applying for graduate jobs in china

www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers Careers and Employability Service

Applying for graduate jobs in China

If you are planning to work in China after graduating, you might want to consider how to gain key skills, research the job market and explore your options while still at Nottingham.

Our staff, including global labour market experts working with companies worldwide, are constantly building on our excellent links with industry to raise the profile of Nottingham graduates. Advice offered by recruiters in China suggests you might benefit from:

• gaining work experience • improving your communication skills • building your networks • familiarising yourself with recruitment methods • marketing yourself effectively • being flexible

Gain work experience

Employers value work experience together with academic qualifications, so try to obtain temporary jobs throughout the year or internships during vacation. Learn more about work experience atwww.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/workexperience

Unitemps Nottingham, the University’s recruitment agency, offers a range of part-time, casual and temporary jobs on campus and with local businesses. Browse through the latest vacancies at www.unitemps.com

As competition for part-time work and internships is intense, you will need competent oral and written skills to perform well at the application and selection stages. This will also serve you as good practice when you go through recruitment processes in the future. Dedicate time to work on your application and interview performance, as recruiters have high expectations of candidates, even for temporary positions. Use our online resources to prepare. www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/applying

If you are studying a course at degree level or above, you can work up to 20 hours per week during term-time and full-time during vacation periods. If you are a masters or PhD student, find out what counts as vacation period for you and ask your supervisor or school about any additional restrictions on the hours you can work. The International Office website offers information on visas including conditions on working part-time during your degree. Read their leaflet atwww.nottingham.ac.uk/internationalstudents/visasimmigration

Part-time jobs and internships will give you experience of the UK workplace and working in diverse teams, something valued by employers. You will also obtain useful references while widening your network. If you already have a career path in mind, consider work-shadowing opportunities as well as our eMentoring scheme, which runs from October each year, to receive advice from established professionals. www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/ementoring

You should also look for work experience in China if possible, ideally with the type of company you would like to join after graduation. Some organisations offer summer internships to final year students, which might lead to future job offers for top performers. You can source summer internships using recruitment websites such as www.yingjiesheng.com or www.dajie.com, or the ‘Going Global’ database on our website. www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/workingabroad

Recruiters also value participation in the Enactus society as well as in the Flux business competition, the IBM Universities Business Challenge, the npower Future Leaders Challenge or similar events. Taking part in these initiatives shows entrepreneurial, teamworking and leadership skills. Find out if The University of Nottingham is putting together a team for any schemes of this kind, as they can vary from year to year. We advertise calls to enter these competitions on our website, Facebook and Twitter. Schools also publicise this information on their pages.

This leaflet is for Chinese students who are intending to look for employment in China after graduating and provides advice on gaining valuable skills and enhancing their prospects.

Careers and Employability Service



Improve your communication skills

In Nottingham you will meet other Chinese students, which can give you a welcome feeling of familiarity. However, joining international groups during class and in extracurricular activities will improve your communication and English skills, something recruiters expect in returning graduates.

Student societies at Nottingham range from volunteering, cultural or sports associations to degree-related groups, including civil engineering or economics and finance. They also include forums to develop leadership skills, such as AIESEC. Find out more: www.su.nottingham.ac.uk

You can attend our free careers workshops to enhance your presentation and interview skills and research your target sectors. www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/events Build your networks

As well as joining student societies and attending our employer events, expand your networks by researching professional associations with UK and China links – for example the Chinese Students and Scholars Association in the UK (CSSAUK), the Chopsticks Club for China-related professionals, or the China Business Association. You can often access their newsletters online for information on networking and professional events.

Social media is useful for researching organisations including their news and vacancies. Our ‘Online networking’ section shows you how to make the most of LinkedIn and other social networks in the UK. www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/onlinenetworking.

The most used platform for employers to engage with recent graduates in China is Sina Weibo (www.weibo.com). Most of the top 500 companies use it to advertise internships, job and other activites, so follow the accounts of employers that interest you.

After graduating, you can join the Nottingham alumni networks and follow events and news by the British Council China. The professional and social networking section for China on our ‘Going Global’ database also includes other useful forums. www.alumni.nottingham.ac.uk

www.alumniuk.org.cn Familiarise yourself with recruitment methods

Learn about the recruitment methods used by the type of company you want to target. Non-Chinese companies, for example, often use similar methods to UK ones.

Writing to companies to enquire about potential vacancies is not usually effective as only companies with small recruitment needs accept them and they will not be considered until there is a vacancy.

Research key application and interview dates during your second year, and assess whether you could travel to China for any interviews in your final year. Check out the websites and Sina Weibo accounts of Zhaopin.com, 51job.com and ChinaHR.com regularly or register to receive their e-newsletters. The Chinese Students and Scholars Association UK (CSSAUK) is another popular information channel for companies seeking to recruit Chinese returnees.

Market yourself effectively

Returning students compete with high numbers of local graduates every year. However, some recruiters struggle to find candidates with technical and specialist skills as well as in the service sector. Companies dealing with international business might also prefer candidates with international experience. Follow sector-specific press and forums and use your networks to understand what qualities employers value in UK-educated candidates returning to China. These often include good language skills, global exposure, initiative, creative thinking and teamwork, so make sure you can provide specific examples of how you gained these competencies.

You can also stand out by articulating the value of your degree clearly, including the University’s position in global and UK rankings



and your department’s strengths. Some employers might be concerned about returning graduates’ salary expectations and wonder if they will readapt to local practices or move on quickly to other jobs. Tailor your applications carefully to avoid these misperceptions.

Be flexible

As a returning graduate you will have more options if you can be flexible about where you work rather than only considering Tier One cities.

Research a range of companies, including Chinese companies as well as non-Chinese ones. If you don’t have professional experience, look at entry-level positions as a first step to widen your options.

At The University of Nottingham you have many opportunities to gain new skills and enhance your career prospects. Talk to our team to research your options and plan your next steps.

Further information and advice

Visit the Asia page of our ‘Working abroad’ section for further information on researching the labour market, sourcing vacancies and marketing your UK experience effectively. This includes a China careers guide part of our ‘Going Global’ database and a dedicated China section with job portals and key information for returning UK graduates.www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/workingabroad

Check our vacancy listings on My Career for the latest international opportunities including vacancies in China. Make an appointment with a member of our team to help you put together your skills development and job-hunting plan. www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/vacancies www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/appointments

Students in 2+2 programmes (UNNC Defined Programmes)

All 2+2 Chinese students are required to respond to requests for information from the Career Development Centre (Ningbo) and our service in the UK within their final year in the UK. Completion of surveys and a graduate registration form are necessary in order that Ningbo can use the information supplied to prepare a dispatch pass and transfer your personal file. A copy of the dispatch pass will be available for collecting or posting at the end of July (at a specific date set each year), and a further copy will be placed in your personal file to be supplied to the HR bureau of your company or home town.

For those that transferred their Hukou to The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), you will require a dispatch pass together with a Hukou transferring certificate to complete a further transfer to the HR bureau of your home town or company. Please remember to provide the careers team in the UK or at Ningbo with a copy of your offer (or the e-version) when you receive it.

Please respond to all requests promptly in order that the UNNC can respond to obligations set by the Chinese government. It will also help both offices to provide you with timely and effective assistance should you have any career enquiries.



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