Guidelines Followed By Recruiters To Ensure Effective Executive Search In China

China is one of the fastest growing economies across the globe and not surprisingly there is a great demand for talented executives in different sectors. However, the process of executive search within this oriental country is significantly different from the one followed by business organizations in the western world. Discussed below are the various guidelines followed by the top 10 executive search firms in China to enhance the effectiveness of their efforts for finding the perfect candidates for their clients.

 

Set Up A Strong Search Process: The search firms need to have well laid out the procedure for finding the right candidates as per the needs and expectations of their clients. They should have a thorough understanding of the background and culture of the client company. At the same time, they should have a reliable network and ample resources find the candidates that fit the job profile perfectly well. Most importantly, they should adhere to a well-defined timeline for completing the various phases of the search process for providing the best value for money to their clients.

Reach Out To Unlisted Candidates: Most search companies have to deal with the challenge of making contact with candidates, who despite being perfect for a job, might never apply for it. The search firms should possess the ability to get such candidates to open up and understand the opportunity being offered to them. The firm should be able to present the client organization in such a manner to these candidates which appeal to them almost instantaneously. This will naturally minimise the time and effort required for convincing the candidates to take up the job.

 

Identify The Key Skills Required For The Job: It is essential for the best executive search firms in China to be capable of identifying the key skills required for a specific post. The pressure to perform and the stress of landing a great job, often make the candidates feel quite nervous. This might hinder their ability to display their true skills, which is why the recruiters need to able to identify the same. The search firms should be able to look beyond the nervous façade of the candidates and spot the advantage they can offer to the client organization in terms of efficiency and productivity.

 

Distinguish Real Talent From Fake One: There are several reasons that might lead a candidate to lie about their talent and expertise. However, a professional recruiter should be able to see through the façade and weed out the candidates claiming to possess fake talent during the shortlisting phase of the search process itself. This skill is the key to preventing the client organizations from incurring the negative effects of a bad hire, besides ruining the goodwill of the search firm.

 

Always Be Honest With The Clients:  Trust is not something that is easily given or received in the Chinese society. Hence the search firms need to always be honest with their clients, to be able to win their trust. This should be done even at the cost losing a good candidate by revealing any hidden facts about them or sharing any other facts that might not be to the clients liking.

Changes In Chinese Markets That Present A Huge Opportunity For Search And Leadership Firms

When it comes to the global economy, the world has seen a major shift in focus from American and European markets to the Asian ones over the past couple of decades. In fact, the rapid economic growth of countries like, China and India have turned Asia into a land of options and opportunities for both businesses and professionals. The consistently changing and growing Chinese markets present a huge opportunity for executive search and leadership development service providers in the following ways.

 

Local Companies Pursuing Global Ambitions

Over the past several years, the top headhunting firms in China have seen a considerable shift in their client base. The number of multinational companies hiring their services has seen a steady decline even as the number of local companies they work with is constantly rising. This is because local businesses pursuing global ambitions are growing at a faster pace as compared to multinational businesses. However, despite being technology-centred, these local businesses need to hire specific talent to fulfil their global dreams. This naturally presents a great opportunity for global executive and leadership firms operating in China.

Greater Focus On Sector Expertise

As mentioned before, there is a growth in the demand for specific talent within local business across China. This has led the clients of the various executive search and leadership firms to focus more on getting candidates with an in-depth expertise in a given sector. With the large-scale globalization and technology overload, a larger number of local businesses are turning to professional search consultants for differentiating the best and the brightest from the rest. By providing the highest calibre candidates in any given sector as per the needs of the client organizations, the search firms can make themselves truly invaluable for the clients.

Growing Demand For Leadership Consulting Services

The demand for leader consulting services in China has far outgrown the demand for traditional executive search. The number of local business seeking able and competent candidates to fulfil leadership roles and steer the organization in the direction of global growth has seen a significant rise. Moreover, companies offering leadership consulting are known to offer a wide range of other recruitment services. Thus top leadership development firms in China can tap the countless opportunities, depending on the type of services they offer to meet their client needs and their ability to deliver successful results.

Rise In The Demand For Diversity

With the ongoing changes in the client base, it is only natural that there has been a rise in the demand for search companies that are diverse enough to accommodate these changes. Local businesses in China seek the services of search companies having the potential to understand their global ambitions. That is why companies having a thorough understanding of the global business with a strong local base can thus fulfil the needs of both the local and multinational clients. In addition, to making diversity an integral part of their service profile, the search companies need to ensure the continuation of best practices for providing truly inclusive environments. This will help them to develop a strong and fulfilling relationship with the clients based on trust and mutual growth.