Recruiting in China

Robert Half International

No matter how strong your skills or experience are, you won't land a new job without first securing an interview with a prospective employer. Job seekers often consider this step of the hiring process the most difficult -- and perplexing. After all, how many times have you considered your qualifications ideal for an open position only to never hear from the hiring manager about the r¨¦sum¨¦ and cover letter you submitted?

If you're looking for an edge, make sure you're not falling into these common traps:

1. You only focus on the Googles of the world.
Companies that continually grab headlines and are highly recognizable can be exciting places to work. But so are many companies you've never heard of. Keep in mind that organizations that are household names often receive thousands of r¨¦sum¨¦s for each opening. Consider exploring opportunities with small and midsize companies. They make up the vast majority of businesses in the United States and sometimes have trouble locating qualified candidates. If Google is your dream employer, don't give up the good fight, but also keep your eyes and ears open to other opportunities.

2. You don't follow directions.
Each company has a different procedure it asks applicants to follow for submitting employment applications. Some ask that you use a form on their Web sites while others prefer traditional phone calls or faxes. Make sure you understand what the prospective employer seeks by carefully reading the job listing. Then, follow the directions to the letter. If you don't, your application may never reach the hiring manager.

3. You need to revamp your r¨¦sum¨¦.
Sending out the same cover letter and r¨¦sum¨¦ to all companies isn't likely to capture the attention of prospective employers. Hiring managers want to know why you're a good match for their specific business needs. So take the time to research employers and customize your job search materials by explaining why you're interested in a particular position and how you could make a contribution to the company.

4. Your cover letter isn't enticing.
Think of your cover letter as an appetizer that convinces the hiring manager your r¨¦sum¨¦, the main course, is worth sampling. The best cover letters take select details from the r¨¦sum¨¦ and expand upon them, explaining in depth how your talents and experience can benefit the prospective employer.

5. You don't reference keywords.
Companies that receive a high volume of r¨¦sum¨¦s often use scanning software that looks for certain keywords to determine which candidates to call for interviews. More often than not, keywords come directly from the job description. Terms such as "Microsoft Office," "accounts payable and receivable" and "Cisco Certified Network Administrator" are examples. As much as possible, ensure your r¨¦sum¨¦ and cover letter contain keywords.

6. Your application materials aren't perfect.
Submitting an application that contains typos and grammatical goofs is perhaps the quickest way to foil your chances of securing an interview. In fact, 84 percent of executives polled in a recent survey by our company said it takes just one or two errors to remove a candidate from consideration. The reason: These types of mistakes show a lack of professionalism and attention to detail. Make sure to carefully proofread your r¨¦sum¨¦ prior to submitting it and ask a friend or family member to do the same.

7. You don't know who to send your r¨¦sum¨¦ to.
Though it's fine to start your cover letter with the generic salutation "To Whom It May Concern," hiring managers pay special attention to applications that are addressed directly to them. If the job advertisement doesn't include the hiring manager's name, call the company and speak to the receptionist or a member of the person's department. More often than not, you can obtain the information fairly easily if you're candid about your reason for wanting it.

8. You don't have an 'in' with the company.
Using the name of a common contact to make the connection between you and the hiring manager is by far the best way to ensure your cover letter and r¨¦sum¨¦ get optimal attention. So, keep in touch with members of your professional network; you never know who has a contact at the company you hope to work for.

9. You don't follow up.
One way to improve the odds a hiring manager gives consideration to your r¨¦sum¨¦ is to follow up with him or her. According to a survey by our company, 86 percent of executives said job seekers should contact a hiring manager within two weeks of sending a r¨¦sum¨¦ and cover letter. Often a brief phone call or e-mail reasserting your interest in the position and strong qualifications is enough.

10. You're not as qualified as you think.
The bottom line may be that you're simply not as perfect for the job as you think. Before submitting your r¨¦sum¨¦, take a close look at the job description and compare your skills and experience with those required for the position. If a job calls for five years of retail management experience, and you have only two, you might not be as qualified as other applicants. While sometimes it's possible to make up for skills gaps if you excel in other areas, hiring managers frequently have specific criteria in mind, and they use it to determine whom they call for interviews.

By avoiding common pitfalls, you can improve your chances of landing a job interview. Often something small -- fixing a typo, for example -- makes all the difference.

CareerBuilder.com

As the world continues to advance and change technologically, we are living longer, retiring later and pursuing higher education at a higher rate than generations before us, and the employment market is changing right alongside us.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, technology is just one of the few factors in determining what's going to be the next great gig out there. Demographic shifts, legislative changes, business trends and consumer behavior also factor into what's going to be the next big thing and what's going to be history.

Here are some of today's jobs that are on the cutting edge:

1. Radiation Therapist
What they do: Work with radiation oncologists to administer treatment as prescribed and supervised by the doctor. They also maintain records and check the operations of the radiology equipment.

What you need: An associate or bachelor's degree in radiology and certification under the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. Licensing may also be required.

2. Nurse Paralegal
What they do: Similar to LNCs, they are hired to assist law firms, government agencies and insurance companies with expertise on medical-related cases. Unlike LNCs, nurse paralegals have a stronger focus on the legal relations to medicine.

What you need: A bachelor's or advanced degree in nursing or another health-related field and certification.

3. Genetic Counselor
What they do: Assist families who have members with birth defects and other genetic disorders, and also aid in educational and administrative roles related to genetic counseling and inherited health issues.

What you need: A bachelor's degree concentrating on biology/biosciences, psychology, genetics or nursing and a master's degree in genetic counseling. The American Board of Genetic Counseling and the American Board of Medical Genetics offer certification.

4. Legal Nurse Consultant
What they do: Perform an analysis of medical information as related to law. They conduct legal research, interview expert witnesses and assist with legal paperwork and processes.

What you need: An RN license. Formal training as a legal nurse consultant (LNC) is not required, but helpful.

5. Art Therapist
What they do: Treat physical, mental and emotional disabilities through art expression.

What you need: A master's degree in art therapy with completed curriculum under the American Art Therapy Association's educational standards. To be a registered art therapist, 1,000 hours of direct client contact must be reached after graduation.

6. Computer Forensic Expert
What they do: Use computer investigation and analysis to determine legal evidence. They uncover deleted information and can help the legal system track down people attempting to cover their illegal actions, such as hackers and inside traders.

What you need: A wide range of computer hardware and software experience, as well as an associate or bachelor's degree in computer forensics, computer science or another related field.

7. Medical Illustrator
What they do: Create images that visually communicate bioscientific and medical discoveries. They also act as consultants, advisers, administrators and educators in biological science communications.

What you need: A bachelor's degree with a major in art and a minor in biological sciences or vice versa; a portfolio of artwork demonstrating competence. A majority of medical illustrators have master's degrees in medical illustration.

8. Veterinary Physical Therapist
What they do: Focus on animal treatment and rehabilitation methods, including hydrotherapy, swimming, exercise and massage.

What you need: Certification training is offered to licensed veterinarians, veterinary technicians and physical therapists. Some certification programs require written exams, and follow-up case reports, independent studies and take-home exams are also available.

9. Animal Defense Lawyer
What they do: Handle cases dealing with animals in cases ranging from custody in divorce cases to veterinary malpractice. While laws suggest that animals are regarded as "property," owners who are battling for the custody often regard their pets at a higher standard.

What you need: The educational degrees and requirements for a major in law, a Juris Doctorate, and a concentration and clinical work in animal law.

10. Animal Assisted Therapist
What they do: Study and identify behavioral patterns in animals and apply techniques to improve mental, social and physical issues within humans through animal/human companionship.

What you need: A bachelor's of science degree in psychology, social work, physical therapy, nursing or education. Additional training and certification in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a big plus. AAT program concentrations can include elderly care, social work, education and other specialties.

Contributed by Mohammed Senin of Clownfish Marketing

According to the latest research from the Carbon Trust, consumers are more likely to buy products and services from a business they think is tackling climate change¡­ Euan Murray, strategy manager at the Carbon Trust, said: "There has been a definite shift in behaviour. Fifty-three per cent of people felt that in the last year, climate change had become more of an issue for them¡­Consumers want to use their purchasing power to reduce their carbon footprint and that of the UK as a whole¡±.

This is further confirmation of what many other articles and reports have already claimed. And in order for consumers to make easy and quick purchasing decisions, they need brands. Brands help to ¡°edit¡± choices on their behalf, saving them the need for exhaustive research and allowing them to behave in the way they want.

I don¡¯t disagree with that but I would like to put a slightly different concept out there¡­

Sustainability initiatives are often driven from the most senior levels of organisations. It has become the vogue for large companies to boast positions such as ¡®Chief Ethics Officer¡¯ or ¡®Director in Charge of the Environment¡¯ to bolster their claims to good governance. This is nothing more than window dressing unless the ethics and values of sustainability and social responsibility are embedded throughout the organisation and the brand that it brings to market.

For example, the performance and remuneration of individual staff is often assessed against ¡°key performance indicators¡± that have little to do with values or sustainability. Few are the companies that reward their staff for reducing their carbon footprint or developing socially beneficial products.

The human resources industry has a lot to contribute here, since HR directors are closely involved in the development of job descriptions, performance criteria, and remuneration structures. If HR is equipped with the knowledge and support to do so, it can start introducing ethical, environmental, social and values-based criteria into this process. This is one of the most effective ways to infuse such values into the lifeblood of the corporate machine.

WWF¡¯s recent report, ¡®Let Them Eat Cake¡± (downloadable from http://www.clownfishmarketing.co.uk/clients_wwf.html) found that the majority of employees consider themselves to care more about sustainability than their employers do. Furthermore, very few companies reward employees for environmental and social performance. Only 6% were rewarded for carrying out environmental and social screening of suppliers and associates; a meagre 11% were encouraged to consider the environmental and social impacts of what they were marketing; and only 6% were encouraged by their employers to support environmental causes.

This trend must be reversed. Brands of the future will be rewarded for their commitment to sustainable development and social practices, and as such, they must behave as good corporate citizens in everything that they do. CSR values must be incorporated into recruitment and reward systems, because there¡¯s nothing like the prospect of a bonus to change employees¡¯ behaviour.

Recruitment has a critical impact on the performance and future success of any organisation. With increasingly fierce competition for the best candidates, and the proliferation of (sometimes dubious) qualifications amongst candidates, values and sustainability can help to attract and retain the very best.

A successful recruitment and selection strategy must consider CSR values in order to remain one step ahead of the game. Successful brands, therefore, not only need to be successful in the commercial market, but also in the recruitment process.

By Zheng Lifei (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-15 08:53

The World Bank yesterday raised its growth forecast for the Chinese economy next year, citing favourable domestic macroeconomic prospects.
The Washington-based bank expects China to register a 9.6 per cent growth in its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007, up from its previous forecast of 9.3 per cent made in August, the bank said in its latest quarterly China Economic Report released yesterday.

The bank's growth forecast for the Chinese economy this year remained unchanged at 10.4 per cent.

The Chinese economy expanded 10.4 per cent in the third quarter, down from a decade-high 11.3 per cent recorded in the second quarter.

"Prospects for the Chinese economy remain robust," the bank said.

"Looking ahead, underlying domestic economic conditions remain favourable to rapid growth," it said, pointing to 30 per cent annual corporate profit growth, ample liquidity in the banking system and robust enterprise investment growth.

Although the government's macroeconomic control measures to slow down investment growth have already had a significant impact, government-led investment in "bottleneck" infrastructure such as transport and energy is likely to remain buoyant, the lender said.

The bank noted domestic consumption "should continue to benefit from rising incomes, particularly in urban areas."

In addition, the external environment, where prospects for a soft landing of the world economy remain good, is also favourable for the Chinese economy in the next year.

BEIJING -- China's retail sales surged 14.3 percent from the previous year to 699.8 billion yuan in October, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Tuesday.

The retail sales of oil and oil products registered the highest growth of 32.7 percent, with that of construction and decoration materials second with 30.4 percent. Retail sales of home electrical appliances increased by 25.8 percent.

The NBS said retail sales had been on the increase ever since the beginning of the year.

The growth of retail sales for the first half of the year was 13.3 percent. It rose to 13.7 percent in July, 13.8 percent in August and 13.9 percent in September.

The retail sales for the first 10 months stood at 6.2089 trillion yuan, up 13.6 percent on the previous year.

Although the growth of retail sales has risen, analysts said it was still far behind the growth of investment. The country's fixed assets investment shot up by 27.3 percent in the first three quarters.

This means China still has a long way to go if it wants consumption to replace investment as the main engine of its economic growth, the analysts said.

how to treat candidates and working professionals. We call it respect or graciousness. Accolo gets right to the heart of the matter by providing a Candidate Bill of Rights at their website. This is a good thing.

Confidentiality

Individuals are entitled to the security and confidentiality of their personal and professional background and data. Any decision to make that data available to others must be at the specific request of the individual.

Credibility

All advertised positions must be verifiably open and available to job-seekers, with the intent of the hiring organization to make any and all efforts to fill the open position.

Accuracy

The description of an open position should accurately and specifically identify the unique attributes of that position as they relate to the Hiring Manager, organization, geography, work group, work to be completed, and performance measurement criteria.

Consideration

All interested candidates, from all available sources, should be considered for an open position based upon their ability and aptitude, and that consideration should be free from racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice and intolerance.

Consistency

Hiring decisions will be made based upon on a set of specific and defined criteria that is relevant to the position, consistent across all candidates and applied objectively.

Follow Up

All applicants are entitled to consistent communications regarding the status of their candidacy, regardless of the outcome of their application.

Preparation

Each individual should expect that they will be provided with all relevant information about the organization and hiring manager in order to best prepare them for success during the interview process.

Respect

Scheduling of interviews will occur in a manner that connotes respect for the candidate, their time and their efforts.

Communication

Every inquiry regarding the status of candidacy or application is worthy of a response.

Information

All applicants will be provided with the necessary information about the company, hiring manager, compensation, performance expectations, etc. in order to make an informed career decision.