Find out how an MBA can help you unlock jobs in China

For any international businessperson, finding jobs in China can be a daunting prospect—where do you even begin?

If you want to launch your career there, it's important to grow your network first and secure as much experience of Chinese culture as you can. That's according to Ugur Kilicarslan and Eive Suthichitranout, two graduates from the International MBA program at Renmin Business School in China.

Students on Renmin’s IMBA are given mandatory classes in Mandarin as well as Chinese history and culture. These components are designed to allow for an easier transition into China’s work environment. 

Both graduates cite the opportunities available within the program––work experience, mentor programs, and business simulations––as playing a big part of placing them in stronger positions after graduating. 

Building bridges between China and the rest of the world 

Ugur was an inspector for the undersecretary of Turkish foreign trade to the commercial councilor for the Republic of Turkey, in Bejing, when he joined the MBA at Renmin. He emphasizes that the degree was a key part of his career progression.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

He says the improvements he has made in his approach to business interactions led to a promotion to his current role, as commercial councilor of the Republic of Turkey, in Beijing. 

“My main responsibility now is to increase trade volume between Turkey and China, and to promote investment opportunities between our countries,” he explains.  

“China is a dominant player in global trade and has had a huge impact on the global economy. You can’t fully understand world GDP growth since 2000 If you don’t look at the Chinese economy. I chose to study in China for a better understanding of the world economy and its future.” 

To help develop his skillset around international relations, Ugur says the Project Management and Business Communication modules on the IMBA course have been the most useful to him.  

“I have seen an improvement in my business communication skills,” he says. “Understanding the culture has been beneficial to my career.” By using his more fluid understanding of the culture across each province in China, he says he has been better able to navigate investment negotiations between Turkey and China as a result. 

The benefits of learning about Chinese culture 

As well as exploring her Chinese ancestory, Thai native Eive Suthichitranout says that building relationships with her classmates during her time studying at Renmin has left her in a strong position to move forward in her career.  

Beyond business, she says the opportunity to fully immerse herself into the culture and to travel around the different provinces has given her a clearer understanding of the country and how it operates. 

Her MBA has also helped her more practically, particularly when looking at managing international production and marketing. Thinking long-term, Eive wants to use her MBA to build her own business into the Chinese ecosystem, rather than simply find a job in a corporation. 

As the director of her family-run manufacturing company, Eive has big plans for expansion. Using her new contacts, which she formed on the course, she says she wants to break into the manufacturing market in China. One of her classmates will be working with her to build a factory to ensure this happens. 

“We currently have some suppliers and customers in China, so it makes sense,” Eive says.

Why there are jobs in China for international talent 

China remains at the forefront of innovation, particularly in e-commerce and technological innovation. Wherever there's a need for fresh innovation, there's demand for new talent, making China a breeding ground for opportunity.

So why is there an assumption China’s business ecosystem is difficult for internationals to access? Eive didn't think she would be able to make a success of her business expansion if she didn't have the backing of her MBA, due to the lack of exposure to the Chinese network––one which she says can seem impenetrable if you don't know the right people.

It's true that experience can be hard to come by if you do go it alone, which is why MBA programs in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region have seen a year-on-year rise in application volume. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), business schools in the Asia-Pacific saw international applications increase by over 15% between 2017 and 2018. 

This display of growth is the polar opposite to the decline in international applications suffered by business schools in the US, as more students head East instead of West.

Ultimately, businesses in China aren’t just looking to hire students with good grades. They want innovative and forward-thinking candidates who are immersing themselves in the Chinese culture and business world.  

That, say Ugur and Eive, is what an MBA can give you.

 

Guo Xiangyu won first prize in a global investment competition at business school. Now, he says investment banks want to hire him

The Big Six beat 24 teams in the Global Network Investment Competition this year

 

Guo Xiangyu knows investing.

He knows investing so well that he received an early promotion while working as a financial analyst for a securities company in Beijing, China.

He spent just over three years researching listed companies for Guoyuan Securities and recommending them to fund managers, perfecting his skill for spotting well-performing stocks.

One year later, that knowledge is what helped him and his team, the Big Six, win the annual Global Network Investment Competition as International MBA (IMBA) students at the Business School of Renmin University of China.

The six-month competition held by the Global Network for Advanced Management—a collaboration of business schools where Renmin is one of the only two member business schools from Chinese mainland universities—pits teams of students against one another. The aim of the game is to achieve the best return on a selected portfolio of stocks.

Guo says the competition has not only enhanced his confidence in his abilities, it’s also helping to boost his career in investment banking and bringing him closer to his long-term goal of launching his own private equity business.

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How does a global investment competition work?

To be a successful investor, Guo says you need to be able to identify high-potential companies and ascertain their future performance. For Guo, holding a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in economics, gave his team an advantage in the investment competition.

When it came to building a portfolio to run against the country’s capital-weighted stock market index and analyzing these stocks, the Big Six’s plan proved foolproof.

With the help of Renmin’s professors, the team built a model to filter out underperforming companies out of the 1000 listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index. They then whittled the 99 stocks that remained down to the top five. Investment management firm, M&G, was chosen as their main stock.

Competing against 24 teams from business schools from 15 countries, the Big Six come out on top with a return on its portfolio that was 28.67% better than the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

They analyzed the financial statements of M&G, then concluded their report together, with Guo taking the lead and working late into the night. After five drafts, they finished it!

Alongside Guo, Korala Mudiyanselange Roshan Malindha, a professor of statistics before joining Renmin; Wei Qiang, who worked in advertising before his MBA; Wang Lu, a former car designer; and Abiral Khatri, a Renmin IMBA 2020 candidate, made up the Big Six.

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Why should you get involved?

Guo says that balancing and winning such an intense competition with an IMBA workload was challenging for himself and his team, but the efforts have proved to be rewarding.

The Big Six won $3,500 for their first-place finish but more importantly, Guo says, they became lifelong friends. “The competition has become such a valuable memory which I believe all the team members will value through our lives,” he says.

The team’s instructor Barry Gunderson, who teaches financial markets and behavioral finance at Renmin, met the team a month before the final project’s submission date and says that they had already established their plan.

As Renmin is a member of the 30-school strong Global Network for Advanced Management, Barry says the connections students make help them in their future careers.

“It’s very useful working cross-culturally and using the fundamental skills for financial analysis. All of those things are going to provide an additional foundation for success once the students enter the workforce again,” he says.

Guo agrees. The competition, he says, has helped him stand out in the job market.

“It’s difficult to find an internship in an investment bank nowadays in China. But once I mentioned this award in my resume, I got the job interview opportunity almost every time.”