Jane Jiang, Manager of Alliance Executive Search, Zhaopin.com Ltd.
Shanghai, on hiring trends
When we talk with our clients about hiring MBAs they generally tell us that
having an MBA is not the most important thing they are looking for. What
companies focus on is experience in China, in the relevant industry, and
also the candidates' capabilities. They want to see a proventrack record
in China.
Currently, it doesn't make a big difference whether the MBA was obtained in
China or overseas. The salaries offered also vary between sectors.
For consulting firms like McKinsey, they probably need people with MBAs, this
is the same for some IT firms since they may go public in the US or Hong Kong,
so they prefer someone with an overseas MBA, preferably from a business school
ranked in the top 10 internationally. But for sales and marketing, production
or manufacturing positions in China, having an MBA is not a main factor in the
hiring decision. I don't think this will change.
The big problem now is that people are studying for an MBA without sufficient
work experience. If someone has solid work experience and an MBA - and I don't
mean just one year of study - from a good school, then that would be a bonus.
I think companies prefer overseas MBAs to those from Tsinghua and CEIBS.
I think an overseas MBA education is much better than one in China. I think
that some schools’ policies in China are not clear - they admit some students
from local Chinese companies and others from the Chinese government. Some of
them are not qualified for that level of study but they are mixed together with
students who are.
Salaries for MBAs depend on industries. In consulting or IT they are probably
paid more. What they get is comparable to expatriate salaries, especially if
the candidate already has 5 years' work experience on top of an overseas MBA.
A big problem is that there are too many local MBAs and too many MBAs who lack
work experience. They all want higher salaries, but it is difficult to even
find a job right now. The situation is similar to Taiwan a few years ago.
Overseas MBA-holders lose out in work experience to their contemporaries who
stay in China to gain an additional two years of experience in the time they
are away studying. Corporations are more interested in people who have local
work experience, so when the MBAs return from overseas, they may find their
salary level lower than their classmates from mainland schools.
Many people are looking for a short cut. They want to study abroad, then come
back to China and get a high salary. That's a mistaken strategy I think. What
they should do is get plenty of good work experience in China. Employers are
now more focused on people management.
Here's a good example of a General Manager in China. He is a smart guy with
a Harvard Business School MBA.The problem was that he was lacking in people
management skills. He had no experience of working in a big company in China.
He had work experience in the US, but only 3 to 4 years' experience in China
before he left to study and work in the US. On his return to China, he was made
a GM at 35. But he didn't know how to deal with the distributors and the local
staff, so he was fired. It's partly about competencies, partly people management
skills. In China, Chinese staff generally lack the ability to deal with criticism
and problems. Employees often only tell you the good things.For someone working
in a foreign company in China, they have to adapt to the foreign working
environment and at the same time handle Chinese traditions. Some MBAs fail to
bridge the two cultures - they may be good in the Western environment but they
can't handle the Chinese environment.
For sales and marketing, production or manufacturing positions in China, having
an MBA is not a main fac in the hiring decision.
