I want to give you a chance to hear Chinese candidates explain recruiting. In a recent interview, a candidate said:
You are unreasonable asking questions about my work history. I just call the company HR directly, and they do not ask silly questions. They are impressed by my audacity and send me direct to the hiring manager who asks what I will do to make them better when hired.
Apparently he is good at painting beautiful pictures of the future for hiring managers. Now you may see why recruiting is not well in China.
Our Push Back on Chinese Candidates Explain Recruiting
Our company will tell the hiring manager that they have no need to interview this fast talking person. We see him well enough,
First, we note using your HR is still no way to good recruiting in China. This guy has gotten offers from many good Western companies by calling the HR directly. The HR then sells to the hiring manager, and he can convince them about 50% of the time.
He does not do well at any company because he is so hard to get along with. Further, he is all talk and no action. So he works to avoid talking about the past in any interview. This candidate like many is very good at turning the topic to the beautiful future he wants to paint. Occasionally, he gets pushed into a corner like explaining why he left his last company. He can handle those and has good original stories to tell of why he left. The story will show it was not his fault at all.
He does not want to talk with us as he sees we only want to talk about his experience. Moreover, we tell him we do not want to hear his beautiful future talk. Talk is cheap. Experience is real. See also, Improving the Quality of the Hire in China.
Let’s see another recruiting plan we see candidates use. These candidates get with the hiring manager and casually promise the moon as they are not smart enough to know the difference from a big promise and an unrealistic promise. They are easy for you to filter out. Others are better at knowing exactly the promise you want and offering it in vivid color. They are your risk as they are smart and learn what to say and when. When they get inside your company, they are hard to root out.
You may also want to read: Are recruiters hurting you in China ?
