Looking for a job? The economicslowdown won’t be a hindrance
Print Edition
China’s job market apparently isn’t showing any symptoms of the economic slowdown gripping the nation.
Robert Walters, an international recruitment agency, reported that job advertisements in the first quarter rose 16 percent from a year earlier. Its survey is based on job ads in print media and on major online employment sites.
Separately, a survey by recruitment website Zhaopin.com in March found that 90 percent of the nearly 3,000 white collar workers surveyed are looking to change jobs.
So what’s going on in the work force?
Shanghai Daily sat down with Brett Rose, head of the Shanghai office of Robert Walters, to discuss that question. Rose has worked in human resources for more than 10 years, previously in London and Sydney.
Q: What kind of skills are in greatest demand in Shanghai now?
A: Individuals who are fluent in both Mandarin and English. That doesn’t necessarily mean bringing in international candidates to run businesses. It’s about local talent who have perfect language skills, can run businesses in China and can interact with their global partners. This kind of talent is also increasingly important for local Chinese companies as many expand overseas. The companies will need people with the ability to work with overseas functions. The demand for bilingual talent certainly exists at senior levels, whereas lower down in organizations, the need may not be so important.
Q: What kind of sectors are we talking about here?
A: Growth industries such as IT, e-commerce, the car industry, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Whereas some sectors of the market are slowing, others are ready to fill the space.
A key difference between Shanghai and Sydney is the scale of business activities. The population in Shanghai exceeds that of the whole of Australia. As an economy starts to mature, marketing professionals become more important. From a retail or consumer prospective, businesses will need strong sales and marketing people to get their products out. Talent in that area will definitely be in high demand as well.
Q: What attracts you personally about Shanghai? How do you find living and working here?
A: The sheer scale of opportunity in Shanghai and China is enormous, and that is one thing that attracts me. Zhongguo (China) literally means “center of the world.” If it is not at the moment, it eventually will be. You can either be on the outside looking in, or you can actually be here and be part of it. The energy and dynamic nature of Shanghai is infectious.
Before I came to Shanghai, I was told that China would be different — the way it does business; the way people interact. But I think that is overplayed a little bit. Ultimately, we are all people no matter where we come from. If you treat people with respect and you keep your promises, most people will accept the opportunity to work together. There are slight differences in laws, naturally, but in terms of the actual process of finding quality talent, there is not much difference in Shanghai versus elsewhere.
From a corporate perspective, the internal processes of hiring staff are sometimes not as mature as in markets such as in Australia, London and Singapore. There is still a gap in how companies treat job candidates. Reputation will spread through the market if you treat candidates with respect, if you take the time to give them feedback, and if the process is well organized. Not all Shanghai companies are there yet.
I was also warned about the pollution here, but if you really are open to what’s happening in Shanghai and the opportunities that exist, it really doesn’t matter that much. The city will continue to improve as it becomes more cosmopolitan in the way it does business.
Q: Can new technologies be trusted in finding and assessing job applicants?
A: Technology is among a lot of things that people constantly say may impact or replace traditional recruitment. People outside of my industry said that the Internet, email, and online job boards would replace professional recruitment because companies can go out and access talent directly. The most recent tool is LinkedIn. The truth is that, as an industry, we learn to use the new tools. The essence of recruitment is networking, so anything that enables us to find talent quicker is a benefit to us. Our consultants all have their LinkedIn profiles and they interact with new people to expand their networks.
Personality and psychometric testing are definitely a value as well. We are seeing an increasing number of large companies using these tools as part of the hiring process. I think such testing should be considered more as a development tool rather than a decisive tool. If candidates go through several interviews and you like them, but then something comes up from the behavioral tests that you don’t like, you shouldn’t necessarily count that person out. It’s better to use the results of the tests to develop staff after they are hired.
Nothing can replace a face-to-face meeting where you can assess applicants’ skills and how they interact with people. Even in video conferencing and Skype, people may appear dramatically different from they do face-to-face.
Q: Any tips for job seekers?
A: There are three things I recommend. The first thing is always to look at the mandates for positions you are applying for. Make sure they will suit and challenge you. You don’t want a job that is too easy because you will get bored and leave. The second piece of advice is to ascertain if the people who will be your bosses are people you can respect and learn from. The final thing is that you should agree with the values and strategic direction of a prospective employer.
I should add that many companies now place heavy value on stability. That means a history of job-hopping won’t help you. People should also be conscious of their profiles on LinkedIn and other social media. People need to protect their “personal brand” in the information they reveal about themselves in public domains.
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