Pre-game Strategy: Preparing For a Job Interview in China

Pre-game Strategy: Preparing For a Job Interview in China
Jan 24, 2014 By eChinacities.com

After a long search, after sending hundreds of CVs and a lot of frustration you finally get asked for an interview. The interview is your doorway into the company and the job you’ve spent all this time and energy on finding. So you better be prepared. Here are a few general tips to remember when prepping for that all important interview as well as few for preparing for a job interview in China.

Preparation for an interview
Putting your game face on.
Source: USM MS photos

1) Arrival time
When you have an interview scheduled for a certain time, make sure you arrive early, but not too early. An appropriate time to arrive would be about 10-15 minutes before the scheduled time. Arriving too early might inconvenience your interviewer as they are fitting you into their busy schedule. A good idea might be to arrive in the vicinity of your interview an hour before your interview, thus you can make certain you know where the office is and then you can find a coffee shop nearby and go through your preparation one last time. This way you won’t be in a rush when you arrive and can feel more composed and confident. If you do arrive early, make sure you mention that you are early, and don’t mind waiting until it is convenient for your interviewer to begin the interview.

2) Research
The most important part of interview preparation is having done the necessary research about the company and the position you are applying for. Go onto the company website and read it ‘cover-to-cover’ in order to know everything you can about the company. A good place to start is the ‘About us’ section where you can learn more about the philosophy and direction of a company; using this knowledge you can convince the interviewer how you fit into this philosophy and how you can help the company reach their goals. Mentioning a small detail which can only be found through thorough research will also impress the interviewer; for example: applying for a finance job and you quote that the company had a growth rate of x percent over the last three years as well.

3) Questions
You should always prepare questions to ask the interviewer. Having questions to ask shows that you have prepared well and want to know more about the company. Some interviewers will start the interview by asking if you have any questions, so be prepared from the get-go.

4) Re-read your cover letter
If you have an interview then you obviously applied for the job and most likely wrote a cover letter. Make sure you re-read your cover letter to remind yourself exactly why you wanted the job and why you would be a good fit. Quoting your cover letter will also impress the interviewer who most likely read it just before the interview as well.

5) Language
It is important to make sure you know what language the interview will be conducted in. If the job requires a certain level of Chinese, expect the interviewer to at least conduct some part of the interview in Chinese. Prepare for this by revising words which might come up in the specific interview; i.e.: look up words related to the job and to topics you think might come up.

6) Documents
Prepare the necessary documents you might need. These include, but are not limited to, your CV, cover letter and research notes on the job/company. Most times the interviewer will have a printed copy of your CV in front of them, but if they don’t then it will look good if you do. You can also prepare samples of your work to hand over during the interview. Printing shops in China are plentiful and cheap so there are no excuses. Look out for a sign that says 打印 (dă yìn).

7) Pen and paper
Always take a pen and some paper with you to make notes during the interview. If you are very nervous, making notes will help you remember questions you may want to ask at the end of the interview. Even if you don’t use them it will look professional.

8) Dress code
The dress code for interviews in China will depend on the type of job you are interviewing for. Try and assess the level of formalness you would need to achieve. For interviews for creative positions, such as designers, the dress code might be more relaxed than an interview for, say, a job in a bank. Over dressing is slightly better than under dressing but not by much. For the average job in China, male employees don’t wear ties, but make sure you are neat and that your shoes are clean.

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Keywords: Prepartions Preparing for a job interview how to prepare

16 Comments

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saraadil31

good tips

Jun 11, 2017 13:35 Report Abuse

rdramirez

Thanks for the reminders.

Aug 22, 2016 21:59 Report Abuse

bupsin

thank you very much. Great!!!

Jun 25, 2016 13:56 Report Abuse

GolovkoVeronika

Thank you very much

Apr 28, 2016 16:40 Report Abuse

umzung

Be on time.

Oct 16, 2015 17:53 Report Abuse

umzung

I second the demo suggestion.

Oct 13, 2015 15:54 Report Abuse

oumaouma

It's a great piece of advice.Thanks alot

Jul 17, 2015 23:29 Report Abuse

Guest592570

Absolutely agree with this. And would like to add "Teaching Demonstration" for those applying for a teaching job. It is always better to have a lot ready.

Jun 30, 2015 20:04 Report Abuse

Guest14311738

thanks for this

Jun 21, 2015 00:37 Report Abuse

irfanahmad570

thank u very much I appreciate it..

Mar 28, 2015 02:54 Report Abuse

optimalistic

really nice tip... thanks anyway

Feb 27, 2015 11:31 Report Abuse

spookykid

ty

Jan 16, 2015 14:40 Report Abuse

Guest2666592

Thank you!

Oct 12, 2014 20:56 Report Abuse

younes

THANK YOU

Aug 17, 2014 20:23 Report Abuse

TeRanga

Some good tips. Thanks!

Jul 26, 2014 19:36 Report Abuse