same situation would move to the next job. The pattern may continue. So sort out the current situation and then decide what should be done next.

Question from Xiaoxiong:

Last year, I completed a law degree at LSE and I have been working in the field for less than a year and have decided it is not for me. I am really interested in Finance. I do not have the relevant experience in the field but I consider myself quite knowledgeable about the industry. I have considered taking the CFA exams and would like to know if switching career fields would be feasible?

Everyone’s first job is tedious groundwork. If you quit that and go to CFA exams, you may similarly find finance is not for you when you encounter difficulties.
Whatever you do, do it well and enjoy it. Make the best of your potential. That’s the point.

Question from Summer:

I am currently living in Guangzhou with my family. I have been offered a good job in Beijing. Is it worth me holding out for a better position in area I would prefer or should just bite the bullet and take the job in Beijing?

Sometimes bullet biting is quite good for young people because employers want to see people push themselves and do things that challenge them.
People need to be mobile nowadays in China. So I suggest Summer go and accept the job in Beijing.

Listen to the program on CRI: http://english.cri.cn/7146/2015/03/04/3481s868561.htm