REGIONAL JOB OUTLOOK SUMMARIES
Southeast Asia Regional Take Away:
Based on current trends, Southeast Asia is considered a promising market for hiring due to its rapidly growing economy, expanding digital landscape, and increasing demand for skilled labor across various industries, particularly in e-commerce and manufacturing, making it a potential "next market to hire" for many companies.
Countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines are predicted to lead the charge, with GDP growth rates forecasted to range from 5% to 7% due to strong consumer demand and foreign direct investment. Sustainability and renewable energy are becoming pivotal in Southeast Asia’s economic landscape, as the manufacturing sector continues to expand as companies diversify their supply chains away from China.
East Asia Regional Take Away
In East Asia, current hiring trends show a growing demand for tech-related roles like data science, AI, and cybersecurity, with companies increasingly prioritizing digital transformation; this is accompanied by a focus on talent with strong analytical and problem-solving skills, while also seeing a push for more diverse hiring practices and a greater emphasis on work-life balance, with flexible work arrangements becoming increasingly common across the region.
Overall, Hong Kong, China, and Korea are more challenging than they were in the past, especially with their public sector employments. Japan is the place with the most demand, especially with an aging population. Taiwan shows positive trends that are worth keeping in mind.
South Asia Regional Take Away:
CULTURAL ASPECTS TO CONSIDER
Languages
Understand the difference between working proficiency and fluency. If your role includes working with local clients, you will need to be as fluent as possible as performance may suffer from miscommunication and inefficiency. Through the hiring process make sure to connect with people doing similar roles to understand what is expected of you and any resources to help you prepare when working in the local language.
Working Culture
Although rapidly changing due to greater focus on work life
balance, 996, or 9 am to 9 pm six days a week, is common in East Asia in
particular as a normal expectation for keeping your job in the workforce. For
example, Taiwan is known to always expect overtime, but you’re not necessarily
paid for this. To avoid these situations, you can try focusing on larger
international companies who have their headquarters in a country with strict
labor laws. But it’s still not always completely avoidable, so network with
individuals at that company first to double check.
Employment also
tends to be more for the longer term, not really briefly unless it is
explicitly stated. Corporate Asia tends to be less strict on hiring from the outset
and is generally more lenient to any under-performers on staff. Employees are
loyal to their employers, and there is a societal expectation that employers
will take care of their employees.
There is a heightened importance placed on “company image” and how the employees reflect them. The concept of “guanxi” is very important in Asia as well, as it relates to social connections focused on building strong relationships that can go beyond a professional qualification. In other words, it is important to understand the culture and work expectations of employees within a country, even if at a multinational organization, as the people you network with and what networking looks like can vary greatly depending on office location.
Hiring Differences
Along the same thread, hiring practices are also quite different. Group interviews are very common, where multiple job candidates are interviewed simultaneously by a panel of interviewers. This is often used to assess not only individual skills, but also how well a candidate can collaborate and work within a team, with a particular emphasis on interpersonal dynamics and leadership qualities. You can see this emphasized in countries like Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, where candidates may be asked to participate in group activities or problem-solving exercises to demonstrate teamwork abilities.
Resume styles
also can be quite different, so make sure you are doing your research on local
expectations. Asia typically makes you put your photo on resumes, Japan often
expects you to give them hand-written resumes, and some companies might just
have a western style. Make sure you read through the job description carefully
for any stated instructions on what is the best resume format.
HOW TO BE COMPETITIVE?
- Do Your Due Diligence. Research the necessary requirements to work in the country, especially work visas
- Stay Informed! Seek international job boards such as those found on Handshake, follow specific companies on LinkedIn, etc.
- Get Connected. It starts with your school community. Reach out to certain people and join the right regionally focused clubs. Our alumni network is broad and very responsive.
- Language Skills Development. Take the time to learn more and it'll build a competitive edge, especially if you can target multiple languages of possible clients the company may have.
EFFECTIVE NETWORKING
Networking allows you to employ the knowledge of aforementioned cultural aspects in order to seamlessly navigate the professional landscape of the region/country/city in which you wish to grow your network. Using your current network to connect you with professionals in your target location is a fantastic starting point, but also have a solid pitch for why making your acquaintance is worth their time. It is imperative to recognize what the best way of reaching out would be and catering your initial contact to show why a professional relationship is beneficial and won't be a burden on their time. Showcase your credentials, such as status as a student and your intended field, and what you seek to gain in meeting with them. Do not be afraid to showcase your personality as long as it is kept professional. You should get the opinions of peers and career counselors your first couple of attempts at reaching out as you develop this skill, especially when targeting a location where you have less knowledge on the working culture.
There are several challenges when it comes to networking in a new environment, but this can be mitigated with enough time to prepare and learning the experiences of others. Language barriers may make it difficult to connect with others when you aren't at a level of fluency, and so being honest about your level and proactive in improving are important. Norms for meetings may look very different dependent on where you are, and so knowing what the equivalent of a coffee chat looks like in your targeted location will increase the chances someone meets with you.
Reaching out after a first meeting is crucial for leaving a lasting impression and demonstrating how much you appreciate the other person for taking the time to meet you. Maintaining a network can sometimes be harder than initially forming one, so learn when it is appropriate to reach out and continually show that you are grateful to know the person and not just what they could offer in a professional sense.
