Name: Sally Song
Job Title: HR & Admin Manager
Joined EduGlobal in: May 2006
Home Town: Beijing
Education: Bachelor degree, Beijing U.S.A. College of English and Beihang University

What is your role as HR & Admin Manager?

As an administrative personnel manager, I have a lot of responsibilities to ensure our company runs smoothly. I have to be sure that all employees and processes adhere to our HR and administration rules and procedures、manage employee recruitment, training, and performance examination、coordinate internal activities、write and distribute administration documents、manage and coordinate company  logistics and assist other internal teams to deliver the best work possible. As administration of the personnel manager, I should harmonize well with other branch offices.

What's the best part of your job?

I've had this job since I graduated university, and I like it very much. Because of the services we provide internally, my team and I provide services to the entire company, helping our coworkers every day. When everyone has a smile of satisfaction, that's when I'm happiest in my work.

Through my position, I've learned how to communicate beter with others in order to keep everything running smoothly and gain everyone's support and understanding.

What's the most challenging part of your job?

Working in HR & Administration Management is much more complicated than people may think. My work directly impacts the work of the organization as a whole, which is a lot of responsibility. It requires us to champion the company's logistics management, not only for the front-facing departments of EduGlobal, but for all teams and their activities.

I think it requires a certain kind of person to succeed in an administrative role, because we have to be able to deal with people at all levels and all divisions. We need to have a high level of communication skills and be able to smoothly coordinate between our different divisions. One of the things that's most important to me, is that not only do I develop strong relationships with my coworkers, I also work very closely with our top-level management. This relationship allows me to contribute to some of the larger decisions of the company related to personnel and policies, helping to find a solution that works in the overall interest of the company. I try my best to be a good assistant and helper to my boss.

How has your job changed since you started?

Since I started working at EduGlobal, I've been able to providie better services to my coworkers and improving the efficiency -- both time and costs --  of the administrative activities. I've changed my approach to this work by decreasing our dependence on vendors and third-party operators and keep a close eye on our expenses. I also have improved the work of our internal teams. Even the work of the housekeeping staff has improved in quality!

What do you like about working for a higher education company?

In  my opinion, higher education companies tend to value their employees very highly, providing them with good pay and benefits. We have a strong, clearly-established system of job training to support our staff. Most importantly, my coworkers are all of a very high quality. I believe in an organization like EduGlobal, it's very important that employees are professional in their speach and behaviour, from both a Chinese and a Western perspective. Especially with so many foreign client institutions visiting our offices, professionalism is a must.

What are the differences between working for an international company compared to a local one?

Many local private companies lack strict strategic thinking and planning. There is very little vision and strategy development. This is largely because entrepreneurialism in China is a fairly new phenomenon, and those without the proper training resort to get rich quick schemes. Company leaders like these often expect employees to adhere to their rules and approach so much that the corporate culture tends to follow the "culture" of the leader, regardless of questionable morality or long-term projected outcome.

Foreign enterprises, however, tend to be organised much differently. International corporations have a reputation of upholding a clearly-established corporate identity. Actions and activities are carried out through a set of core business values that reflect the history, culture, objectives and unique positioning of the company.

How do you think the education industry has changed since you started?

In recent years, with a high-level of education becoming more and more of a pre-requisite to getting a job rather than a profiessional advantage, the challenge of finding a good position is extremely competitive and difficult. The number of students seems to increase each year, and with that, so does the international competition. At the same time China is becoming more and more involved with international trade, so companies are hiring more and more people with relevant experiences. Topped off with the fact that foreign exchange rates seem to be improving, many parents see the opportunity and necessity of sending their children to study abroad. Considering how stressful, competitive and complicated the application process can be for international institutions, this large number of students and families seek out solutions providers like EduGlobal for help. Today more than ever, EduGlobal understands its role in the higher education landscape and works hard to provide genuine solutions and comprehensive services for students, so that they find the success they seek out.