Find a New Job in China

The vast majority of first-time foreign arrivals in China have a job offer waiting for them. But few of us are able to stick with the same work for the whole of our stay on Earth. If you’re already in-country and wanting to job-hop, here are five options for expatriates to locate a new job in China.

Specialized Recruitment Websites

You found it, no doubt about it! Every day, HiredChina contains thousands of job postings across all sectors and dozens of Chinese cities. Even if we're the finest, we're not your only choice. Some of the more Western-focused organizations also promote their opportunities on Linkedin, while other Chinese employment sites may be located with an unimaginative Google search of phrases such as “China” and “Job” or “Career”. Naturally, most tend to be dominated by employment in major locations like as Beijing and Shanghai, but the best will draw postings from all across the nation.

As you can imagine, the vast majority of available expat positions are in the field of education. However, finding the perfect position may be time-consuming even for specialized jobs in China owing to the country's massive size and the competitive nature of its labor market. That's why it's a good idea to keep an eye on these sites and submit your resume on a frequent basis; you never know when the perfect job may come knocking!

Headhunters

The recruiting professional, or headhunter, has in recent years become the weapon of choice for many organizations wanting to discover skilled overseas staff. To provide one example, if your CV is up on HiredChina, headhunters may contact you sometimes.

The main advantage is that you won't have to spend a lot of time searching through postings and filling out applications. In most cases, a headhunter will bill the employer rather than the job seeker for their services. However, you may expect to pay a price if you hire a headhunter to do the legwork for you directly.

While using a headhunter to find work in China might be a time- and money-saving strategy, it is not the best option for everyone. Headhunters target the upper echelons of the market since the organizations and job-seekers who pay for their services often have high expectations. Therefore, it may be difficult to get started if you lack relevant expertise.

Local Publications

If you're based in a single city, it makes sense to concentrate your efforts there. Most Chinese towns with expat populations have seen websites and periodicals sprout up to service the ever-growing community of foreigners over recent years. These are wonderful tools for more informal and local recruiting if you’re not too fastidious or ambitious.

It’s worth mentioning that, particularly in many smaller cities, the amount, quality and range of positions may be restricted on local periodicals. Looking locally, though, increases your chances of finding work fast.

Jobs fairs

Paying for employees' transportation to and from work is a frequent practice among Chinese companies who are always on the lookout for new employees. Human resources departments rely on them to locate new grads and entry-level workers since they connect hundreds of employers with thousands of applicants. Attendance at these events often swell into the tens of thousands, demonstrating their widespread popularity among Chinese job-seekers. A few stampedes have even occurred in the past.

You'll be happy to know that the expat model is a little different. While the number of foreign residents has grown rapidly in recent decades, it is still insufficient to meet the demand witnessed at China's job fairs for foreign workers. As a result, both the number of participants and the number of participating businesses at expat employment fairs are often lower than at a typical jobs fair. However, this greatly improves your odds of snagging anything of interest.

Getting the word out there via meetings and informal communication.

This choice combines modern hardware and software with tried and true networking methods. With the proliferation of WeChat, adding new friends in China is as simple as scanning a QR code. To get an edge, tag all new contacts with their firm or sector, keep in touch often (particularly on national holidays), and add relevant stuff to your moments. Learn what guanxi is and how to develop it if you are unfamiliar with the term.

However, there is still place for the age-old practice of pressing flesh. In all of China's main cities, foreigners may easily find opportunities to network in person. Even if you don't have a job yet, it's a good idea to print out some business cards and familiarize yourself with standard practices in Chinese corporate culture.