Job Offers for expats in China

More and more industries are hiring foreign workers as the country opens up to international commerce. We've compiled a collection of useful hints and suggestions for landing a reputable professional position in China.

Remember the value of your connections

I spoke with a translator, a business development specialist, and a sales manager, all from countries other than China, to compile the information for this post. Every single person stressed the necessity of making connections in the nation before ever setting foot there. Do you have a previous supervisor who worked in China? Is there a chance that you or someone you know from work already has a connection here? Use your connections to your advantage, just as the Chinese do. Except for one respondent, all of those questioned had some kind of personal connection, school link, or friend of a friend to thank for their present employment. Think about who you may know back home who could be able to help you out before you even leave the country to go live and work in China. If you add an additional day after your arrival, that number doubles. Everyone in China is eager to broaden their professional network, so it's simple to create relationships there.

Finding a job online While opinions on LinkedIn's value vary, regional sales manager Rogelio* was able to land a position in Shanghai thanks to the site. Maintaining an up-to-date profile is crucial, as is tailoring your resume and cover letter to each individual post you apply for.

It is also possible to utilize local Chinese internet job boards such as 51job.com or zhaopin.com by signing up and uploading a CV. However, many Chinese websites are designed specifically for Chinese job hunters, so if you're not acquainted with the style, you can have a hard time finding what you're looking for. If you're searching for work in a major city, local expat websites and publications, like this one, may make the process a little bit simpler. It's important to keep in mind that the vast majority of the job postings you'll see on these sites will need you to already be physically based in the place you're seeking employment in. LinkedIn is the best place to look for a job before relocating to China.

Obtaining Employment in China Abroad

While the aforementioned resources are more broad in scope, several individual nations also maintain webpages devoted to their unique relationships with China. Consulate websites often post employment openings, as do the websites of the chambers of commerce of countries where your language is spoken. Anyone who can speak Spanish and English well has a leg up, and those who can communicate well in Mandarin have double the odds of those who have yet to learn Chinese. A talent recruiting agency in Shanghai recruited Amy*, a business development manager with no previous experience in China, in large part because of her HSK4 level Mandarin. If English is not your native tongue, brushing up on the language's basics is another smart strategy to increase your marketability while looking for work.

The foundation of every literary career is language, and in China, there has been a surge in the need for translators who deal with Chinese (often from Chinese into the translator's native tongue). Anna*, an employee at a Shanghai-based telecommunications firm, claims she mostly works on legal and technical materials and acts as the office's de facto translator and cultural mediator. This kind of employment may be rewarding for people who like communicating with others and have high levels of proficiency in Chinese (HSK6 is often necessary for those working in the translation profession).