Before I joined Michael Page, I worked at a government-run business.
Through my school's alumni records, I found that an alumnus was working at Michael Page, so I worked up the courage to give her a call, and after a few twists and turns, I received an offer and she became my line manager.
I remember my first candidate interview: A French man sitting beside me who looks like the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. I also remember the first time I visited a client, it was at a medical equipment factory in Doumen District, Zhuhai.
The job here is a lot of fun, where I frequently communicate with different candidates and clients to understand their needs and pain points. My candidates are often in R&D and manufacturing functions. I hear them talking about the mechanical designs of automated pepper grinders, the technical difficulties in the EDM process of molding, the response curve in testing high quality stereos...... It makes me happy to see the glow in their eyes when they talk about their work. Reading a person is like reading a book, so our job is like reading different books every day, and so we ourselves mature quickly as individulas. As the saying goes, knowledgeable people are always elegant.
This job has also taught me a lot. For example, I am no longer eager to assume what kind of talents a company wants, instead, I listen to the HR and line manager's description and expectations for the job. I will also ask people that have left the company about their reasons for leaving, to help candidates evaluate this opportunity comprehensively and let them know whether they can take the risk, whether there will be anything influencing their ability to work in the long term. Furthermore, I now pay more attention to self-management. I used to go to work dressed plainly and wore no makeup, but now since that I need to meet clients or candidates every day and leave a good first impression, I arm myself from head to toe, in and out, because even a hint of fatigue or a drop of sweat will influence my professionalism.
Michael Page is a very fast-paced company. Just like swimming against the tide, if you don't move forward, you fall back. However, clear and transparent promotion conditions encourage everyone working here to quickly develop their careers. The pace of promotion is completely within the employee's control, unlike most companies where the opportunities for promotion only come around every few years, or when there are openings. As long as you reach your goals, you have the chance to get promoted and move on to the next goal and even bigger challenges.
I recently embarked on a new journey, transferring from the familiar Southern China market, to the Central Western area. I will be onboard in Chengdu Office by the next spring holidays. The curtain has risen for unknown adventures and I now await the next chapter of this story.