Recently, emlyon business school and France Alumni Chine jointly launched a career talk themed “How to break career bottlenecks in a VUCA age”, which was live-streamed simultaneously via the official WeChat video account of emlyon business school and the Bilibili account of France Alumni Chine. The event invited Guoxin QIAN , Associate Director of GHOIC and Global DBA candidate at emlyon, Ms. Tracy Xiaoyun LIANG , VP of HR of EssilorLuxottica Greater China, corporate mentor at emlyon, Lun LI , founder and CEO of Chemin Management Consulting, to share, from individual and corporate perspectives, their insight into “How an enterprise identifies talents with high potential” and “How to build irreplaceability and core competitiveness at workplace”.  

The sharing was chaired by Jessica Li, Associate Director of Alumni & Corporate Relations of emlyon business school. Olivier PEREZ, Responsable Campus France Shanghai, delivered a welcoming address.

Ms. Tracy Xiaoyun Liang

VP of Human Resources
EssilorLuxottica Greater China
Corporate Mentor at emlyon

Mr. Guoxin QIAN

Associate Director of Global HR & Organization Innovation Center (GHOIC)
President of emlyon Alumni East China Network
Global DBA candidate

Mr. Lun LI

Institute of Petrole France (IFP)
Ph.D. University Claude Bernard-Lyon 1
Founder & CEO, CHEMIN Management Consulting

Mr. Olivier PEREZ

Responsable Campus France Shanghai

Ms. Jessica LI

Associate Director of Alumni & Corporate Relations, emlyon business school

Topic One: What are the new trends in employment/industry/workplace in the post-pandemic era?

Guoxin QIAN first shared one interesting observation---the dilemma of a "paradox between supply and demand", where it is difficult for enterprises to recruit employees and as difficult for students to find jobs. This phenomenon, according to Mr. QIAN, is caused by the mismatch between the demand side and the supply side.  

By referring to the specific situation of her industry---the track of fast-moving consumption and ophthalmic medical device, Xiaoyun LIANG presented a more detailed analysis of the demand and supply sides from the perspective of her daily HR work. For example, sales positions used to prefer talents who can maintain customer relationships, but now more attention is paid to candidates’ professional background, and their ability to develop new customers and to match customer needs in innovative ways. What is especially important for the Marketing Department is whether an applicant has sharp awareness of market and innovation, for the current market has posed higher requirements for online sales and publicity.  

But from the standpoint of job-seekers, a volatile and uncertain social situation means they need to take more factors into consideration ---Does the job promise a clear prospect? How well does one’s ability match the position? What are the chances of promotion? All these make them unwilling to jump ship.  

From the viewpoint of a consulting company, Lun LI noted that in terms of the corporate strategic planning in HR recruitment, on-line recruitment, which is now a very obvious trend, has been widely accepted in the past two years. When it comes to compensation and benefits, the salaries for the overseas returnees are also rising constantly. LI concluded that emerging tracks like short videos and live stream platforms “have formed a complete industrial chain and supply chain, boasting rapid development momentum”.

Topic Two: What secrets are behind the “talent cultivation and retention” of global leading enterprises?

According to Xiaoyun LIANG, talents with high-potentials, in the eyes of enterprises, often share the following characteristics: a strong willingness to learn, a humble attitude, and the courage to show themselves before the decision-makers. “Real talents complete tasks in different yet innovative ways, or find new resources independently and then master the essence of the profession and industry even if they are ignorant themselves at the beginning. Humble and open-minded people tend to go further because they are always curious.” LIANG concluded.

Xiaoyun LIANG also gave her advice on job applicants' interviews. Firstly, to win a desired offer, a candidate shall think about how to demonstrate his/her advantages and uniqueness to the interviewers within a limited time. Secondly, a summary about one’s student and career life shall be prepared meticulously. Besides, one needs to show his/her flexibility in job and career choices, so as to strive for more career development opportunities.  

Topic Three: How to deal with bottlenecks and anxiety in the workplace in the post-pandemic age?

How can global talents move up the career ladder quickly by becoming irreplaceable and establishing core competitiveness?

Guoxin QIAN suggested that everyone in workplace who wants to achieve breakthroughs and growth should have a clear idea about why they work. Only "jobs, where individuals match the characteristics of work environment and abilities match passions, can bring happiness to ourselves". He also introduced from a methodological point of view the "flywheel model" in detail, which links personal growth with fast learning and practice, invention and commercial application, so to realize metamorphosis and transformation through continuous generalization, reflection and iteration.

In the eyes of Lun LI, in a new era where everyone needs to generate his/her own flow of attention and stream, a person at workplace who desires to realize the "appreciation" of himself or herself must learn and practice “personal branding” so that good jobs know where to find you on their initiative. "The social attributes of a person determine how people know you, and the label they put on you is your personal brand. Managing other people's impressions of you is actually operating and building your own personal brand." Lun LI concluded.

In addition, he also introduced the three stages of self-perception positioning and personal brand building: first, examining the past, analyzing oneself, especially one's own strengths and weaknesses and identifying areas suitable for building a brand; second, to feel and treat correctly others’ judgement and establish certain understanding and knowledge about yourself that the audience can clearly define the personality and characteristics you want to convey; third, to establish a personal brand and manage your image.

Topic Four: Are there any career management tips for career development in post-pandemic era?

Tracy Xiaoyun LIANG emphasized the importance of mentality, "Be fully prepared psychologically. Whenever and whatever difficulties you encounter, you can stay tenacious and optimistic, and at the same time, thankful to people around you. One day, you will be struck by unexpected happiness."

Guoxin QIAN believed that "goal", "direction" and "persistence" are the three keywords for winning a marathon at workplace.

Lun LI further discussed "persistence". He suggested that once a person has decided to be fully engaged in an area, he/she should never give up, that is to say, “die or win”, even in the “darkest moment”.  

The Career & Leadership Club of emlyon business school holds dear the concept of “pursuing lifelong learning for lifelong growth”, which aims at elevating alumni’s influence and unlocking their potentials through the development of leadership. The Club would organize a great variety of interesting and productive online and offline activities centering the development of leadership and career, so to connect and empower alumni and help them succeed.

With its branches in over 100 countries and regions, France Alumni, which has been created at the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development by Campus France to be help students who studied in French higher education to stay connected, expand social network and appreciate their studies in France. France Alumni Chine, which is sponsored by the Embassy of France in China, has branches in 14 Chinese cities and is now home to more than 50,000 members. Through online platforms and offline activities, it provides alumni with a wide array of public services including recruitment, personal branding, industry gatherings and French lifestyles among many other themes.