Asia is a land of plenty: growth, opportunity, and extraordinary complexity. Here, top recruiting experts describe how to crack the region’s hidden job market.
Our panel includes Kalpana Denzel, Executive Search and Assessment Consultant with Russell Reynolds Associates in Singapore; Michelle Wang Jingji, Head, Strategic Alliances and Partnership, Human Capital Leadership Institute; Natalie Chan, Associate Director, APAC, INSEAD’s Career Development Centre in Singapore; Mohan Belani, CEO and Co-Founder, E27; and Tim Gibson-Tullberg, Managing Director and Global Head of the Private Wealth Management Practice for Sheffield Haworth, based in Singapore. The panel appeared at Columbia Business School's Pan-Asia reunion last fall and was organized by Regina Resnick, associate dean of the School’s Career Management Center. The panelists' top tips:
Look beyond the usual suspects. “Candidates from the United States and Europe are often fixated on popular countries, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, but you need to be open to less developed markets, such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia or even Myanmar. There is more demand in these countries for western expertise.&rsduo; — Natalie Chan
Consider a lateral move. “You need to let go of the old expat mentality — the idea that you are going to come into the company a few levels up from the local workers. Increasingly, you’ll be working with local managers and senior executives, so the focus now is being able to come in with an understanding of the local culture and making an effort to adapt to the local staff.” — Mohan Belani
Work through your current employer. “For fresh-out-of-school MBAs, unless they have in-market experience, getting a job in Asia is going to be challenging. You have to use your network. My advice for people working in other markets is to come over through your existing companies or let a prospective employer know that you want to have a future in Asia and join that organization to get here.” — Kalpana Denzel
Start in a growth industry, like healthcare… “We’e seeing significant growth in health care and pharmaceuticals. For example, China has more than 1 billion people, and the government recognizes that in light of a rapidly aging population, it needs to meet the needs of its underserved citizens by moving toward universal health care. Candidates have the opportunity to help design and construct new business models from the ground up.” — Natalie Chan
…Or tech. “ The tech industry probably has one of the strongest prospects. The biggest challenge in tech is there aren’t many people who understand how to navigate the Asian business climate and understand how to reach out and connect with different countries. There are a lot of $100 million companies here looking to become $1 billion companies but they don’t know how to expand into new verticals. E-commerce is also growing like crazy in China and India, and they need people who understand that market.” — Mohan Belani
…Or finance. “The finance industry is still going to be very strong. If you think about the investment industry from a work management side, venture capital and investment products are critical. This region has the fastest growth in millionaires and billionaires in the world, and they need help investing that money.” — Mohan Belani
Find the hidden local champions. “In many Asian countries, local champions dominate a large part of the economy, and many of these are huge conglomerates, most of which focus on growing in their home markets so you don’t hear about them on the international stage. To connect with these companies you may have to go beyond traditional channels, getting introductions from your contacts and your wider network.” — Michelle Wang Jingji
Network the Asian way. “Networking is done face-to-face in Asia so that we can get a sense of that person. It’s a culture thing. We take things slower. In Asia, it is important to take one’s time to develop the relationship and show how you can add value to the business.” — Natalie Chan
Skip the online job sites. “You need to know the people, the market and the industries. You can’t just do an online search and blast your resume out to the human resources department. You might as well stick it in a microwave and hit ‘done.’” — Tim Gibson-Tullberg
Job-hunt in person. “Sometimes you may need to take a couple of trips to Asia on your own to have meaningful conversations with people here on the ground. We’re seeing more people midcareer who are just moving there and looking for jobs on the ground. Usually they are in their 30s, and they come over for a couple of months on their own dime.” — Kalpana Denzel