27 / 127
Human Resources and Payroll in China 2016-2017 (5th Edition) -
27
Manage Candidate Expectations
Many Chinese candidates are observed to have high expectations, as many see their peers quickly
move up the corporate ladder and expect that the same should happen to them. The biggest
concerns of candidates are salary, benefits and career development. Companies that are not able
to meet candidate expectations experience high employee turnover. Clarifying salary, benefits and
career development during the recruitment process will improve employee retention and have a
positive impact on candidate attraction.
Salary and Benefits
Chinese employees’ salary growth expectations rank among the highest in the world. More than
half of Chinese employees expect a salary increase of more than 30 percent when changing jobs.
As a comparison, the average salary increase expectation in Europe is between 10 to 20 percent.
Career Development
Well-planned career development structures will benefit companies in retaining employees
and attracting candidates during the recruitment process. It is advisable that hiring managers
are involved in the process of managing candidate expectations together with the HR
representative, as the latter might be unable to answer all questions related to the job content.
Conduct Assessment Tests
Conducting assessment tests provides a means to enable company representatives to obtain
insights into various aspects of potential candidates such as behavioral, motivational, technical and
aptitudinal attributes before making the final selection decision.