The Recruitment Journey of Jason: From Struggle to a Secured Future
LINFIK LIANG
Founder & Managing Director @ EuroBridge HR Partners Kft | We bridge world, fostering global expansion while nurturing local engagement
Fresh out of university in 2018, Jason began his career at a Chinese search firm. Eager to make a mark, he toiled in the bustling heart of Beijing, only to quickly feel suffocated by the toxic environment of Mainland China's headhunting industry.
Jason soon realized the myriad challenges ahead. The domestic market was oversaturated and fiercely competitive, with many search firms offering low-cost services and engaging in self-destructive practices. ?Ownership of candidates was frequently preempted by competitors, even if those candidates had not applied. Building trust with clients was an uphill battle, necessitating extensive proof of capability, upfront candidate recommendations, interviews, and even offers before securing a new contingent agreement.
Moreover, the search industry in China suffers from a lower overall reputation. During contract negotiations, clients often maintain an overwhelmingly dominant position, expecting agencies to be highly compliant and offering minimal protection. Jason found himself dealing with numerous unrealistic and unattainable job orders, navigating through trial and error with very few successful placements. Payment delays were common, further straining his financial security as he received a meager salary heavily dependent on commissions.
Job candidates also encountered arbitrary filtering criteria from employers, such as age-based restrictions and frequency of job shifts, often disregarding force majeure circumstances. Non-job-related questions were exhausted to scrutinize candidates’ vulnerabilities that could be manipulated in high-demanding work environments. These criteria were unfamiliar to Jason, as he was educated in a civilized culture and society during his university studies.
Fueled by a fervent desire to escape the suffocating confines of his current reality, Jason embarked on a journey of strategic planning and renewal. He leveraged his English proficiency and overseas experience to focus on serving Chinese businesses through overseas talent acquisition. In 2020, he was offered the position of overseas talent acquisition manager for a tech giant. There, he enhanced global recruitment capabilities across six continents, optimized recruitment channels, improved the internal talent pool, and developed the overseas HR team’s recruiting skills, significantly reducing the company’s recruitment costs.
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Despite his aspirations, Jason encountered a harsh reality. He went through four consecutive short-term tenures with similar patterns: joining ambitious overseas recruitment campaigns during aggressive expansion phases, only to face abrupt shifts towards stringent cost-cutting measures, resulting in his dismissal. He realized the high-risk nature of his role, with no opportunity to build a “stable and reliable” CV that would be acceptable in the market. In 2023, Jason decisively left the in-house recruiting field to establish his own venture in Europe.
His firm, SinoEuro HR Partners, specializes in recruiting Western professionals for Chinese businesses undergoing globalization and serves EU companies seeking international talent. SinoEuro has emerged as a significant force in the European human resources landscape. Jason strives to operate within a civilized and mature market characterized by clear regulations and high client trust, which facilitates smoother and more efficient collaborations. This environment enables him to focus on matching the right candidates with viable job assignments, genuinely prioritizing business growth over bureaucratic red tape.
By the end of 2025, Jason’s continuous efficacy had built him a robust group of European clients and a steady revenue stream, leading to the approval of his long-term resident card in Germany. Now, Jason's business enjoys the protection of EU law, providing stability and predictability in his professional life. He has successfully left behind the erratic changes and financial instability that once characterized his career in China.
本文讲述了Jason的职业历程：从2018年大学毕业后进入东方大国的猎头行业，经历了同行白热化竞争和无底限互掐的商业环境，到2020年他凭借自己的英语能力和海外留学经验，成功入职一家科技大厂担任海外招聘经理。尽管在甲方海外招聘岗上取得了显著进步和成就，他依然面临频繁的工作变动和职业不稳定——每次加入公司正值其海外野蛮扩张高峰期，但不久后面临断臂求生、冻编、导致他的职位多余。为了改变现状并重新找回对行业的热爱，Jason果断离开了东方大国。2023年，Jason在欧洲创立了自己的猎头公司SinoEuro HR Partners，专注于为全球化的华夏企业和需要国际人才的欧洲公司提供专业人才挖猎服务。最终在2025年，他获得了欧盟长期居留许可，在规则清晰、市场成熟的经济体中实现了职业的稳定和财务的安全。