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Selecting Raw Talent in China
By Brian Sun, Managing Partner, Orion China Consulting
One of China’s admirable developments has been the rapid expansion of higher education,
which has seen the number of graduates more than triple in a little over a decade. Education
for the masses in its essence is a fundamental ingredient for a civilized society. However,
talent acquisition has become a paradox in China between the mass of graduate talent and
the “war for talent syndrome”.
The stakes are very high when China produces 7 million job-seeking graduates every year
and common challenges faced by multinationals like L’Oreal has over 33,000 applicants for
70 vacancies for graduate recruitment scheme. (BBC News 25 February 2015 Can Technology
Identify China’s Top Talents)
From the employer’s perspective, talent sourcing should appear to be “shooting fish in a
barrel” in light of the statistics. It might be true for basic blue-collar job roles but the selection
of management potential is frustrating and tedious. As cited in the BBC article quoted by
L’Oreal China recruitment director, Jacob Bonk,
“When in fact what we're really looking for in students is raw talent. You want people
that are a better fit to your company culture and the competencies that you look for,
and they're not necessarily going to have that just because they went to a particular
university."
Leading domestic and multinational companies have recruited talent from top national
universities for over two decades but consecutively; organizations have evolved in China to
become more discerning in talent selection for a plethora of reasons such as culture fit,
relevant competencies and leadership potential. The war for talent is not a quantity problem
but a matter of quality. Seemingly, the conservative method of selecting high academic
achievers from top universities is logical but competencies are not necessary aligned in the
rapid economic expansion in the recent ten years.
It is a good problem when China’s economy is shifting from a production-base economy to
one a knowledge-base economy. As an executive recruiter placing senior executives in
Shanghai and Beijing for over ten years, expectations have evolved and differed rapidly
between local talent and employers. China is no longer a picture of “hardship”, especially in
metropolitan cities with luxury retailers adorning manicured pavements. Symbolic of this
evolution, Chinese talent are leaning towards lifestyle balance and job gratification in cultural
and financial aspects.
Herein lies the conundrum where statistics indicate there are not enough decent jobs to go
around, at least not those that first satisfy their financial needs. Secondly, one child per
family policy has created a predominantly sheltered lifestyle for the young.
"Their biggest problem is their attitude. They need to change their expectations. What
they've learnt at university is purely theoretical. They need to get experience from a
real job before they can hope to get their dream position." said Zhu Rong, who was

2. Room 28B, Haixin Building, No 1 Ruijin South Road, Luwan District,Shanghai,200023
T: +8621 3416 0096 F: +8621 5496 2577
recruiting for a real estate agency at the job fair. (7 August 2013 BBC article Tough Market
for China Graduates, Martin Patience)
China has created a generation of educated mass that is trained to aim for the best. It is a
form of “elitist” trait that has driven China to be a global economic leader. Unfortunately, the
majority of average graduates are not satisfied with matching jobs and often idle or
discontent with a second-tier job. The reality is that the Chinese education system will
require time to evolve as observed in other developed countries systems. Will high academic
achievement continue to be a major predictor for workplace success in China? As Google’s
hiring in charge, Lazlo Bock, suggests in a New York Times interview that super-successful
students may lack a fundamental attribute; the ability to learn from failure. As of now, there is
plenty of talent in China. What is missing are people who are prepared to make purpose-
driven choices to maximize their talent to be ahead of the curve. Everyone has natural God-
given talent; it is the key choices that one makes that set one apart from others who have
talent alone.
Brian is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Orion China Consulting, an international human
capital solutions and advisory provider, established since 2005. www.orionchina.net Brian has
provided organization advice to leading global CEOs of listed corporations and private enterprises.
He specializes in the field of executive search & selection since 1999 and placed over 100 executives
across several sectors ranging from financial institutions, technology and luxury consumer brands.