According to the Ministry of Education of China, the number of students returning home to China is up 11.73 percent year on year. Other data indicates that of the 6.56 million Chinese students studying outside of the country 86 percent returned (Global Times 2020). In other words, helping our upcoming graduates and new alumni navigate a job search in their home countries and regions has become more pressing and needed. In this session you will:
- Gain an understanding and confidence in HOW to harness the power of the UM network specifically through both UM and non-UM resources.
- Learn and hear observations from the panelists on industries/market changes that are experiencing growth (projected hiring needs, experience or skills in high demand, etc.) and how these are impacting the job search.
- Gain a better understanding of career branding (LinkedIn; WeChat etc) and its importance in executing the job search through visibility and access to the hidden job market via referrals.
- Identify and understand key cultural best practices in communication and networking for the job search.
About the Speakers
Erin Gong graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology Honors in 2011 and is a passionate brand and product marketer with professional experiences in the US, Singapore, Beijing, and Shanghai. She started out her career as a brand manager at Unilever where she worked on international brands such as Dove, Vaseline, and Pond’s. Switching gears to the tech industry in 2017, she has since worked at Facebook as a Partner Manager, a Beijing-based tech startup VeeR VR as CMO, and now Google Shanghai as a product marketing manager focused on the Gaming industry.
Gavin So is currently a Vice President at Nan Fung Group’s family office, based in Hong Kong and focusing on private equity investments. Previously, Gavin was a Vice President at Lone Star Funds, a global private equity fund with over US$85bn aggregate capital commitments. He helped establish the distressed and special situations investment platform in Asia-Pacific, particularly Greater China. Prior to Lone Star, Gavin was a founding team member of a US$450m real estate fund at China Merchants Capital (a private equity platform owned by China Merchants Group). Gavin started his career as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong. Gavin received a B.B.A. from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and a B.A. in Political Science from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan.
Scarlet Xie currently serves as the GCR Business Insights and Analytics Head for VMWare. Prior to her role there she has served as a Senior Consultant and Project manager for Roland Berger with additional experience at Intel. Scarlet has her MBA from the Ross School of Business with an emphasis in Strategy and General Management and has further education from MIT and the University of London. She is the President of Ross Beijing Alumni Club.
