Candidates call the shots
Demand is so high for senior managers with good English skills that many are dictating which companies they will work for.
With Chinese companies increasingly seeking to take their place on the international stage, the search for top management talent has become more intense.
Throughout the 1990s and even into the first half of the century's first decade, senior positions for multinationals were filled by people coming from global headquarters or from senior positions in other parts of the world, says Mick McGeehan, managing director of J.M. Gemini, a staffing solutions company.
As the mainland develops, top talent is more frequently coming from within the country. "Multinationals have scaled back on expats and are developing home-grown talent in their search for localisation," says James Darlington, head of Asia for Antal, a human resources solutions provider.
Regardless of nationality, top managers share a few sought-after attributes, according to Michelle Hui, senior manager at KPMG China's executive search and selection unit. Companies look for strong business leadership, people-management skills, cultural sensitivity and the right education and experience.
Two of the most attractive skills, according to McGeehan, are the fluency to report back to international headquarters in English and "the ability to have presence, to be able to stand up and give a presentation to the board of directors".
These skills are in such demand that it's a candidate-driven market, with top candidates often fielding multiple job offers. "Often, it's the candidate demanding whom they want to work for," McGeehan says.