10 things to know about job hunting in China
If you’re looking for a job in China for the first time, or you’re curious about the differences between the Chinese and American hiring process for tech jobs, this post is for you. I summarized ten things to know from my recent job hunting experience in China and compared them to the American model.
1. Direct calls rather than emails from HR
In the USA, candidates would typically receive an email from HR for arranging a phone-screening call. In China, however, it’s common that HR would call you directly via the phone number you provided in the application, even if it’s a foreign number. The goal of this call is to make an appointment for your first interview. Therefore, it’s better to have a Chinese number to make it more convenient. If direct phone calls turn out to be difficult, some HR might ask you to exchange WeChat account ID in order to communicate via text. So prepare to have a WeChat account!
2. Get yourself verified for using career websites
You need to provide proof of identification and even biometrics (face ID) to use career websites in China. It has been required by China’s law since 2017 that Internet service providers couldn’t serve unverified users. It might feel over the top at first. On the bright side, it could help protect users from scammers.
3. First interview isn’t with HR
The first interview is usually an HR phone screen in America. In China, your first interview is with a hiring committee member. HR comes in the last round if other members consider you qualified. The call with HR is usually shorter, and the main goal is to understand your salary expectation. It’s said that this process design is more effective. What do you think?
4. Your interviewers might not show their faces
After the pandemic, many companies offer remote interviews with candidates. Your interviewers, however, might find excuses to not show their faces during a video call. I learned that a lot of Chinese still feel uneasy with video calls, so don’t be surprised even if this reluctancy manifests during interviews. Prepare your best natural self to engage in a one-sided video chat.
5. Shockingly rapid turnaround
Similar to the USA, the interview process for tech jobs contains 2–3 interviews with hiring committee members in China plus one interview with HR. The length of the interview process varies from company to company in the USA, and it lasts at least one month in my experience. The process feels much faster in China. If you passed an interview with a hiring member during the day, you might receive a call from HR in the evening or the next day for the next steps. I once received a call around 9 pm!
6. HR would become your WeChat contact
HR would ask to friend you on WeChat for facilitating the interview process. At first, it feels too good to be true because it would be so convenient to follow up. Then it might feel strange because HR would still remain on your WeChat contact even if you don’t join their companies at the end. You might find a few features handy in this situation such as labeling and privacy controls for classifying your contact.
7. You need to proactively ask for details about the interviewers
In the USA, details of the interviewers are provided for the candidates beforehand. Some HR would offer at least the job title of the interviewer, sometimes even links to their LinkedIn profiles. Unlike in the USA, HR doesn’t proactively offer you any information about the interviewers in China, but you will get the info if you proactively ask for it.
8. Spare more time than planned for an interview
The interview duration is in general followed precisely in the USA. For example, if you’re told to have 30 minutes with the HR or 45 minutes with the hiring manager, you wouldn’t get more than that. Of course, it’s different in China. Sometimes you’re only told that the interview would start at 11 am but you aren’t given the duration. Sometimes you’re told that the interview would be 11 am-11:30 am, but in reality, it might not end until 12:00 pm. Once I experienced a 1-hour interview that lasted for 3 hours because I was given an ad hoc exercise. Culturally, time is perceived differently. While Americans perceive time linearly, the Chinese perceive time as more cyclical and endless. The difference in time perception might manifest in many aspects of cross-cultural life. For example, it’s normal to have over-time meetings in China. Is requesting a time frame perceived rude? Hm, very likely.
9. You might never hear back from them
You would think that you should get an explicit response regardless of positive or negative results, but change that expectation in China. After talking to a couple of hiring members, or even giving your salary expectation to HR, you might eventually receive only silence. No call, no text, no feedback. When this happens, it’s likely that they don’t intend to move your application forward. Remember the implicit communication dynamics in high-context China? I know, it can be frustrating. But you could always follow up with the HR that’s on your WeChat or any contact they leave for you if you haven’t heard from them for a while.
10. You’re likely to be requested for proof of past salary
This one might feel confusing and even shocking. When the hiring committee is interested in giving you an offer according to your salary expectation, you might get requested for some proof of your most recent salary. It’s said that this proof would be used to negotiate for your offer with the finance people. This request is a common practice.
Hope you find this post helpful for your professional adventure in China!
Who am I?
I recently came back to my homeland China after living in the USA for four years. I love writing and speaking in English. Prior to the USA, I once lived in France and Japan. I love meeting different people and sharing cultural perspectives!
