Family First

　　My decision to come to China was a pretty simple one： curiosity. I amorigin ally from Holland， but have alwaysbeen fascinated with China—this my steriousand rising oriental superpower. I bought book sand movies on the country， wishing to satisfymy questions. On the contrary， it only inspired more. With China’s economy booming， many amazing career opportunities are currently open to foreigners like me. It was a very natural decision for me to come to explore the possibili tiesin China. Beijing brims with opportunitiesand ancient Chinese culture， which is the reasonI have made it my home.

　　As a headhunter here， I am surprised by the level of profession alism within the localindustry， even though it is relatively new.I have discovered that when consideringchanging jobs or taking up new employment，families have a huge impact on the decision-making process. Considering my own background， most Europeans make selfdevelopmenttheir first priority opposed tofamily life. Decision-making is thus very selforiented and independent. As an example， Ionly considered my interest in China beforemoving a world away from my parents.

　　From a cultural perspective， the Chinese moral code of family and filial responsibility，xiao， is greatly influential. Local people feelresponsible for taking care of their familiesand even in-laws. Although they are willingto relocate， it should be within a 1-hourflight so they can make it back in case ofemergencies. Also， I have come across caseswhere Chinese candidates would struggleto change jobs because it could affect their families. For instance， one candidate whohas seven years experience in marketing always wanted to work as a brand manager.

　　Fortunately， I had just the right opportunity for him with a company in Ningbo， where both he and his family reside. Even though initial interviews went well， during the finalround of discussions， he told me thathe couldn’t accept the offer because hewas supposed to get married this year andprepare to have a baby. His family was not happy about his decision to change job ssince it would be challenging. Therefore， heturned the opportunity down， which I found extremely shocking.

　　I have encountered another similar situation.I arranged interviews for a logisticsmanager candidate. I wanted to prepare hima little two days before. However， he requested the interview be moved because it fell onthe 60th birthday of his mother. When I communicated this to the client company， they responded by saying it was totally acceptable and that they respected the candidate’sschedule.

　　Family is a very basic， but crucial factorfor Chinese candidates choosing a job. Onthe other hand， Western values have infiltrated younger generations， alongside thee ffects of a fast changing local society， with the youth more in dependent. I believe thatthere will be a new balance between familyand personal life， with Chinese characteristics.