I volunteered this Saturday to attend a job fair in Chengzhou to help find new recruits for Caterpillar. We still have over 400 people to hire this year and are desperately seeking experienced candidates.
Like most experiences in China, the job fair was quite different from those I have attended in the U.S. For example, at a U.S. job fair, each employer sets up a display with fancy graphics showing off their products and their company. At this event, the only graphics were generic text posters printed by the sponsor with descriptions of the company and the job titles being filled.
Like the U.S. job fairs, it was very crowded, but rather than approaching and handing us their resumes, the attendees gathered outside our booth and stared. They were reluctant to approach the desk where we were standing and very reluctant to approach me - the only Westerner in the building. The people were shy and seemed to recoil a bit when I invited them to step forward. Eventually, one brave soul would approach the bench and ask a question. Once a conversation started, the other 10 people lurking behind him would lean in close and listen to every word. It reminded me of the old E.F. Hutton commercials in the 70's.
Another curious observation was the casual dress of the attendees. Many, if not most people, wore jeans. Some wore shorts and one even filled out an application in a tank top undershirt !
After about 2 hours of manning the booth, we had maybe 10 people we considered good prospects who we would pursue with call backs. Not too bad for a morning's work. As for my ongoing China education, it was a priceless experience.
Like most experiences in China, the job fair was quite different from those I have attended in the U.S. For example, at a U.S. job fair, each employer sets up a display with fancy graphics showing off their products and their company. At this event, the only graphics were generic text posters printed by the sponsor with descriptions of the company and the job titles being filled.
Like the U.S. job fairs, it was very crowded, but rather than approaching and handing us their resumes, the attendees gathered outside our booth and stared. They were reluctant to approach the desk where we were standing and very reluctant to approach me - the only Westerner in the building. The people were shy and seemed to recoil a bit when I invited them to step forward. Eventually, one brave soul would approach the bench and ask a question. Once a conversation started, the other 10 people lurking behind him would lean in close and listen to every word. It reminded me of the old E.F. Hutton commercials in the 70's.
Another curious observation was the casual dress of the attendees. Many, if not most people, wore jeans. Some wore shorts and one even filled out an application in a tank top undershirt !
After about 2 hours of manning the booth, we had maybe 10 people we considered good prospects who we would pursue with call backs. Not too bad for a morning's work. As for my ongoing China education, it was a priceless experience.
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