Could this be ERE's first Wiki?

The trigger was an excellent question posed to me by a lovely lady called Sherry Karr, who is a member of the China Talent group. Her question boils down to the difference between the cultures in the Western World and China, and how this affects hiring.

Rather than setting out a definitive document, which I am not capable of producing alone, I would suggest that the members of Talent in China should be able to build this document. This is user-generated-content. ERE's first Wiki ....

I will start with a single issue, Behavioural Interviewing (below) and others can add their thoughts one issue at a time here. Then I will add those posts to this document in some sort of logical order. Over time we will get some sort of final document.

Full credit will of course be given to each paragraph from each China Talent member with a link back to their profile on ERE. (When you post on the Talent in China group please try to follow the simple format below. Heading plus paragraph plus solution plus . I will find your profile and put it in as a link. Tks.)

Behavioral Interviewing

The basis of Behavioural Interviews, or Competency Interviews, is that past behavior is the best way to determine future performance. This is ok in so far as it goes but the culture of the person on the other side of the desk is a big factor.

The weakness of this kind of interview is that, like all interviews, it can be practiced. In China few people have had a chance to practice and care must be taken to ensure that they get a good shot at doing well.

Additionally, people from individualist cultures do well in behavioral interviews while people from more communitarian cultures simply don't because their sense of self is wrapped up in other people.

So if you ask someone from the US to describe a situation where he had difficulty communicating with someone he is likely to be able to give you half a dozen solid examples.

The reaction in China is often, 'Difficulties communicating, no, no, I don't have difficulties communicating. I'm in sales and we are good at communicating .....' As you can see the issue of 'face' comes in here as well.

Recommendations

What all this means is that the pre-interview 'Spiel' that is normally given to introduce Behavioral Interviewing must be longer than usual in China.

To take it further, it has to be explained that not only should the candidate give real examples of real situations but also that he will not be penalized for describing situations that did not work out as planned.

Lastly, candidates should be given the chance to have a practice question and that question should be structured to show the candidate that in fact we all have 'problems with communicating' or 'difficulties in planning'. It has to be made clear that this is perfectly normal and nothing to be ashamed of.

If the interviewer gives a specific, personal example this should have the highest impact.

                        

                                              Frank Mulligan>

  Hiring Good Chinese Salesmen

Salesmen generally fall into two broad categories: customer service oriented “order takers” and value adding “problem solvers”. Most multinationals seeking outside sales professionals are looking for value-adders – who are under-represented in typical China-based companies.

Traditional Chinese salesmen tend to spend all their energy building connections, with only the vaguest notion of how these relationships will ultimately result in a transaction. The problem facing Chinese salesmen (and their international managers) is that traditional Chinese buyers don’t look at salesmen as a business resource, or recognize their expertise. Chinese salesmen tend to wait for their prospects to initiate the transaction – and merely negotiate discount levels. While this approach may work just fine in a retail environment or when selling to bureaucratic government agencies, it is wholly inappropriate for an international B2B operation.

Attempts to transform a Chinese order-taker into a proactive, independent value-adder are generally unsuccessful. I’ve seen western sales managers and MDs try training, coaching, bribing and threatening – all to no avail. The problem can usually be traced to the hiring methodology. Chinese managers hire team-oriented, relationship building sales people because that’s the kind of person they are most comfortable working with. It’s ironic that aggressive, money-oriented types are just as plentiful in China as in western countries – but the established HR decision-making hierarchy tends to avoid them because they disrupt the harmony of the workplace.

Solution:

1) Build a profile of your target salesmen based on the kinds of behaviors you want to hire. You don’t want someone who will work hard and fit in with a group – you want someone who can be persuasive and is motivated by selling. The best salesmen are independent and goal-oriented. They like being right and getting their own way. These are the behaviors you should be seeking out.

2) Compensate these individuals as individuals – not as anonymous cogs in a larger machine. Good salesmen are motivated by individual achievement and monetary gain. They react to commission and individual incentives. Make that part of the interview conversation. Sales is one area where a little selfishness and greed are healthy. The best salesmen are in it for the money – and they want people to know it.

3) Look beyond the respectable, top-school, corporate mold. In China, your best salesmen are probably coming from the less developed provinces, and may not have graduated from famous schools. That’s ok. These are the people who are really driving China’s economic growth. Don’t worry if they are a little rough around the edges. An aggressive salesman can be trained to present well and wear a nice suit. A meek bureaucrat can never be taught to fight for an order or close a tough sale.