Telum Talks To... Yuki Qi, CTO, Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China
Turnover rates are on the rise globally, where does China find itself in the midst of this?
The market moves fast in China and job seekers have more options these days so it is a challenge for employers in any industry to keep pace and manage high turnover rates. The younger generation today is particularly focused on finding a job and a company that matches their passions, which actually is a positive aspect for us, as we want engaged and enthusiastic talent.
In 2013, employee satisfaction reached 80 per cent, and employee engagement set at 90 per cent at Saatchi & Saatchi. What is your secret?
That year we launched our Monster’s Attack campaign. The concept was to encourage employees at every level to be brave and unleash the creative ‘monster’ within. It built up this strong company culture that pushed everyone to challenge themselves no matter who you were or where you sat in the company. The energy from the campaign gained traction outside our agency, becoming known industry-wide in China.
Behind the success of that specific campaign we created four specific talent pillars: responsibility, learning, recognition, and joy. When talents are brought on-board we share with them these core principles, which are what we use to measure success and engagement for each talent. The pillars are also then tools that enable talent to engage more fully, personally grow and hold their management accountable.
As foreign multinationals are losing their attraction for local mainland Chinese talent to SOEs, how can holding companies attract, and most importantly, keep their local talent?
China’s job market is certainly not static and no doubt the current generation has an abundance of choices in terms of lifestyle and career options. While holding companies have come under pressure, they are still innovative places where you can grow your career. For local talent the opportunity to be part of a team with a roster of international clients and the exposure within a large holding company to witness every angle of the advertising business, I believe is a major benefit of being part of one of these multinational agencies or holding companies. Whether or not you stay in that same company for decades is another question, but in today’s job market where the world is so connected, I would stress to young people that there is still tremendous value and personal growth you can achieve by being part of a multinational agency that is influencing and is part of brands, campaigns, and project that are touching every part of the globe.
Being part of the Publicis Groupe, what are the similarities and differences you see between the advertising and PR market in mainland China in terms of talent?
In recent years as we’ve seen the role of PR and advertising blend in the traditional definition of these industries, I have personally seen a trend of creative talent moving into PR because this is where clients are shifting their focus - on customer engagement and activations. PR is becoming a much more exciting and challenging field to work in that requires individuals with integrated skills. As such, I have seen more capable talent entering that arena to meet clients demands.
What are some characteristics you’re looking for that may not have been attractive or relevant five years ago?
For today’s candidates, an understanding of digital and social media engagement is of course a top priority in our digital advertising environment but in general I look for candidates with a broader outlook on the industry, who can see the bigger pictures.
I like to say today we are looking for, a hunter-mindset, rather than the farmer. A farmer is someone who maintains and cares for only the existing business and that was okay a few years ago but today we need the hunter-mindset. A hunter is someone who not only diligently nurtures existing business but also pushes for more creativity and bold initiatives beyond simply what the client asks for. The hunter is fearless and aggressively finds solutions that grow the bottom line and real business for the agency and the client.
Given you’re so close to the different capabilities and skills of people, what is your take on the ever-changing comms landscape? Will we continue to see a consolidation of firms and capabilities?
There is a lot of talk around the changing communications landscape. For me it is not about whether we will see more or less consolidation, it is about adapting. What I have witnessed in my own career is an increased desire for people to share capabilities and learn from each other. The end goal is still to create the best work that helps our clients achieve business success. If this means we need to adapt our services and our workflow to fulfill these goals that is what we will do. It is with this open mindset and flexible structure that we can serve our clients better at the end of the day, which really makes it an exciting time to be part of the communications industry.
What role will digital and AI play in recruitment and what does that mean for jobseekers?
People get very excited about buzzwords like AI and VR technology but they forget that any HR department using LinkedIn is already benefiting from digitalisation and AI. So yes I think we will continue to see the influence of digital technology in recruitment processes and we are using this sort of technology to increase our talent recruitment and reach but we also strongly believe in a human and emotional connection, so you won’t see robots taking over our interview process anytime soon. We still value internal referrals and want to hire people that we believe will fit in and contribute to our company culture.
Final question, how to (or not to) ace that job interview in the comms industry?
- Be transparent - while you want to show-off your skills and knowledge, the interview should be an honest and open conversation. Every job will have its challenges so it is important to be open about your past experiences, be able to explain what went well and what might have gone wrong in your past jobs, and then be able to convey that you now know what you are looking for in your next job.
- Be a conversationalist - it is just as important for you to prepare questions for the interviewer, as it is to prepare for what questions you might receive. This is a chance for you to really understand the role that you will be taking on, you don’t want to accept a job offer to find out a month later into the position you are really unhappy because you didn’t understand the position. You can avoid this by asking clear questions and making it a two-way conversation during the interview process.
- Be consistent - this is something to think about before you enter the interview, you want your resume to show your consistent work history. I am drawn to resumes that show a person is a consistently hard worker and problem solver. One way I can spot this in someone’s resume is if I see they have put in several years at one company. It takes time to understand and contribute to a company - it’s tempting today for talent to jump at the first new opportunity when they get frustrated but sticking it out shows a candidate’s determination and also their resilience to figure out a solution from within.
This interview first appeared in Telum Media's East Asia PR Alert on 30th November 2018.