Tech sites provide easy access to background information

While social media is assisting human resources executives with recruitment, job seekers are also benefiting by using the platforms to learn more about potential employers.

“We are in an age of competing for talent. Some companies, especially those with successful entrepreneurial experience in the past few years, are excited to tell potential employees wonderful stories about their startup period,” said Bao Aile, chief marketing officer at lagou.com, a recruitment website in Beijing that specializes in the internet industry.

Recruiters often set up accounts on social media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat and LinkedIn to provide their companies with a strong brand image as an employer with the intention of bringing them closer to potential employees.

These channels are particularly important for overseas Chinese talent because many people are interested in the domestic job market but lack an understanding of it, said Wang Huan, head of customer success at LinkedIn China.

“Even technical professionals in Silicon Valley are wowed by the rapid growth rates and market size of many Chinese companies. But if they don’t have enough information about the domestic businesses, it would be hard for them to make a decision,” she said.

“Professional social media can serve as a bridge between them.”

You Yuhao was born and raised in Shanghai but works for an automobile parts manufacturer in Detroit. He regularly checks social media to read updates about Chinese companies.

“I’m considering returning to Shanghai for work. Company updates on social media let me know more about them because they don’t just provide dry information. Instead, very often they have real stories that employees have shared about technical issues and their experiences at work,” the 24-year-old said.

Meanwhile, some companies use social media to better communicate their corporate values to the overseas market and promote their brand to produce a better talent reservoir.

Dong Liang, human resources director at Vivo Mobile Communications in Dongguan, Guangdong province, said the company has built career pages targeting different overseas markets on LinkedIn, and the information can reach a target audience through advertising campaigns and media releases.

“The number of registered followers on our company’s home page on the social platform rose by 218 percent between March and August. The subscribers come from 50 different countries and regions, mainly in our areas of focus, such as communications, digital consumption, technology and the internet,” he said.

“Even technical professionals in Silicon Valley are wowed by the rapid growth rates and market size of many Chinese companies.” head of customer success at LinkedIn China

Wang Huan,