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From an English teacher to headhunting executives for global corporates, how Alan McIvor built his success in Taiwan
Alan McIvor ended up in Taiwan as an English teacher without knowing that only a few years later everyone would know him as the best headhunter in the country. Alan is a Scottish headhunter based in Taipei with Paul Wright Group. He mostly focuses on finding the right talent to fit senior-level and C-Level positions.
Since he became a headhunter he has not stopped finding ways to help other foreigners with useful advice, tips, and tricks to getting their dream job in Asia. He has also headhunted some of the biggest roles in the region, like VP’s of Apple, CDO’s of banks, and several regional CMO’s. Before his current company, he also worked for very well-established headhunting companies like Robert Walters and Bo Le Associates.
When he was only 23 years old he found himself struggling to find jobs back home because of the 2008 financial crisis. A friend told him about the endless opportunities to teach English in Asia and after a couple of interviews, he ended up teaching English in Taichung, in the middle of Taiwan. After 4 years he started wondering, “Will I be just another English teacher in Asia?”.
He then booked a flight to Shanghai with no plans, no work permit, no apartment, no nothing. He chose Shanghai because every person around him talked about Shanghai’s international and diverse business environment. He applied to over a hundred jobs the moment he landed in Shanghai but it took him two months to land his first interview. That one interview got him his first job! He was hired to be the personal assistant for the GM of a recruitment company, the place where he first developed professional skills in the fast-paced Chinese economy.
Taking big risks and starting from zero
Alan has a master's degree in Politics and History, nothing related to headhunting or business. “How can I make a difference? What skills do I have?” were two of the questions he asked himself once he got the job. His strength was his language skills, he had been learning Mandarin with a private tutor throughout his four years in Taiwan. He then looked at the company’s website, contract, brochure, and all the things that were being produced in English and found ways to improve them all. Within two weeks he had already been given a promotion to Head of Marketing, shortly followed by being asked to also work in the sales department!
Tip #1 “Become useful!”
Don’t settle doing only what they ask you to do, make sure you become a useful tool and help in ways that the company didn’t even know needed help.
Alan was the first foreigner to work at the Chinese company, but later on, he helped hire and manage several foreign employees and interns. He saw himself as an asset for the company and never really followed the “Chinese work hierarchy”, eating lunch with different colleagues every day and making sure to have no conflicts during the two years he worked there.
Although building a successful career in Shanghai, Alan felt lonely and missed his friends back in Taiwan. He always wanted to go back to his friends and his community, something he didn’t really manage to build in Shanghai.
Luckily, his wife, who moved to Shanghai with him, was headhunted to work back in Taiwan by Costco, it was the perfect excuse for him to leave China and restart his life in Taiwan, but not as an English teacher this time.
Moving back to Taiwan
After living in Taiwan for 4 years, Alan always wanted to return to his friends and his community, something he didn’t really manage to build in Shanghai. Even though Shanghai sounded more international it still made him feel lonely. Taiwan offered things that China couldn’t, so it was a no-brainer to move back to Taiwan with his wife and start a family while continuing his life as a headhunter.
After two years in China, Alan moved back to Taiwan. This time he wasn’t as scared because he wasn’t starting from zero, he was building on his valuable non-teaching experience. He did what he does best, connect with people that matter. He picked up the phone and directly contacted the office manager of Robert Walters and asked if there were any openings, the first answer was “no”, mainly because he was not Taiwanese. Alan, with enough confidence, shared a little about his experience working at a recruitment company in China and also mentioned how fluent he was in Mandarin, after all, he had a very unique edge. He was invited to a 30min interview in Mandarin and after impressing everyone, he got the job!
Tip #2 “Be bold and direct. “
Ask for what you want, and share what you can bring to the table. Learning Mandarin will always be a plus, because if at some point during the interview they ask you if you can speak it or not, saying yes will always be a positive thing, and saying no will always be an excuse for them not to hire you.
Getting a job at Robert Walters was a huge stepping stone, two years later he was headhunted by Bo Le Associates. Alan’s salary was rising by almost 40% every time he got a new job offer, even though the average raise in Taiwan is usually between 15% and 20%.
There was a point where he thought of opening his own company, his wife even helped him get the headhunting license and they were only a few steps away from starting that journey together. During a networking event where Alan was a keynote speaker, he met someone that introduced him to his current company, Paul Wright Group. He absolutely fell in love with their business model, the freedom, and the flexibility he gets along with it. Alan is not a big fan of routines and is always looking to connect with more people during his free time. He thinks it is the best way to keep life fresh and interesting.
Standing out as a foreigner
Giving back to the community has always been a priority for Alan. That’s why he uses his LinkedIn as a way to share useful information with others. He has written countless blogs with useful advice and insights. Some of the most read ones are “How to build a long and successful career in Taiwan as a foreigner” and “101 reasons why Taiwan is the best place in the WORLD to live”. We all agree with Alan about how safe and convenient Taiwan is.
Tip #3 “Work on your skills”
Networking, having an outstanding CV, an eye-catching LinkedIn profile, great communication, and language skills are all a must-have if you want to stand out as a foreigner in the workforce in Taiwan. The first job will always be the hardest one to get. Get internships, project-based work, or even unpaid jobs to differentiate your CV from others.
Cultural differences, language barriers, and misunderstandings will always be there. But Taiwan will always be a place for a hardworking foreigner with enough grit, drive, resilience, and patience. Creating an edge and being able to stand out might not be the easiest thing to do, but Alan encourages foreigners to give it a try. After 12 years he strongly believes that Taiwan is still the best place in the world to live.
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