Recruiting in China

After news last week that Facebook, the world's largest social networking service (SNS), aims to enter the Chinese market, a domestic head-hunting company disclosed that Facebook has hired it to recruit the person to manage its business in China. This signals Facebook's timetable to enter the Chinese market is drawing nearer.

According to the recruiter, Facebook wants to hire a general manager overseeing its Chinese operations and this person would be based in Beijing.

But according to the detailed description of the post, the company also wants this person to lead the SNS game lab team to make products for the western market, and the position may match the requirements for a person leading a research institute in the Chinese market.

Also, the head-hunting firm said that Facebook was hoping the person would be from its headquarters, but the firm does not want to exclude those who are interested in the post to apply.

According to last week's information, Facebook may enter Chinese market as soon as in three months, and this latest recruitment announcement adds fuel to the possibility.

But according to local media reports, in order to enter the Chinese market now, Facebook may only just establish the research institute first. According to the requirements of the position, the products designed by the lab are mainly aimed for the western market, which means that Facebook will not launch products for the Chinese market for a while.

Nevertheless, an insider from the recruiting company said that if Facebook wants to enter the China market, it first needs to set up a management team and begin its relations with the Chinese government, which is only still in its preliminary stages.

6 personality traits that will impress your boss and increase your salary
by Sara Eckel, PayScale.com

You work hard--meeting deadlines, delivering results, and showing up on time. But each year you've been getting a raise in the measly 2 percent range (if that). Meanwhile, certain coworkers stroll out of their review meetings with big smiles on their faces.

Why do some people get a fat, juicy slab of the pie while others are offered crumbs? Experts say that, of course, diligence and talent play their part, but if you really want to increase your salary, you'll need these qualities:

1. An Owner's Mentality

Many people go into their annual review with a list of reasons that they need more money. But Joel Rudy, vice president of operations for Photographic Solutions, a supplier of digital-camera cleaning products, says that such pleas don't inspire employers to give raises. "I know that utilities have gone up," he says. He is more impressed with people who apply those inflationary concerns to the business--as if it were their own. For example, he was recently impressed with an employee who found a less expensive phone plan for the company. "Now, that's a raise-getter!" he says.

2. Forward-Thinking

While the people who get good raises definitely know how to highlight last year's achievements, Laura Browne, a corporate trainer and the author of "Raise Rules for Women: How to Make More Money at Work," says the highest earners don't dwell on the past. "Forget about last year. Find out the key initiatives that your company or your president wants to achieve this year," she says. For example, if the president said in the annual report that he wants to increase customer satisfaction by 15 percent, focus on that goal. "Your work needs to be connected with what the company cares about right now," says Browne.

3. Visibility

If you stay cloistered in your cubicle, you'll probably be disappointed when raises are announced--no matter how hard you work. "Quiet, shy, or otherwise invisible types are often left behind when it's pay-raise time," says Jane Goldner, PhD., president of The Goldner Group, an Atlanta-based consulting firm. To ensure that you and your hard work are seen, request projects that will get you in front of others--working with colleagues from other departments, giving presentations, or even contributing to the company newsletter. This will make it easier for your boss to plead your case to any necessary approvers. "If your boss is in the meeting and says, 'I want to give a raise to Sally,' it's going to be hard if no one knows who Sally is. On the other hand, if you have been visibly helpful, they'll say, 'Oh Sally, She's terrific!'" says Browne.

4. Charisma

Having great ideas and lofty goals is terrific. But if you want to see them executed, you also have to motivate others to rally around your initiatives. Executive coach Lisa Chenofsky Singer says these kind of interpersonal skills play a huge role when compensation is discussed. "Although someone may be competent from a technical-qualifications perspective, if their style doesn't flow well with others or they're not able to influence others, they tend to be the low-increased players," she says.

5. Tough Skin

No boss will ever say, "I love to give raises to self-promoters." So how do you draw attention to your achievements without looking like a braggart? Milan P. Yager, president and CEO of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations, says that giving your boss a quarterly progress report and asking for feedback is a subtle way to get noticed. "It is a fine line, but if you can master the technique, it will pay rewards," he says. And letting your supervisors know that you want criticism will show them that you have the confidence to handle any negative comments, which makes the evaluation process a lot less stressful for them.

6. Empathy for the Boss

The highest-earning employees understand that their job is to make their boss's life easier. Think about the things that your boss doesn't like doing--running meetings, tracking numbers--and ask if you can help by taking over those tasks. It's also important to understand that your boss can't always give you what you want, no matter how great your work is. "Most people get keyed up to ask for a raise and when they hear 'no' they respond really negatively," says Browne. "If you instead say, 'I understand, but when raises are unfrozen I would like to be the first in line,' you'll have a much better chance of getting the raise when they can give it."

Bank of America Corp. said it’ll expand its China business and hire more staff to tap growth in the world’s most populous nation, according to its chief executive officer Brian Moynihan.

“We are committed to our business here, not just the capital, more importantly the human capital,” Moynihan said during a press event today in Beijing.

Genpact, the back-office services provider, on Tuesday said it plans to scale up its operations in China and increase its headcount by 6,500 in that market in the next five years.

"China and Japan are an important market for us. It contributes about 10 per cent to Genpacts overall revenue. We plan to take our headcount in China to 10,000 in the next five years," Genpact CEO Pramod Bhasin told media.

Genpact, at present, has two centres in China which employs about 3,500 people.

The BPO firm today also inked a multi-year deal with Japan's Hikari Tsushin to provide services to Hikari's clients in Japan and China.

Genpact had signed the contract with Hello Communications, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Hikari Tsushin to provide customer service, finance and accounting, IT infrastructure support and back office processing to Hikari.

"The deal with Hikari will allow us to further expand our footprint in the Chinese and Japanese markets," Bhasin said.

He added that the tenure of the deal could be 3-5 years, however, he declined to share details about the size of the deal.

Shigetaro Toyoda, CEO of Hello Communications said, "The integration of the sales and marketing skills of Hikari Tsushin and Genpact's services will enable a faster time-to- market and lower operating costs."

EMS-giant Foxconn is said to hire for its PC manufacturing factory in the Chongqing Xiyong Microelectronic Industrial Park in China.

EMS Foxconn is reportedly set to hire a further 6'000 staff over the next half year for the facility, with plans to reach a total work force of about 10'000 next year, reports CENS.

The EMS-provider currently employs around 1'000 staff at the Chongqing facility, which manufactures PC for various customers. The company aims for an annual production output of 10 million notebook.

Raymond Ma

It seems that every foreign bank wants to be top dog in China’s wealth management sector – and for good reason. When Forbes magazine published its list of the richest people in the world earlier this month, it singled out China for mention because it was the first year in which the country had the most number of billionaires outside the US.

“China is currently considered the most attractive wealth management market in Asia for international banks. The country has experienced very fast growth for an extended period, and this has helped to create a whole new generation of wealthy individuals,” says Harry Senlitonga, a senior analyst at research firm Datamonitor.

The most active foreign recruiters in China’s wealth management sector include UBS, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Citi, according to a private banking headhunter who asked not to be named.

An increasing number of roles advising clients in China are expected to be based in Shanghai, rather than Hong Kong, which has traditionally been the hub for China-focussed relationship managers, adds the recruiter.

But while mainland vacancy volumes in wealth management are rising, the massive potential of this sector is yet to translate into a full scale talent war.

“I think recruitment for relationship manager roles has picked up slightly since the second half of 2009, but they are still nowhere near what I would call aggressive,” comments Cherol Cheuk, director of banking at recruitment firm Hudson.

Much of China’s wealth was created relatively recently, so the private banking industry is still undeveloped. Many rich individuals are unaware of wealth management models and/or unwilling to pay a professional advisor to help them invest their funds.

It is also difficult for banks to find the talent they need to expand their wealth management businesses on the mainland, adds Cheuk. Firms favour Chinese candidates who have strong relationships with small and medium business owners and entrepreneurs.