2    "KISSING-THE-FROG" SYNDROME
HIRING CHINESE NATIONALS: SOME OBSERVATIONS AND TIPS 

By Mr. Alfred Shum, Chairman & CEO

Mr. Shum founded Onpress 9 years ago and expanded this recruitment and pharmaceutical services business from an one-man band to 15 staff with 3 offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.  He is a master’ s graduate in biochemistry and MBA from Sydney Australia, has worked for many well known multinational companies in senior management roles, and is a popular speaker and writer on China, recruitment and pharmaceutical issues in international forums.  He has recruited many senior managers and technical specialists across many industries in China and Asia.

This is the title of a book, to be written by Alfred Shum, on the experience of hiring Chinese nationals for hundreds of multinational companies in China in the last nine years!

The objective of this book is to share the experiences the author has accumulated with the audience.  We all tend to say, “People is the most valuable asset of an organization”; is this “lip service” ?, or do we genuinely mean this!  What the author has attempted to do is to try to articulate his experiences in a succinct, clear and “humorous” manner. Whether the reader accepts the author’s observations, or not, is entirely up to the reader! Even if the author has contributed in a very small way of helping the reader recruiting the right person for the job, then the purpose of this book has been served!

In this issue, the author will outline a summary of this book; and in each issue of this publication, for the next 12 issues, the author will describe a chapter of the book.  And at its completion, the book will be published, and will be made available to the wider audience.

The structure of “Kissing-The-Frog” is as follows:

 • Chapter 1:      -       Introduction    -       Introduction
                                                              -       Situation Analysis
                                                              -       Effects of China’s entry into the WTO
                                                              -       The importance of hiring the right people;
                                                                       the cost/benefits analysis

 • Chapter 2:      -       Defining Your Requirements      
                                                             -       What are your requirements?
                                                             -       When do you want this position filled?
                                                             -       What training/orientation programs
                                                                      have you planned?
                                                             -       The method of recruitment?
                                                             -       The budget?

 • Chapter 3:      -       The Recruitment Process
                                                             -       What are the options?
                                                             -       Evaluate the pros and cons of each option
                                                             -       Finding an external appointee
                                                             -       Defining the requirements of a Search Firm
                                                             -       Selecting the Search Firm
                                                             -       The recruitment process

 • Chapter 4-11:         Describe the various types of candidates,
                                    the pros and cons of each type,
                                    what are the pitfalls (the Kiss-The-Frog syndrome),
                                    and what are the things the hiring manager should be looking out for

 • Chapter 12:     -       Conclusions