本文旨在提供一些基本、中肯的建议，作为你在寻找、考虑新的职业机会时的参考。这些观点和信息来自我们多年与各种背景的成功职业人士合作的经验，通过借鉴他们正确选择能为其日后发展增添价值的职业道路的方法，我们从中发现了不少共通之处。
正确职业选择
在中国的十多年来，我们致力为职业人士提供建议。我们见到不少频繁跳槽的人，导致其职业发展长期处于停滞状态；有些人只是看重高薪，而没有从工作中得到能力的锻炼，也没能接触更多人和环境，丝毫无利于其长远发展。这种情况下，他们选择的工作和公司都无法带领他们走上正确的职业道路。为了避免类似的情况，你必须记住：你今天所做的选择将会影响到你未来的市场潜力和实现长远目标的能力，因此，每一次职业选择都要慎重、合理。在做职业转换考虑时，问一问自己：“这个新机会能使我更接近我的长远职业目标吗？”
在中国，人们很容易受到周遭环境影响，许多人仅仅因为听说某一个行业好赚钱就趋之若鹜。 比如，我接触的不少MBA学生都一心想从事投资银行业。但当被问及原因时，他们对投行的所知甚少就显露出来，甚至也不知道自己哪方面技能有利于他们在这个行业取得成功。许多人之所以感兴趣是因为国外MBA都在追求这一行业。这是一种“人云亦云”心理，即盲目地跟从身边的人。
我们遇到一位候选人，他在五年中换了四份工作，他为此非常自豪，因为每一份工作他都得到了晋升机会，所以现在他能成为市场总监。 他认为这些职业转换恰恰证明了他的“抢手”，说明他实力很强。不幸的是，我们的客户公司不这么看。他的薪酬水平如此高，而他在之前的岗位上并没有作出特别杰出的成绩，因此公司怀疑他是否能持续工作一年以上，也不信任他的价值。这位候选人不得不在每次面试时都解释之前换工作的动机。 很多候选人在匆忙决定换职业后往往会怀疑自己是否做对了选择。要做好职业选择就必须彻底并慎重地考虑这一决定对将来发展的影响。
动机要正确
在中国，不同的工作环境，它的质量和它所提供的条件也不同。因此，在事业早期进入一个好的发展环境很重要。具体而言，即你选择的公司和职位能提供给你学习和成长的机会，你能得到成功职业人士的指导。在考虑一个职位机会时最重要的衡量标准之一就是你将与怎样的人共事、将向怎样的人学习；这份工作所包含的职责是什么？你能接触到哪些内部和外部商业环境？你在这个职位上的成功把握有多大？你将学到哪些技能？你所积累的经验能否为你的长远发展奠定基础？
你同时也要关注这家公司在中国的发展前景如何。它的业务是刚起步还是已有良好根基？它在业内的地位如何？它提供哪些管理结构和资源来支持你？
最后，看看这一行业的发展潜力。这个行业仍在发展还是已经成熟？你将提高它在市场中的哪方面竞争力？ 如果这些方面都很看好，那么只要你证明自己的实力，自会得到应得的晋升机会和经济回报。 这样的例子在跨国公司工作的本土人士中屡见不鲜。
太多外界因素影响
中国文化里，人们总习惯与别人比较。在做职业抉择对要摆脱他人影响的确需要一定的成熟度。不幸的是，太多本土职业人士在做职业选择时都没有基于实质性的考虑。他们被好听的头衔和知名公司名字所吸引，更关注公司的地位而非这一职位的质量和发展前景，这是错误的。
一个适合你的好职位，可以通过各种场景来体现。比如，我遇到许多来自小公司的候选人，他们的能力水平甚至比那些更大的、知名公司员工更高。那是因为，他们的上司都具有良好的商业培训背景，通过与之密切工作，就得到了更好的锻炼机会、更开阔了眼界。这样的机会使他们能够成功应对高水准、国际级的商业环境。
做你自己的质量监控
如今各种职位机会很多，你就必须做好质量把关，判断哪些是好机会哪些不是。寻找新工作是双向的，你与公司承担着同样的风险。你的首要目标就是“推销”自己，让这家公司对你产生兴趣。然而，接下来你就必须问好问题，了解这一职位能为你提供何种技能、接触面和经历，你又该怎样得到。在面试过程中，尽可能在合适的时机多了解这家公司和职位的情况。这并不是说你太过主动，这些问题是能够帮助你确定找到合适你的工作的唯一方法。如果雇主不愿意或者不能回答你的问题，那就恰好说明他们不是最好的选择。你的上司应该能支持并回应你的职业利益和需要。
先工作，后赚钱
考虑一份工作时，不要将报酬看得最重。尤其当你还处在一个比较早的发展阶段（比如：开始的7-8年），先找能为你增加专业知识并培养技能的工作。找一份能使你积累经验，培养胜任力的工作。接下来，考虑这家公司管理团队的质量/资源，以及你在这个职位成功的可能性。最后考虑的才是薪资。不幸的是，太多年轻职业人士考虑的主次恰恰相反。
当然，有一笔高薪报酬几乎是每个人的目标。但是赚很多钱不是一个计划，而是一个目标，你需要不断发展并显示你的能力，证明你的价值，让雇主相信你是值得他们的投资的，这样才能实现目标。我们见到不少杰出候选人在换工作时宁愿减薪，为的是提升长远的发展前景。他们得到更多在职责、接触面、和工作环境质量方面的改善，他们换的工作能提供更多。这种情况下需要非常成熟的心态，把目光放长远。即使许多时候经济上的回报在短期并不明显，但只要你能正确评估一个职业机会，并自信能在这职位上出色表现，在长期就一定会有很大的提高潜力。
在做重大职业转换时要现实、灵活
有一次，我们向一家跨国包装成品公司推荐一位销售经理职位候选人， 这位候选人在Marketing方面的背景相当好 ，虽然她没有销售经验，我们的客户非常欣赏她的热情和智慧。这个职位能让她学习新的工作职能，证明她在销售岗位上的能力，并为她的职业发展增加价值。这就是她所寻找的机会。
在面试前，我告诉这位候选人大致的薪资范围，就她的工作经验而言这是一个公平待遇。另外，我也强调这份工作提供给她非凡的机会，她能够获得业务发展、业务盈亏、以及管理经验。这位候选人认可这一薪酬标准，也将找到一份有利于她建立杰出业绩的工作作为首要考虑因素。
面试进行得很顺利，客户也对她很有兴趣。然而在面试的最后，这位候选人还是忍不住回到了最初对自己价值的估计，她以为自己已稳操胜券，因此就告诉公司如果能提供一份高工资她才会接受这份工作。在她眼里，如果她将放弃现在的工作，做出重大职业转折，公司就应该给她一份高福利。
就着这种“你能为我提供什么”的态度反映了她缺乏承诺，对自己价值和这个机会的不现实评估。如果她也能分担这一风险，客户公司就愿意给她这个机会。但他们完全不可能为一个没有操作这一重要业务经验的人提供高薪酬福利。不出所料，客户公司对此候选人的好感到此结束。
今天的决定影响你的将来
选择进入一个行业、一家公司、一个职位，可以对你的将来，甚至你的整个人生产生重要影响。做好职业选择会影响到你是否喜欢这份工作，是否能成功，甚至是你的人生总体走向。因此，确保在正确动机下做出你的职业选择，这一动机的个人因素也很重要的。 这能为你日后再寻找合适理想的工作省下不少精力。对于你的职业选择，你需要尽可能确立清晰的个人职业目标，然后努力追求它们。即便只有一个大概的计划或指导标准，也会有利于你选择职业，决定你的长远成功和快乐。
How To Make Good Career Decisions
The following document offers some fundamental, sound advice regarding what you may what to think about when pursuing a new opportunity or considering an offer from a company that is interested in you. The viewpoints and information shared come from our years of working with successful candidates of all backgrounds, and from what we have seen as common in their approach to making excellent career choices that are likely to add value and turn out well for them.
The Right Career Moves
Over the past ten years of advising professionals in Greater China, we’ve seen many careers stagnate as individuals hop from job to job. Or they will take a job for the money that ultimately does not help them build the type of skills and offer the type of exposure that will lead to their success in the long run. In these cases, the jobs and companies they chose did not lead to where they expected. To avoid a similar situation, it’s important to always keep in mind that the choices you make today have an impact on your future job marketability and ability to reach your long-term goals. Therefore, make each career decision using deliberate, sound judgment. When contemplating a career move, think about how it will fit into your overall career plans. Ask yourself, “does this new opportunity bring me any closer to my long-term career objectives?”
In China, where people are easily influenced by outside factors, we see many professionals enter certain industries for no other reason than they hear you can earn a lot of money in it. For example, there is always a strong interest among MBA mainland graduates I meet to pursue an investment banking career. But when asked why, they have only a limited understanding of what investment bankers actually do, or what skills they possess that would make them successful in this industry. Many are interested simply because they hear that MBAs abroad actively pursue this profession. This is referred to as “herd mentality”, or blindly following the course taken by those around you.
One candidate came to us with a resume showing four jobs with four different companies in five years. He was quite proud that he had received title promotions with each job change, which now placed him as a marketing director. The candidate thought that his career moves indicated how highly sought after and, therefore, how good he was. Unfortunately, our clients did not view it in that way. They questioned his ability to remain with an employer for little more than one year, as well as his “value” given his high salary level and lack of significant accomplishments in any one position. The candidate had reached a point where he had to defend the moves and decisions he made every time he interviewed. Many candidates who rush into a career decision can find themselves wondering later if they made the right choice. Making any good career choice requires being thorough and making careful considerations of the overall impact to one’s future.
Choose A Job For The Right Reasons
In China, the quality of work environments and what they offer varies greatly. Therefore, it is particularly important to get into a good development situation early in your career. This means finding a company and position where you will be given opportunities to learn and grow, and where you will be under the guidance of strong professionals. The most important factors to weigh when considering a new position are the people you’ll be working under and learning from? What is the scope of responsibilities that the job offers? What other internal and external business areas does the position expose you to? What is the likelihood you will be successful at performing the job? What skills will you learn from the position? Will the experience you gain help lay a strong foundation for your long-term career development?
You should also look at the company’s commitment to growing its business in China. Is the operation an established or a start-up one? What is the company's position within its industry? What type of management structure and resources are in place to support you?
Finally, look at the industry and its future potential. Is the industry experiencing growth or at a mature stage? What is the competitive situation in the market(s) you're being asked to develop? If these areas look promising, then the advancement opportunities and financial rewards will present themselves, as long as you are able to prove yourself as a strong performer. This is seen repeatedly for countless mainland professionals working for multinationals in China.
Too Much Influence From Outside Factors
In Chinese culture, people are always comparing themselves to others. It takes maturity to get past the influence of what others are doing and saying when you are making career decisions. Unfortunately, too many mainland professionals make choices based on reasons that are not substantial. They are attracted to position titles and well-known company names. They emphasize the status of the firm, over the quality of the position and the development opportunities it provides. This is a mistake.
Finding an excellent opportunity that suits you can present itself in many different scenarios. For instance, I meet many candidates from smaller companies, whose caliber is even above those from larger, more established firms. It’s because they have received greater exposure and training through a closer working relationship with their boss, who possesses a well-trained business background. And that exposure and training comes across in the way they are able to present themselves and handle high-caliber, international-level situations.
Do Your Own Quality Control
With so many job postings out there these days, it is up to you to do your own quality control with regard to what is a good opportunity for you, and what is not. Pursuing a new position is a two-way street. You have just as much at stake as the company you are considering. Your number one objective in any interview is to sell yourself and to get the company interested in you. However, once you’ve done that you should be thorough in asking your own questions to determine what kind of skills, exposure, and experience you will gain from the position, and how this will happen. At the appropriate time during the interview process, learn as much about the job and the company as you can. This is not being too forward on your part. Such inquiries are the only way to help ensure that you pick a position and company well-suited for yourself. If a prospective employer is resistant or unable to answer such questions, then it’s a good indication that they might not be the best employer to work for. Instead, work for someone whom you feel confident is able to support and respond to your career interests and needs.
Job Now, Money Later
When considering a job, try not to place the money aspect above all other considerations. Particularly if you are in a relatively early, development stage of your career (e.g. first 7-8 years), seek positions that can add to your knowledge and expertise, and that can provide you with value-added skills first. Find a position that allows you to build your competencies and experience. Next, consider the quality/resources of a company and its management team, and your ability to succeed in the position you are considering with them. The final consideration should be salary. Unfortunately, too many young mainland professionals today are prioritizing jobs in just the opposite order.
Of course, the desire to earn a high salary is an objective of just about anyone who works. But making a lot of money is not a plan. It is an objective, and one that is reached by developing and showing your ability to perform and add high value to an employer who believes you are worth it. There are many situations where we’ve seen excellent candidates take a much lower salary when moving to a new company and position, in order to improve their career prospects and opportunity in the long run. The opportunity they took offered them a lot more than their current situation, in terms of responsibilities, exposure, and quality of their environment and work. It requires a good deal of maturity to see the big picture when facing such a situation. There are many instances where the pay-off may not be as apparent in the short-term, but are much greater over the long-term, as long as you are able to assess a new opportunity well and are confident in your ability to show your performance in that role.
Being Realistic And Flexible When Making Significant Career Changes
In one instance, we introduced one candidate for a sales manager position in a leading multinational packaged goods company. The candidate had a successful background as a marketing professional. Although she had no previous sales experience, the client liked her energy and intelligence. The position offered the candidate a chance to learn a new job function, prove herself in a revenue-generating role, and add a valuable element to her career development. It was just the type of position and opportunity she was looking for.
Before the interview, I gave the candidate the compensation range for the position. I let her know that I thought it was a fair amount for her level of experience. In addition, I emphasized that the position offered her an exceptional chance to acquire business development, profit and loss, and management experience. The candidate acknowledged the compensation expectations and her own priority to find a position that offered a promising and attractive career track.
The interview went well and it became obvious that the client was very interested. At the end of the meeting, however, the candidate couldn't resist resorting back to her original view of her value. Thinking that she was gaining the upper hand, she told the client she was only interested in the position if it offered a higher salary. In her mind, she felt that the company should pay her a premium if she was going to give up her current situation for something that would result in a major change in her career.
It was a "what can you do for me" attitude that reflected both a lack of commitment towards her move and an unrealistic assessment of her value and the opportunity. The client was willing to give the candidate the opportunity, if the candidate was willing to share the risk. But he was not interested in paying a premium for someone who was entirely untested in her ability to run a key part of his business. Not surprisingly, the client's interest in the candidate ended right there.
The Decisions You Make Now Affect You Later
The decision to enter an industry, to join a company, or take a particular job can have a profound affect on your entire future and quality of life. Making good choices regarding your career affects whether or not you will enjoy your work and be successful at your job. It can affect how your life may turn out overall. Therefore, be sure to make your career decisions based on the right reasons, ones that are personal and important to you. It can save you a tremendous amount of time and energy spent trying to get on a career track that is more suitable or desirable for you later on down the road. For your career decision-making, determine personal and professional objectives that are as clear to you as possible, and then stay on track in pursuing them. Having even a general plan or some guiding criteria to follow can only work in your favor, as you make career choices that affect your long-term success and happiness.
