Funny Side of Working in China

The world continues to change. More and more Americans today are taking a leap that once would have seemed unimaginable: becoming employees of Chinese firms. Many jobs with Chinese companies are now advertised in English on international websites. Far more jobs are posted on the most popular Chinese-language job portals. Top among these (the Monster.com of China, for good and bad) is Zhaopin. If you can read Chinese (or are willing to make some guesses based on Google Translate), Zhaopin is well-worth checking out. In many ways, applying to and working for a Chinese company is the same as applying to and working for a U.S. company. You still need your job search toolkit. You still need to tailor your materials for each posting. And you still need to work hard and pay your dues.

Americans working for Chinese companies must also pay special attention to cultural issues. And you’ll want to be sure that the job you are being offered is real, and not just a temp placement so that the Chinese company has a foreigner to roll out for “face” reasons at this or that event. For a funny example of this, check out this piece on Chinese firms “renting” white “employees.”

If you do have a real opportunity with a Chinese firm, it may well be one of the best opportunities you could have.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to go about working for a Chinese firm — or simply how to get started on a China career — check out my new book, Go Global! Launching an International Career Here or Abroad. It will be released on Amazon and iTunes within a few weeks.

Check out this hot new book on global careers!

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