Mandarin Consulting

© Copyright Mandarin Consulting Ltd University of Sussex
28 October 2014

© Copyright Mandarin Consulting Ltd
MANDARIN CONSULTING
David Peckham
Engineer – 7 years
Management Consultant - PwC 13 years,
- PA Consulting Group 6 years
Now - Director of Mandarin Consulting

MANDARIN CONSULTING
Job Opportunities for Chinese Students
and Graduates in the UK

Why are you here? . . .
• Determined to work for an International company?
• Considering all options including International companies?
• Confused about career options and choices?
• Just need to get out of the rain/cold!

This Seminar Covers . . . .
• Who are Mandarin Consulting?
• What opportunities are there in the UK?
• A little practical help
• The recruitment process – what Chinese
candidates find difficult

Mandarin Consulting – What We Do . . .
WE CHANGE PEOPLES’
LIVES
By helping them to get challenging
and satisfying careers

How Does Mandarin Consulting Do This? . . .
By helping Chinese students and graduates . . .
• Understand their potential
• Find opportunities to match their potential
. . . through a one to one coaching programme

We Are Well Positioned to Help You . . .
In our Beijing office . . . . . Or in our London office . . . . .
. . . . Or in our New York office

Why Can Mandarin Consulting Help YOU?
• We have had over 2,000 candidates pass through
our programme to get into international
companies
• We have a highly experienced coaching team
with a deep understanding of international
recruitment
Some Facts!

The Mandarin Consulting Core Coaching Team

Job Opportunities for Chinese Students
and Graduates in the UK

Graduate Schemes in International Companies
What are they? . . . .
• A job! – usually paying in excess of £25,000 per
year
• A unique opportunity to be trained while
working – probably the most important training
in your life
• Usually results in a professional qualification
often recognised internationally

Graduate Schemes in International Companies
What are they (continued)? . . . .
• The foundation for a fast track career
• Exposure to global ideas and methods, an
opportunity to work alongside experts
• Usually offered one year in advance
• Often independent of degree major
. . . . . but competitive

Internships in International Companies
What are they? . . . .
• Working in a company usually for 2 to 8 weeks in the
summer vacation (but other variations exist!)
• Opportunity to try out a sector/company
• Understanding how international companies operate
• Opportunity to develop “competencies” and
strengthen CV
• Often results in a graduate scheme job!
. . . . . but also competitive

What Other Useful Experience is There?
(Remember: Develop Your Competencies)
Voluntary Work
• Inside your University – (Union, CSSA etc)
• Outside your University
• Many different opportunities
• Chance to improve your English
• Available all the year round

A Little Practical Help

Possible Opportunities Path . . .
Part-time
work
• Transition from student to professional
• Training to do a job
Voluntary
Work
• Develop
“competencies”
• Improve English
• Improve cultural
awareness
• Discover sectors and
companies
• Develop “competencies”
Internships
Graduate Schemes

Plan Out Your Job Seeking
A Typical Job- Seeking Plan . . . .
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Graduate Scheme
Applications
Graduate Scheme Interviews
and Assessments
Graduate Scheme
Job Offers
Competencies
Voluntary work?
Jan Feb

Practical Help from Mandarin Consulting . . .
• Weekly Graduate Scheme and Internship update
(You will receive this after filling in the registration
slip)
• Voluntary work
(Many resources on the internet – eg timebank.org.uk)

The Recruitment Process
Steps Chinese Candidates Find Difficult

Typical Job Application Process
Online tests
Senior interview
Application JOB!!
CV
Covering
Letter
Interview Assessment
Centre
This is a SELLING process

What do we mean by “Selling”?
Matching:
Your Skills And Attributes
to
You need to understand both these parts
The Requirements Of The Job

Sell on Benefits not Specification
“This car is the safest in Europe”
Automobile Association
Benefit
Specification
This car has 0.5mm steel box sections front
and rear with shear stiffeners at 150mm
centres allowing high energy crumple zone
absorption together with side bars . . .

What attributes are companies looking for. . . ?

Attributes Companies Look For
Chinese International
• Hard working
• Loyal
• Carry out orders effectively
• Know their place in the heirachy
• Obedient
• Contacts (Guanxi)
. . . . . And others
• Motivated
• Team worker
• Leader
• Good communicator
• Questioning
• Having fun at work!
. . . . . And others
There are clear differences in requirements. . .

Organisations are Looking for Key Competencies
These Include:
• Motivation and drive
• Leadership and teamwork
• Communication and persuasion skills
• Genuine motivation behind the application
• Innovation
• Awareness of the business world and implications
• Problem solving abilities
• The “Ah HA!!” factor
– original thinking
How do Organisations Test for Competencies? . . .

By Asking “Competency” Questions . . . .
Typical competency-based questions start . . .
Describe a time
when you . . .
Give an
example of . . . .
Describe how
you . .
Tell me about a
situation . .
These questions aim to probe your
abilities and skills in a practical setting

Examples of Competency Questions . . . .
• Give me an example of a problem you have faced in the
past. How did you solve the problem?
• Tell me about a time when you taught someone else
something
• Describe a situation where you inspired others to meet a
common goal
• Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as
part of a team

Answering a Competency Question
• Think of the purpose of the question
• Formulate your answer to address this purpose
• Use the STAR method to structure your answer
Tell me about a time
when you were
unsuccessful
Purposes might include . . .
• You like trying different things
• Adventurous
• Test for innovation, resilience
• Learning from mistakes

Four Types of Question . . .
Competency Questions
Motivational Questions
General Questions
√
Commercial Awareness Questions

Another Inevitable Question:
(This is a motivational type question)
Why do you want
to join our
organisation? The Matching Is Between
Your Requirements
And
What The Organisation Offers
You need to be clear what your requirements are . . .

Some Examples of Requirements
• High value, intensive training
• Working with world recognised experts
• Rapid assignment of responsibility
. . . . . And there are others
This is a better way of answering this question!

General Questions . . . .
These need to be thought through
• Tell me about yourself
• What is your main weakness (area for improvement)?
• Why did you choose the university you went to?
• Why did you choose the course you took?
• What do you see yourself doing in five years time?

Other, General Questions . . . .
These have been asked in interviews recently
• How many cows are there in the UK?
• How many people are on the London Underground at
any moment?
• How many pingpong balls can be fitted into a 747
aircraft?
These test your thinking process

Examples of Commercial Awareness Questions . . .
• Give me an example of a company that is doing well.
Why is it doing well?
• Tell me about an item you’ve read in the news. How do
you think this will impact our organisation? What do
you think we should do about it?
• How have oil prices moved recently? What impact do
you think this will have on businesses?
. . . . . . and there are others

A Commercial Awareness Example . . .
Give me an example of a company that is doing well.
Why is it doing well?
From “The Economist”

The Job Seeking Skills Equation . . .
ACADEMIC
LEVEL
JOB SEEKING
SKILLS
JOB
LEVEL
ACADEMIC
LEVEL
JOB SEEKING
SKILLS
JOB
LEVEL

THE END
Further Questions?
北京海淀区中关村善缘街1号立方庭2-609室
电话：+86 10 8244 7189
邮件: mandarinconsultant@yeah.net
网站：www.mcilcn.com
223a High Street Kensington, London W8 6SG
Tel: +44 20 73761037
Email: info@mandarinconsultant.com
Website: uk.mcilcn.com

Mandarin Consulting

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