Archives 2007

Travel Assistant (Car Dispatcher)

Company introduction: Our client is a leading, global management consulting firm. They integrate their know-how in functional areas with their deep industry knowledge – on a global scale. To support client service, they’re organized into industry and functional practices. They practice develop business knowledge and insights that create a critical mass of expertise to provide superior client service.

Job Description:
Report To:TravelManager

1.Handle all ground transportation requests in our Shanghai office
2.Directly contact drivers to assign their duties and supervise their performance
3.Reserve cars from appointed vendors when necessary
4.Accurately record car reservation and assignment information into database and update timely should there be any changes
5.Coordinate and solve unexpected situation during car ordering and service process
6.Provide support in car billing, driver evaluation and service complaint handling etc.

Job Requirements:
1.At least 1 year working experience in a similar position in MNCs or car rental companies
2.Familiar with car booking, reservation and service process and system
3.Fluent in written and spoken English, CET 4 at least
4.Excellent communication skill and great customer service attitude
5.Committed and flexible, and have the ability to work under pressure
6.Highly attentive to detail with a sharp eye for consistency

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to:
‘topjob_mn127sh#dacare.com'(Please replace “#” with “@”)
* In the email subject MUST you plus the position name £¨in either En or Ch £©

Lenovo Names New VP Cultural Integration, Diversity

February 26, 2007
Lenovo has appointed Yolanda Conyers, as vice president, Cultural Integration and Diversity, responsible for the global integration of the company’s workforce.

“Yolanda has the experience we need to help make Lenovo a success in the global marketplace,” said Ken DiPietro, senior vice president, Human Resources, Lenovo. “Our goal is to leverage the strengths of our employees worldwide, and Yolanda’s expertise in cultural integration will help us to become even more competitive.”

Conyers was most recently director, Worldwide Procurement at Dell, where she led the supply chain strategy team. Prior to that, Conyers was director, Global Diversity, where she helped develop the company’s workforce and marketplace diversity model, including recruitment, retention, outreach, and education. Conyers also held management positions in Dell customer service organization.

Conyers holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Lamar University, and an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake, San Antonio, Texas.

UNI Global Union Supports British Burberry Workers In China Move

Union Network International says jobs of 300 British workers are under threat as clothing maker Burberry plans to move production from the United Kingdom to China in March.

UNI says Burberry’s image is founded on the idea of being British and if it closes its factory in Treorchy in March as planned then it “will have to trick customers worldwide into thinking that a product made in China is still the essence of Britishness.”

Japan is one of Burberry’s biggest markets and UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings said a Japanese shopworker will be asked to sell something on the promise that it is a traditional British product while knowing it is made in China.

“Burberry cannot expect our members, the sales staff in Japan, or anywhere else to lie or even to put their hearts into a selling a product under false pretences,” Jennings said.

UNI’s Japanese affiliates through the UNI Liaison Committee have written to the Burberry workers expressing their full support for the British workers and their union GMB, in the fight to retain their jobs. They warned Burberry that customers in Japan could feel cheated and betrayed which could do great damage to Burberry sales in Japan.

The fight to keep Burberry jobs in Wales has also reached Euro-MPs, who led by Wales MEPs Glenys Kinnock and Eluned Morgan sent a Valentine’s message to company bosses to ‘Stop Breaking Our Hearts’.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Labour MEP Glenys Kinnock said, “By moving production to China, Burberry is breaking the hearts of its loyal and hardworking Welsh workforce and devastating an already deprived community. The company has also failed to give guarantees that the factories in China, to where production is likely to be moved, will not employ child labour or use forced labour. At a time when consumers increasingly make choices according to company ethics, Burberry’s actions are not only morally reprehensible but commercially unsound.”

Eluned Morgan added, “Burberry’s decision to move production to China is sheer corporate greed. The company’s sales are booming and profits are healthy. There is absolutely no reason for the company to pull out of the Rhondda Valley. I and my European colleagues today urge Burberry to rediscover its sense of Corporate Social Responsibility and keep its Treorchy factory open.”

Senior Assistant and Secretary

Company introduction: Our client is a leading, global application-oriented metal and materials Group, with a unique position as probably the most innovative company in its business. They aim to be at the core of new developments, and therefore a driving force in this exciting sector.

Job Description:
Report To: Vice President (An European people)
Location: Shanghai

1.General secretary and administration tasks and responsibilities;
2.Planning and organization of meetings;
3.Planning and organization of business trips,domestic and oversee;
4.Planning and organization of business events;
5.Follow up of VP’s e-mails during business trips, communicate interim result and take action if needed;
6.VP’s diary planning and follow up;
7.Document filing.

Job Requirements:
1.University degree or similar professional qualification in marketing or business management;
2.5+ years’ practical experience in a similar job with a foreign invested company or JV;
3.Excellent oral and written English communication skills;
4.Good computer skills (MS Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook);
5.Good organizational and planning skills;
6.Good telephone communication skills;
7.Familiar with western culture;
8.Open and communicative personality;
9.High integrity, Credible, Reliable, Confidential and ¡°Can ¨C do¡± attitude Duties;

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to:
‘topjob_mn125sh#dacare.com’(Please replace “#” with “@”)

Peru, China to start trade talks this year

PERU and China are expected to begin free trade talks this year with expert-level discussion to open next month, Peru’s Tourism and Foreign Trade Minister Mercedes Araoz said Thursday.

“We are calling a meeting of technical teams at the end of March or beginning of April, and we hope to launch the negotiations with China this year,” said Araoz.

The statement came one week after the minister said the two nations would begin a feasibility study on a bilateral free trade agreement.

Araoz also said Peru is working with the private sector on defining the terms of a trade deal with South Korea; and possible free trade agreements were under consideration with Canada and the European Free Trade Association whose members are Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

As member of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), Peru is also working on an association agreement with the 27-member European Union.

CAN nations will meet to discuss the EU talks in March, Araoz said.

Online Recruiting Sites: A Booming Market For China’s HR Conundrum

Shaun Rein of the China Market Research Group submits: My firm recently interviewed senior executives of MNCs in China about their operations in China and what parts are strong and what parts need improvement. One of the respondents’ biggest complaints in doing business here surprisingly was not corruption or IPR issues. Indeed, the majority of respondents said that the Chinese Government has cracked down on corruption and IPR enforcement to the improvement of business conditions.

Instead, the most common complaint from our interviews was HR related. As China’s economy booms, executives said that it is hard to recruit and retain good talent that will help them scale their businesses and enter into the potentially lucrative 2nd and 3rd tier cities of China .

I wrote about strategies for retaining talent in a recent Harvard Business Review piece, and how MNCs need to put in place better training programs, eliminate glass ceilings for Chinese workers, and reduce if not eliminate outsized expat packages that cause jealousy amongst lower paid Chinese employees.

China’s HR conundrum is something that confuses a lot of people who have not had to hire people here. They reason that there are so many people in China looking for jobs that it must be easy to hire people. They point to the fact that China’s number of university graduates matriculating every year has quadrupled in the last five years from 1 million to 4 million and to the fact that there are 180 million migrant workers who “float” around China looking for job. How can it not be easy to hire talent, these people reason, especially if you give them salaries like $500 USD a month that is far less than what companies pay workers in the US but far more than the average GDP per capita in China which stands around $100 USD a month.

The problem is that the skills that most workers possess are not necessarily what MNCs are looking for. For those with the needed skills, it is an employees market. They can and do demand ever higher salaries, with MNCs regularly doling out 20% annual increases to retain even mediocre talent. Restless and wanting to be the boss and make millions, they are switching jobs every year or so, leaving MNCs constantly looking to hire.

As a result of market conditions, large executive search firms like Korn/ Ferry (KFY), Russell
Reynolds, and Spencer Spuart as well as boutique ones have been multiplying. It seems like every other office in my building in Xintiandi is either a headhunting or textile company.

But online recruiting sites like 51jobs.com (JOBS), ChinaHR.com, Zhaopin.com, and an aggregator that pulls job listings from across the internet called Yingjiesheng.com is of the most interest to retail investors. The top three sites together control nearly 70% of the online job market with 51jobs.com leading the pack with a 39% market share, followed by ChinaHR.com at 15% and Zhaopin.com with roughly 14%. And it is a booming market.

My firm, the China Market Research Group (CMR), estimates that the online job market in China will grow fourfold by 2010 from its 2005 value of $100 million USD. Growth will remain steady as the majority of China’s 125 million internet users fall between the ages of 18 and 28. This age group, which I have termed China’s Baby Boomers, are internet savvy, much as their peers in South Korean are. They are willing to apply to jobs online. In our surveys, China’s youth said that they like to conduct a job hunt using online job hunting sites because it is “convenient” and because some of the sites like Yingjiesheng.com “actually have relevant information about companies including the interview experiences of other applicants.”

Investors have been paying attention to these numbers and sentiments.

Monster.com (MNST) invested $50 million USD in 2005 to buy a 40% stake in ChinaHR.com. More recently, Monster invested another $20 million USD to increase its stake in the company to 45% and has announced that it intends to take control of the company sometime in 2008.

Zhaopin.com, at present the smallest of the big three, recently received an investment of $20 million USD from Seek Limited, the largest job site in Australia. It has announced plans to differential itself from its competitors by targeting younger job seekers in China’s 2nd and 3rd tier cities.

Of the big 3 online job hunting sites, only one, 51jobs.com is public. So, should investors buy shares in the biggest player of a hot market?

The financials for 51jobs.com has been promising in 2006. Q1 2006 saw revenue of $21.5 million USD, 21% higher than Q1 05. Total second quarter revenue was $21.7 million USD 18% higher than Q2 05. The growth continued in Q3 with revenue was up 12.5% over 2005 Q3. Profit for Q3 was $12.1 million USD, 15.9% higher than the same period last year.

The stock has been wild, moving from $15 USD in early January to a high of $31.90 USD in the middle of May after beating estimates, before crashing back down to $12.70 USD at the end of October after missing earnings estimates. It is now holding steady at $16.56 USD on December 22.

Right now, 51jobs.com seems to have the edge in terms of market share over its competitors. But Chinese internet users are fickle and mass migrations from one site to another after a change in technology or service are quite common as 51jobs.com still has not created a stickiness factor. MNCs seem to post jobs on all 3 of the major sites.

We found recently the following examples of MNCs that use online job hunting sites to find talent:

51job: ABB (ABB), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), General Electric (GE), Hitachi (HIT), HP (HP), Microsoft (MSFT), Motorola (MOT), Oracle (ORCL), Tyco (TYC), and Webex (WEBX)

Zhaopin: Bayer (BAY), Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), Colgate Palmolive (CL), Ford (F), HSBC (HBC), Philips (PHG), Shangri-La (SHANG), Royal Dutch Shell pls (RDS.A)

ChinaHR: Timken (TKR), China Mobile (CHL), Cisco (CSCO), Dell (DELL), Ebay (EBAY), Google (GOOG), International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), Morgan Stanley (MS), Sina (SINA), and Western Union (WU)

However, more and more MNCs are getting used to posting jobs on university BBS which are free and which is where the majority of students we interviewed said they go first when looking for jobs. Students like BBS like Fudan University’s because they can “discuss” a company there, get “company specific interview information”, ask for “advice on salary” packages – a scary situation for companies, however, as all their rejected applicants might criticize them.

In the next 6 months, I do believe that 51jobs.com has room to grow and capture more market share. It might be worthwhile for investors who are willing to take a few risks to look at buying a few shares. I think that the risks in 51jobs.com are quite high because of the potential competition. I see Zhaopin making big strides with its new war chest – this could pose a threat. However, I don’t see Zhaopin being able to take away major market share in the next 6 months.

Keep your eyes on the competition though. I believe that one major player will emerge in the next 12 months and that there will be a consolidation of the industry to 1 or 2 major players.

Note: CMR Analysts Ben Cavender, Natalie Zhu, and Allen Lee contributed to this article.

Overseas banks sketch plan to hire thousands

By Zhang Fengming (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-02-05 14:27

With overseas lenders given a more level playing field to compete on the Chinese mainland, the competition has heated up to find experienced employees.
Star Ge, a headhunter for bankers, says the beginning of the year is the peak season for job seekers.

Big plans

Sales managers, public relations officers, translators and other positions are open for those interested in working for an overseas bank.

HSBC will add 1,000 employees this year after hiring the same number in 2006 as the bank expands investment in networks and personnel on the mainland, said Richard Yorke, chief executive officer of HSBC in China.

Hang Seng Bank also said it will hire about 2,000 people by 2010.

Some of the new employees are from domestic lenders.

“The competition among overseas and domestic lenders is not only about the fight for high-end clients but for talented staff as well,” said Shiu Kai-Wing at Capgemini, a consultancy firm.

The expansion ambition of overseas banks is easy to see in Shanghai.

Places like Xujiahui and the Jing’an Temple area stand out as key locations for overseas banks.

On the crossroad of Caoxi Road N. and Nandan Road, a batch of overseas banks including Standard Chartered, Hang Seng Bank, First Sino Bank and Bank of East Asia, fight for attention.

In January, Standard Chartered opened its biggest outlet in eastern China for priority banking, or high-end client investment services, near Xujiahui.

High on the list of skills required to work at an overseas bank is foreign languages, Ge said.

English helps

Chinese in their early 30s happily greeted Katherine Tsang, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bank China, and introduced themselves with their English names at the opening of the Xujiahui branch.

“People from domestic banks who have ample branch expansion experience are also highly desired by overseas lenders,” said Ge.

The demand for people with small- and medium-sized business experience also looks good on resumes.

“Most candidates see an opportunity to develop their careers as the main attraction of working at overseas banks,” said Ge.

It is expected that employees working for overseas banks will top 16,910 by 2008, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Nonetheless, there are also some unwritten rules in the industry. Overseas banks are reluctant to grab too much talent from domestic partners to avoid potential conflicts.

HSBC, Citigroup and Standard Chartered have purchased strategic stakes in domestic lenders as part of a two-pronged approach to expansion on the Chinese mainland that complements organic growth plans. The last thing they want to do is cause problems with a domestic partner.

However, domestic banks are not defenseless in the battle to hire talented people. Some offer an allowance to purchase real estate. The amount varies on length of service and position, but it can be worth tens of thousands of yuan.

All about timing

Xiao Yang, a Bank of China employee in Shanghai, declined the chance to work at an overseas bank.

As a graduate from Shanghai International Studies University renowned for its foreign language education, he said the chance to speak English is rare in his current position.

“I want to gain more experience before making a wise move,” he said. “If the right timing comes, I will move.”

Merrill Lynch Hires Margaret Ren as China Chairman

By Cathy Chan and Patricia Cheng

Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) — Merrill Lynch & Co. hired Margaret Ren as a chairman of China investment banking after U.S. regulators cleared the former Citigroup Inc. executive of wrongdoing in a 2003 initial public offering.

The 48-year-old daughter-in-law of former Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang will report to China region Chairman Liu Erh-fei and Asia banking head Sheldon Trainor, said Damian Chunilal, who leads Merrill’s Asia Pacific investment banking operations.

Ren may help Merrill challenge UBS AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., who together accounted for a quarter of the value of stock sold overseas by Chinese companies last year. Merrill slipped to sixth place last year from fourth in 2005 in arranging such sales, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It ranked fourth in IPOs, up from sixth in 2005.

“She’s well-connected,” said Stephen De Pretre, a vice president at headhunter Salzer Consulting in Hong Kong. “For companies that need to do deals in an environment that’s very strongly regulated, having people with strong networks at senior levels is crucial.”

Ren confirmed the appointment, which is effective this week, when reached by phone. She declined to comment further. The mother of two has a master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Ren, who joined Citigroup in 2001 after nine years at Bear, Stearns & Co., was suspended in 2004 after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission started probing the firm’s handling of China Life Insurance Co.’s $3.5 billion initial share sale, the world’s biggest in 2003. She was cleared of wrongdoing last year.

Bulking Up

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission on Feb. 2 granted Ren licenses to perform investment banking services. The license approvals on SFC’s Web site list Merrill Lynch as her employer.

“This important hire reflects our commitment to this business,” said Chunilal in an internal memo sent today.

Investment banks and buyout firms are bulking up as companies in China, the world’s fastest-growing major economy, prepare to sell more stock and buy local and overseas competitors. The value of China’s domestic stock markets has more than tripled in the past year, topping $1 trillion.

Chinese initial public offerings soared after the government ended a ban on share sales in May. The $75.4 billion of stock sold in China and Hong Kong trailed only that of the U.S. in 2006.

Blackstone Group LP, manager of the world’s biggest buyout fund, last month hired Antony Leung, Hong Kong’s former financial secretary, to run its business in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Oaktree Capital Management LLC, a Los Angeles buyout firm with more than $33 billion of assets, hired former JPMorgan Chase & Co. Asia Pacific Chairman Ralph Parks same month.

Citigroup’s Woes

Wilson Feng, a vice chairman of China investment banking, was promoted to a chairman, according to the memo.

Citigroup’s fortunes in China waned after it ousted Ren. Her successor as head of China investment banking lasted 15 months. After Ren left in June 2004, 10 of Citigroup’s 13-person investment banking group dedicated to China quit the New York- based company.

The company, whose roots in China go back to 1902, slumped to 11th in overseas stock sales by Chinese companies last year from fourth in 2003, Bloomberg data shows. The only Chinese IPO Citigroup handled last year was China Coal Energy Co.’s $1.9 billion sale in December.

Citigroup is fighting back. Last month, it hired Zhang Wendong, former co-head of China investment banking at UBS AG, to be managing director for China investment banking. In March, it tapped Zhao Jing, former co-head of China investment banking at Morgan Stanley.

`Stronger Than Ever’

“2006 was a year of investment for us and we ended up with a great deal of momentum as the year ended,” Bob Morse, the New York-based firm’s chief executive officer of corporate and investment banking in Asia, said in a Jan. 26 interview. “We have a pipeline that is stronger than it has ever been.”

Chinese companies may raise as much as $55 billion in IPOs this year, with domestic share sales overtaking Hong Kong offerings in value, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Shares of Industrial Bank Co. soared 39 percent in their Shanghai debut today after the $2 billion initial public offer attracted record bids. Investors ordered $150 billion worth of stock — equal to the market value of International Business Corp.

This year, bankers will be courting companies such as Agricultural Bank of China, which last week said it will seek a government bailout to prepare it for an IPO. The bank had 18 percent of outlets in the nation as of last month, and it employs 452,000 people.

Hudson to Acquire Major IT Recruiter in China

Move Will Solidify Position as Asia’s Market Leader in Mid- to Senior-Level Recruitment

NEW YORK, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Seeking to expand its team presence and depth in mainland China markets Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, Hudson (NASDAQ: HHGP) today announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Tony Keith Associates Ltd. to better serve the talent needs of U.S. multi-nationals operating in Asia. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of the year, subject to customary closing conditions.

“This deal brings together two leading recruitment brands in the Chinese market,” said Gary Lazzarotto, chief executive officer of Hudson/Asia. “The combined expertise and geographic reach of one of China’s leading IT recruiters and our mid- to senior-level recruitment capabilities should be extremely attractive to U.S. multi-nationals seeking top talent to help enter the market or expand their operations in this high-growth region of the world.”

“Hudson’s global reach, talent network and client base will enable us to better serve our existing clients and candidates, and broaden our reach to other companies that could benefit from our specialized recruitment capabilities,” said Raymond Wong, partner of Tony Keith. “What’s more, and just as important, Hudson’s organizational culture and values mirror ours.”

Hudson, which has operated in four key Asia markets (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and China) for nearly a decade — will now number more than 350 professionals and seven offices primarily serving U.S. multi-national clients throughout that continent. Recently, the global recruitment and talent management firm was recognized by China’s World Management Review magazine as “Greater China’s Best Headhunting Firm of the Year” for 2006.

Hudson

Hudson (NASDAQ: HHGP) is a leading provider of permanent recruitment, contract professionals and talent management services worldwide. From single placements to total outsourced solutions, Hudson helps clients achieve greater organisational performance by assessing, recruiting, developing and engaging the best and brightest people for their businesses. The company employs more than 3,600 professionals serving clients and candidates in more than 20 countries. More information is available at http://www.hudson.com/.

Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the company’s strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of our control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including our ability to complete the Tony Keith acquisition, economic and other conditions in the markets in which Tony Keith operates, risks associated with operating Tony Keith as part of Hudson Highland Group, unexpected developments relating to Tony Keith’s business after closing of the acquisition and other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

Demand Soars for China-Specific Finance Talent

By Meta L. Levin 2007.1.23 Wall Street Journal

When Bernie Fung returned to Hong Kong 14 years ago, he secured a front row seat for the fastpaced economic transformation of the People’s Republic of China.

A HongKong Native who spent 20 years working and studying in Canada and the U.S., Mr. Fung is now CEO of AON Asia, a risk management consultancy, and finds himself competing for the limited pool of financial professionals who have expertise and experience of working in and with China. “It’s a challenge to find the right talent,” he says.

The rapid pace of economic growth is making China one of the hottest financial recruitment markets in the world. And multinational companies seeking to enter China are looking to hire candidates with skills that allow them to work in, and advise on, this complex market.

Companies arriving in china on the tide of foreign investment need accountants, auditors and financial managers who understand the market and are familiar with the variances between cities, provinces and regions. Demand is also high for English speakers, those with overseas and management experience, as well as familiarity with working in a multinational corporate environment and with new product sales, says Thomas Zhou, partner and co-founder of DaCare Executive Search, which has offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

“Native (Chinese) understand the culture, the policies and, most important, they have network connections with local government and companies,” says Sherry Liu, a Beijing native, now based in Milwaukee, who has lived in the U.S. for 22 years and operates SimChain Global Logistics LLC, and outsourcing company in China. Like most, she believes that the best picks are the “haigui,” Chinese who studied abroad and know the international game rules.

That, however, is one of the biggest challenges, and recruiters like Guy Day, managing director of Ambition Asia, an accounting and finance recruiting firm in Hong Kong, struggle to find enough Mandarin-speaking candidates who hold a U.S. Certified Public Accountant, British Certified Practical Accountant or similar certification from other countries.

Chinese colleges and universities are turning out an increasing number of entry-level job candidates, but there are few middle and upper-management Chinese with the necessary experience in international commerce, making the competition fierce and salaries rise. “Investment in education didn’t start until about 10 years ago, so there is a greater supply of those with little or no experience and the top jobs are going to people from Hong Kong or to non-Asians,” says Mr. Day.

It can be difficult, however, for non-Asians to understand the cultural complexities of working in china. “Sometimes a manager coming in from another country will have problems, because he doesn’t know how to handle the locals,” says Leonard Sarkissian of Milwaukee, Wis., whose company, international Harbor LLC, helps foreign firms through the process of setting up a business in China. He emphasizes the importance of learning to read cultural cues. For instance, Chinese will not say no directly to guests. They may say,” it’s very difficult,” explains Ms. Liu. “There are many ways to show their disagreement, but none of them is no”. Foreign managers who don’t understand that may find the process frustrating and counterproductive.

Recognizing this, AON Corp., AON Asia’s parent company, recently initiated a program to identify Chinese national studying in the U.S., hire them and put them through a training program before sending them back to China to work at either AON’s insurance or brokerage offices there.

Those who take internal audit jobs in China must be ready for a lot of travel, and that can make these positions a tough sell, says Mr. Day. “Some of the junior-Level jobs have 90% travel. You are literally living out of a suitcase.” Accounting and financial analysis jobs tend to have considerably less. Since many companies have manufacturing facilities in China, it also is important that those looking for jobs understand and be familiar with this environment, Mr. Day says.

Chinese job candidates are becoming more sophisticated. Whereas salary was king for many years, whey now are evaluating employers by career trajectory, training and overseas opportunities, as well as remuneration.

“Candidates have woken up to the fact that working for the right company and having the opportunity to work their way along a clearly defined career path can be worth more than money along,” says Mr. Day. While money is still strong attraction, he finds the market maturing as those with financial expertise look for careers and not just jobs, and cast a critical eye on such things as location and travel opportunities. Employees also prefer big name multinational companies, seeing in them more opportunities in the long run.

An increasing number of young Chinese job candidates are looking for companies that will finance their M.B.A. studies, says Mr. Sarkissian. In fact, it has become a part of some corporate retention programs in China. An employer will offer to pay for graduate school in return for a commitment to stay with the company for certain number of years. A lot of Chinese universities also now have partnerships and joint programs with those in the U.S. and Europe. Often a job candidate will ask if the company will pay for an M.B.A. as part of the interview. “It would be the kicker for them,” says Mr. Sarkissian.

Language is a big issue. Although Mr.Fung agree English is the international language of business, he believes that finance professionals who want to be successful in China do need to at least be familiar with Putonghua, the official Mandarin dialect spoken in most of the large cities.
“As a hot growth market, more U.S. companies are trying to establish their presence (in china), which does create additional demand for managers who are fully Mandarin-English fluent in both language and culture,” says Susan Amy, director of the Career Management Center at the university of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

These is also the issue of Chinese familiarity with Western business culture. “Part of the advice I give is to raise your hand and speak up at meetings,” says Corbette Doyle, AON’s U.S. –based global chief diversity officer. “That is culturally unacceptable in China.” It is Ms. Doyle’s job not only to promote diversity in AON’s offices around the world, but also to find ways to do business without stepping on cultural toes. She cites as an example a group of Chinese AON employees who founded the “China Desk” within the company. They help AON’s U.S. clients who want to go to china, as well as Chinese clients who want to invest in the U.S. “They see it as an opportunity to help the organization and help themselves without raising their hands and saying ‘look at me.'” She says.

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