Guide to 7 Steps to China Hiring Heaven

HR departments in China have a broad range of work that they should be doing right now but the reality is that they spend an inordinate amount of time on the hiring process. Skills shortages abound and the balance of power is firmly in the candidate’s hand.

But all is not lost. There are specific things you can do to shift the power balance back in your favor. It could not be called a comprehensive solution to the hiring challenge in China but you could call it the 7 Steps to Hiring Heaven.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Start, Strategize, Act!

Start thinking about China hiring long before you actually start the process. Make sure that you know what it is that you are going to do, and how you are going to do it. In a War for Talent market like China 'winging it' simply doesn't work. There are deep shortages of skills in most industries and plenty of competitor companies who understand this. If you have already started the hiring process then take a weekend off with your team. Take the company mission as your starting point and drill down through the company objectives, down further to specific strategies, and finally, to the tasks that must be undertaken to achieve success. Assign the work to the relevant HR staff and come up with specific time frames for delivery. Then implement fast.

I recommend: www.shrm.com

Avoid the Oversell

Pitch accurately when you call candidates avoid the temptation to oversell. Candidates in China receive many calls from internal company Recruiters and headhunters every month and some have developed very finely tuned noses. They can smell baloney at 500 yards. Don’t over-pitch because you will only guarantee eventual disappointment in the odd candidate who actually buys into your story and signs up to your company’s ‘vision’. Under-pitch and you won’t close sufficient candidates. You might also like to take this further and take a look at the notion of the Performance Profile, an idea that was introduced by Lou Adler many years ago. You can find his site easily on Google.

I recommend: http://english.talent-software.com 

Introduce Phone Screens

Use Phone Screens in your hiring process, as you will find that many potential candidates in China will appear to be interested. Often they are just being polite and don’t want to say no to you directly. This is especially important if you are in an industry that has just taken off in China. You will have to hire from outside your industry in order to ensure succes and your ideal match will not come from a listing of skills and experience, but rather from personality and type. A few questions in a phone screen will generally get past this issue quickly and will help prevent unnecessary interviewing.

I recommend: www.hirevue.com

Check Candidate Certifications

Confirm degrees and references in China for all levels of position. Weak candidates can pump themselves up with a quick RMB400 (US$50) purchase of a fake degree from a prestigious university in China. They are available on the streets in all cities. You will not be able to tell the difference from looking at the document so the only way is to go directly to the university website and input the information, so that you can compare against the original certificate. Assess personality for both the hiring manager and final applicants. Many professionals in China have a weak understanding of themselves because many of their life decisions have been made by others, such as parents or teachers. The clarity that comes from using these kinds of instruments will surprise you, as it did me.

I recommend: http://www.chinadaxuesheng.com/xuelichaxun/index.htm 

Secure Access

Define your process so that relatives or previous colleagues do not get hired into your company. It is common in China for Sales Managers to leave and pull their entire sales team, and this is not so unusual in many countries. However, in China things often goes way beyond this and if you are not careful you can find yourself with a parallel organizational structure that you simply cannot see.

I recommend: www.ere.net

Check Who's Who

Assess personality for both the hiring manager and final applicants. Many professionals in China have a weak understanding of themselves because many of their life decisions have been made by others, such as parents or teachers. The clarity that comes from using these kinds of instruments will surprise you, as it did me.

I recommend: www.hrobjective.com 

www.chinaselect.cn 

Don't Forget the Basics

Spend time to build an effective Job Description (JD) for the standard roles, or family of roles, in your organization. These JDs should tell it as it is, and not end up as yet more over-sold marketing hype.

I recommend: www.louadler.com