Start here: How to get the most out of this newsletter
Welcome! If you’re here, you probably either currently work in the “China space,” or want to.
The job search is overwhelming. With the help of this newsletter, it can be a little less so.
First of all…hi. Here’s some more About Me.
Follow me on LinkedIn
I only send an email newsletter once a month. I repost jobs on LinkedIn (and on Substack notes!) daily.
No more gatekeeping: how I find these jobs, and how you can too.
If you are actively looking for new roles, or think you might soon, the best thing you can do for yourself is look through current and back issues of this newsletter and mark down the companies in the location/field you are interested in.
Follow these companies on LinkedIn, WeChat, or other social media, and bookmark their career pages to check on open roles on your own every so often.
I have accumulated a nearly 7-page list of companies that periodically hire for China-related roles simply by doing this on my own over the course of years. Checking the career pages of these companies every few months is how I found my current role.
Tip: Use ChatGPT or DeepSeek to help you generate a list of companies if you’re having trouble finding them on normal search functions. Just…don’t use these tools to write your applications. 😉
Read through the job descriptions, even if you aren’t applying right now, and take note of the skills you need for roles that you’d like to work in. You can work on developing those skills in the classroom, your current role, or in your free time.
I try my best, but there’s no guarantee that I will catch every single job. There are literally hundreds of job boards, websites, and group chats in dozens of languages. This newsletter is best served as a starting point for your own database of companies and roles.
More resources
If you’re on the job hunt, bookmark these links…
Climatebase (Climate jobs)
Telum Media (PR/Media jobs in Asia)
Intjobs (International affairs jobs, global)
Cold message and email
Having a network is an important part of job-searching. Here are some tips from my own experience:
Emailing someone in a company you’re interested in, or sending them a LinkedIn/WeChat message, is perfectly acceptable in most cultural contexts I have worked in. The worst thing that will happen is they never see it, which won’t reflect poorly on you (Just don’t be rude if they don’t reply!).
When you reach out to people, be clear about two things: why them, and what’s the purpose?
Why them: Establish a connection between you both, such as ‘a similar educational background’ or ‘you are working in a field I am interested in.’ This shows that you’re thoughtful, and not spontaneously spamming them.
What’s the purpose: Have a clear goal for the conversation, such as wanting to learn more about what it’s like to work in their field/company, or advice on how to leverage a similar degree into a job.
Come with a 3-5 specific questions to ask. In general, 30 minutes is a good time limit for these sort of chats. Send a follow-up message thanking them.