Next CHINA SKILLS RECRUITMENT & NETWORKING EVENT, proposed date Wednesday 20 June (postponed from 21 March 2012) - to find out more and be added to the mailing list for this event, please email: recruitment@chopsticksclub.com
For a brochure, in English CLICK HERE and in Chinese, CLICK HERE. (These are large documents so allow time for them to download)

FULL details for this event will be posted HERE shortly. Watch this space

JUNE 2011- CHOPSTICKS CLUB CHINA SKILLS RECRUITMENT & NETWORKING EVENT 

For the exhibitors the fact that the event was on a 'boutique' scale meant that there was more opportunity to see what talent was out there and to assess the quality of candidates. "Our colleagues were all busy for the whole 2 hours and the quantity of job seekers was fabulous," said Beth Jenkins from Shell. Aside from being a recruitment opportunity, the event made good business sense from a very real business:business marketing opportunity.

Likewise, for job seekers, the event was a very useful exercise not only to see what the competition for jobs was amongst other Chinese speakers but also what sort of job vacancies are available in what industry sectors. One delighted attendee said, "I got a lot of contacts and have even got a job interview for a recruitment position in Shanghai just from attending the fair....I've been to loads of different fairs now and found this one the best by a mile!"

The educational workshops were very informative and well attended. Dr Tong Yan, Director at L2 Language & Cultural Services ran a session on cross cultural communications. As everyone could speak Chinese, the attendees responded eagerly to Dr Tong Yan's suggestion to run the session in mandarin !

Carrie Waley, from Mandarin Consultant, was full of useful information on how to get a fuller understanding of a Chinese CV. Kate Vernon, Managing Director of Community Business, gave a thorough briefing on what 'Gen Y' in China are looking for in an employment package and how to make businesses appealing to attract the Top Talent. 

Christine de Cruz from SpeakersTrust, ensured maximum interaction from all participants in her workshop. This was a fun sesson with some very useful and immediate learning outcomes including Top Ten tips for effective communications. 

All the workshops had been planned to either support HR and business development executives in getting the most out of Chinese candidates or to aid job-seekers in  their bid to secure employment. The feedback was extremely positive about the value of them all.

The  keynote speech was given by Ms Wang Jing, VP Human Resources, Shell China. Ms Jing's narrative was very informative putting Shell's business growth in China into the context of China's economic rise and current 5 Year Plan. She mentioned the huge changes that she has witnessed in China in her lifetime and the expectations to come. One of the consequences, she said, of a rising China, is a rise in demand for energy. Responding to this demand, Shell China is undergoing a huge-scale recruitment drive. In this environment, it is natural that Shell should recognise the advantage of having employees with China skills and why this event was obviously so pertinent to their current needs.

At the start of the event the queue of eager job seekers was long and there was a great sense of anticipation. Once the doors were opened officially into the exhibition area, the drive and desire to find a suitable match was evident from both exhibitors and job seekers alike. Over 200 MBA students, graduates and professionals looking for new challenges attended the event. Many had travelled from as far as Dublin, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Manchester whilst those from closer to London. included graduates from Cambridge and Oxford.

David Peckham, from Mandarin Consultant one of the participating exhibitors, commented that the "atmosphere of the event was similar to a wild cocktail party but without the alcohol!" Praise indeed. This was a serious event with life-changing objectives for many but the nature of the event ensured that they were also able to enjoy themselves into the bargain.

The atmosphere at the networking reception, following the Fair,  was dynamic,  and it was clear how determined the job seekers were in finding jobs as they worked the room to talk to company representatives. 

Club Director, Theresa Booth, emphasised the importance of Chinese skills in the current global world order and thanked all those who had sponsored and supported the event to help to make it such a success.

Mayer Brown's head of strategy, Luke O'Brien, himself a mandarin speaker, welcomed all the attendees to the offices of Mayer Brown and also talked about how he has been able to put his skills to the test in their developing Asia business.

Duncan Hames, MP for Chippenham, who recently took part in a bi-lateral Young Leaders Forum in Beijing, spoke of the importance of trust in relationships and how language skills can be deployed to develop that trust.

Andrew Key, Head of HR at the FCO, gave a personal account of how his work in China has influenced his career path and how the FCO recognises that Chinese skills are very important for growing future relations between Britain and China.

Looking ahead to early 2012

Based on the success of this event we will be running another one next year in order to build and to support both Chinese companies expanding into Europe and Western companies expanding business operations in China. Please do contact us if you would like to find out how to take part next time. Early bird discount applies. business@chopsticksclub.com
If you would like to sponsor the event we would love to hear from  you.

CLICK HERE - to see present Job Vacancies and CLICK HERE for details for JOB SEEKERS.

  

Workshops were delivered by the companies below and include:

• How to be an Employer of Choice for Chinese applicants - Community Business
• Effective presentation and communication skills - SpeakersTrust
• How to write an effective CV - Mandarin Consultant
• Cross cultural communications and how to embrace differences - L2 Language & Cultural Services Ltd

Places are limited and can be selected when registering for the event.

   

  

HR Executives: See LINK to Job Seekers page, where recent graduates and experienced professionals have registered their details - CLICK HERE

WHO SHOULD attend future CHINA SKILLS RECRUITMENT EVENTS?

UK/Multinational Companies  who want to expand their business in China
Chinese Companies who want to expand their business in Europe
Experienced China Professionals from all sectors
UK and Chinese Graduates, Post Graduates and PhD & MBA Students who are looking for China related work and have Mandarin Skills
HR Managers who want to understand what to look for when recruiting Chinese Staff
Western and Chinese Business Development Managers who are either  wishing  to demonstrate their commitment to China or (for Chinese Companies) looking to expand European Consumer Awareness of their Products.

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