If you are looking or seeking to perhaps get hired in China to advance your career, there are a couple of things to note. Firstly, prepare your Chinese resume Jiǎnlì (简历). During your job search as a foreigner in China, it is important to make sure that you have prepared an acceptable resume. So the format should be according to the Chinese one. This article shows you how to prepare helps your resume for jobs in China. One that resonates with your Chinese employers.
How to Write your Resume for Jobs in China
I know you have heard this statement when preparing your resume; “Your resume should be 1 or 2 pages long! Straight to the point”. Some Western and African cultures care about such, but when it comes to China, there are no specific rules.
In an already competitive job market for the Chinese, it’s no doubt that a foreigner would want to have that edge over other candidates. Here are some helpful tips of how to prepare your resume for jobs in China:
Customize your Resume (CV)
Customize the CV to match the specific job requirements of the advertised vacancy. Make it easy for the employer to hire you based on the skills they are looking for. There is no need to boast about achievements dating back to years ago, address the requirements.
Include a career/job objective early
When you are building your resume, although it is optional, including a career/job objective early on in the resume will make you stand out. This is ideally backed up by work experience and educational background (could be in China or wherever). Your prior knowledge and involvement in Chinese education and employment is important as well. Details on your education dates will help the employer when it comes to the work visa. Including these is important.
Align professional and personal skills with the job vacancy
Customize your professional and personal skills to align with the job vacancy that you are interested in. For example, if the job position is for a Technology data analyst, include any skills and qualifications that align with that job. Skills like data analytics, data intern, and a Data Mining qualification. All of this matches the requirements by the employer.
Hobbies and skills are important
When it comes to Hobbies and skills (extra-curricular accomplishments), it is important to include those that really resonate with the Chinese. Having an award or skill related to the Chinese language is an advantage when included. It’s not really necessary to include this section or a long list of skills. Instead you can detail the skills list in the cover letter instead. Include interests (hobbies) and nominated referees (two or three are enough). Some employers really want to see if these align with tier company atmosphere.
Include Professional Photo
Including a professional resume photo in your resume is popular around the world, it’s not different in China. If you want to include it, you may.
Personal details
In the Biographical area, Chinese like to see things like Wechat contact, gender, age, birthplace and marital status.
If you would like to build your Chinese Resume CV to avoid mistakes thats advisable.
Preparing Your Cover Letter
Your cover letter should outline your interest in the job position. This is where you can list your skills in detail, instead of including a long list in your resume. Your cover letter should be unique and customized to the job you are applying for. Chinese employers expect you to get to the point quickly in the letter and be concise.
Helpful Tips After you land an Interview in China as a Foreigner
This is perhaps the most important part of getting hired or to be seen as the best candidate. The interview is where the employer asks you questions, they feel are important. In order to get to know you and understand how competent you are for the position. The reality is there will be candidates that look way better than you on paper, but how you do in an interview may make you look way better than them all round.
The things you can control are how prepared you are as a candidate. This includes research, practice, and being confident in your answers and ability. Look into whether the position requires you to dress a certain way when working. Coming dressed in something that aligns with the company values gives you a bit of an edge. It shows that you recognized their work environment and respected it.
Answering Interview Questions for jobs in China
When answering questions, you may want to use a simple technique called the “STAR Technique”. STAR is an acronym for:
Situation: Set the context of your story. For example, “My group was tasked with creating a service that would helped solve for employee fatigue during the week”.
Task: What were you required to do? For example, “I was tasked with analyzing the collected data and determining the data gaps that could be improved”.
Activity: What you actually did. For example, “I analyzed the data and realized some insights that we overlooked when developing questions at first, I suggested that we include more open-ended questions”.
Result: How well did the situation play out? For example, “Changing the questions to open-ended ones provided us with more actionable data that we used to develop an environment that improved employee health and productivity by 10% within 2 months”.
You might also want to know how much the position you are applying for usually pays. Do your research in this area. Last but not least, do not be afraid to ask questions. If you need clarity on certain things for example, if they allow a partner to come live with you or a pet, ask. Engage with your interviewer and smile through the nerves! If you don’t get the job, continue the search. Continue having a positive outlook during your job search.
Common Questions in Mandarin for jobs in China
Here are some common questions that may be asked in Mandarin:
- Why are you interested in this position? 这份工作吸引你的地方在于- Zhè fèn gōngzuò xīyǐn nǐ dì dìfāng zàiyú?
- What can you bring to the job? 你若参与此份工作能为我们带来什么- Nǐ ruò cānyù cǐ fèn gōngzuò néng wéi wǒmen dài lái shénme?
- Tell me a little bit about yourself. 你能做一个简单的自己我介绍吧- Nǐ néng zuò yīgè jiǎndān de zìjǐ wǒ jièshào ba.
- Where did you study Chinese? 你在哪里学的中文- Nǐ zài nǎlǐ xué zhōngwén?
Speak slowly and politely. When answering, use Nín (您) instead of Nǐ (你), 您 is more polite and formal.
In conclusion, do your research when it comes to how to prepare your resume for jobs in China. It is can be quite a daunting task when done in Mandarin, but your efforts don’t go unnoticed by recruiters. For any more information on how to write a resume you can visit.
