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Returning to work in China: Lessons for Chinese students in the UK
Presentation by Ellen O’Brien
International Careers Adviser
Aims of this session: Provide a brief overview of China’s economy and
graduate labour market
Outline employer perceptions of returning Chinese graduates
Highlight approaches to recruitment in different sectors
Discuss challenges faced by Chinese graduates returning home and implications for their job hunting strategies
An opportunity for discussion
March 18-22, Beijing and Shanghai
Wide range of employers – State Owned Privately Owned Foreign Investment / Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprises
Feedback was mixed but patterns became clear!
4
Background on China’s economy China’s economy slowed following the global crash in 2009
Following a stimulus package (big infrastructure projects), growth picked up in 2010 as a result then fell back from 2011
Growth comes from people (urbanisation) + capital (machinery) + productivity (managerial techniques) and these can’t go on growing forever
Hitting 7.5% growth until 2020 is still remarkable and will see China’s economy overtake the USA’s but reform is needed to make this happen – including skills required from returning graduates
Source: Alistair Thornton, Senior China Economist, HIS
Long term challenges 40% of the economy is driven by exports and
domestic consumption is too low with government investment and exports too high
The government needs to bring down the savings rate - still very high, partly due to the one child policy
Demographic problem - there will soon be a huge proportion of old people due to the one child policy. “China faces growing old before it grows rich”
Source: Alistair Thornton, Senior China Economist, HIS
Some background on the Chinese graduate job market in 2013
Companies expect >10% headcount increase in 2013, much of it from fresh graduates
Talent supply – nearly 7m fresh graduates per year
230,300 overseas graduates returned in 2012, accumulated total is 1.05m
SO, it’s very competitive…..
Source: Aon Hewitt China Salary Increase Survey 2010‐2012
From Hai Gui – sea turtle
to Hai Dai - seaweed
Starting pay is based on educational background – Masters can add £2,200 pa over UG degree av. annual salary of £8,000 in Tier 1 cities
Overseas study still has a salary premium but the gap is closing
Sales and Marketing and R&D attract higher salaries than other functions - PhD much preferred in R&D
Auto and healthcare industries offer highest starting salaries
Graduate Salary Trends in China
Employers Recruitment Styles in China Recruitment methods are common across most
sectors including attending campus job fairs, applications by CV and possibly online tests, 1 or 2 rounds of interviews, assessment centre
All focus on skills and mindset – solid professional knowledge, development potential, work ethic, team focus, results-driven, innovative / entrepreneurial / think outside the box
Typically recruit between Oct and Jan
State Owned Enterprises (SOE) Still very traditional in their recruitment methods
Only hire from 211 Chinese universities and often family “guanxi” is also required
May not have equal opportunities for male and female applicants for some roles
Starting salaries tend be lower but do increase over time –benefits include organising the “hukou” and job stability
Overseas educated Chinese need to be careful not to appear arrogant (“improper mindset”)
Expect some “reverse culture shock” at first
Quotes from / about SOEs
“Personality is not crucial – a new graduate is like a tree - integrity (roots), reliability (trunk) and ability to learn (branches)”
“In an SOE, people need to spend 50% of their energy on relationship building”
“Chinese employers don’t know which UK universities are the best so that’s a big problem”
“Some employers dislike returners speaking English because they think they are arrogant – need to be respectful of the company culture”
Privately Owned Enterprises (POE)
Recruitment is likely to be more open and based more on knowledge and skills
There is no typical POE – some have grown from SEOs and are therefore more traditional while others are small start ups and pay less but are more realistic for those not from 211s with guanxi
It is possible to earn more money more quickly in a POE than in a SOE
Proving your ability is important - don’t “jump” too quickly chasing higher salaries - salary and career progression will improve by playing the ‘long game’
Quotes from / about POEs
“We can pay double for UK graduates with an IT degree”
“Graduates want a 20% p.a. pay rise so move on quickly”
“Our graduates leave and go on to FIEs which is a success (if they have stayed for 2 or 3 years)
Foreign Investment Enterprises (FIE)
Seen as being fairer in their hiring, including gender
Value all UK work experience (more than others do)
Focus is more on personality than where the graduate studied Also open minded about UG v PG degree
Graduates are mentored, the focus is on career development
Huge competition from overseas returners
Quotes from / about FIEs
“Hires from the UK meet our criteria very well, they are more mature than the locally educated Chinese”
“We prefer the more aggressive and culturally aware overseas graduates”
What do graduates want?
“job security” - SOE
“get rich quick” - POE
“professional skills” - FIE
Fresh graduates’ preferred Top Ten employers
1. China Mobile 2. Bank of China 3. Alibaba 4. Microsoft Corporation 5. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China 6. Procter & Gamble 7. PetroChina 8. Huawei 9. Baidu 10. Google
Source: Zhaopin.com
Before applying, students should ...
Assess their own skills and experience
Research suitable opportunities and organisations – use social media (e.g. Weibo), job portals (e.g. Zhaopin) and contacts
Find out what they want for that role – do their homework!
Before applying, students should ...
Match themselves to employer needs and identify sources of evidence – bring Western thinking to Chinese business
Think about location – 2nd & 3rd tier cities is where the opportunities are
The hukou can be a constraint – make sure they know what help may be available
Professional, theoretical knowledge
International outlook – inc. work experience
Creative thinking – think outside the box
Executive ability – think independently
“Survival” ability – work under pressure, adapt quickly
Skills that Chinese employers look for from overseas educated graduates
UK degree is less of an advantage now so you must sell the benefits clearly (66% of HR managers do not see overseas study as giving an advantage in itself)
Be prepared for reverse culture shock – respect company culture
Be realistic about your value in terms of salary (most graduates look for 3-8K RMB per month)
The benefits of overseas education will be important in the long term in your career including in terms of salary
Top tips from Chinese employers
Your approach needs to fit the type of employer, be respectful of the company culture
ALL employers look for work ethic, drive, teamwork and commitment
Most employers want a short, clear CV (e.g. “I review over 1000 CVs in 3 hours”!!)
Don’t be a jumper!! Stay in a job for 2 to 3 years to prove your value before moving on
Top tips from Chinese employers
Where are the jobs advertised
Social media (massive in China): • Weibo
Job boards: • www.zhoapin.com • www.51job.com • www.chinahr.com • www.baijob.com • www.yingjiesheng.com – exclusively for fresh
graduates • www.alumniuk.org.cn - just for UK alumni
Government expenditure in education is 4% of China’s GDP, (>1.5% on HE compared to 0.6% in the UK), although per capita this is 14 times less than the UK and per university half
China provides the largest group of international students in the UK, over 80,000 undertaking HE courses - an increase of 11% over 2011
Challenge for UK is in ensuring sustainable market growth in a mature market with visa changes
194,029 Chinese students studied in the USA in 2011/12, an increase of 23% on the previous year
China market challenges
A different perspective…. Surprising / thought-provoking issues
Chinese employers lack knowledge about the UK HE system, rankings of HEIs, UK qualifications & professional bodies
We encourage Chinese students to mix in order to improve English but do we consider the value in networking with other Chinese students?
Do Chinese students understand “guidance”? They are more limited by their choice of major than if working in the UK
Generally, the better the education background, the higher the starting pay – hence importance placed on study over extra-curricular activity