China is home to the world’s largest pool of STEM graduates. To effectively tap into this Chinese tech talent, however, you need to know where to look. That’s where Lagou comes in — a leading Chinese recruitment platform specializing in technology and STEM talent acquisition.
With over 34 million monthly active users and more than 12 million resumes posted monthly, Lagou provides unparalleled access to top STEM talent. Its roster of clients includes major Chinese tech giants such as Xiaomi, Tencent, Alibaba and JD.com.
In this guide, we’ll explore how Lagou can help you effectively access China’s extensive pool of STEM professionals.
When to Consider Lagou for Hiring in China
Lagou is a highly specialized job board. While it excels in finding tech and STEM talent, its narrow focus means it won’t be suitable for all hiring needs.
Best Uses for Lagou:
- Technology professionals
- Software developers
- Hardware engineers
- AI specialists
- Blockchain experts
- Automotive/NEV talent
- Aerospace professionals
To maximize your reach and ensure you don’t miss qualified candidates, consider posting your tech jobs on Lagou and complement this with broader job boards like Zhaopin, BOSS Zhipin, or 51Job. This strategy allows you to cast a wide net while still leveraging Lagou’s specialized talent pool for tech professionals.
| Pro Tip: The user interface, customer service, and the entire setup process are all in Chinese. While you can absolutely post jobs for bilingual talent, using the platform itself requires at least basic Chinese proficiency. |
How to Hire on Lagou
If you already have a legal entity in China, great! You can proceed to register a business account on Lagou and verify your business license. However, if you don’t have an entity presence yet, no need to worry. Let us handle everything for you! We can assist with our China Desk Employer of Record (EOR) service that takes care of all the legal necessities, so you can focus on hiring.
Choose Your Candidate Type: When posting a job on Lagou, you’ll have two options:
- For experienced professionals
- For recent graduates or students
This helps Lagou target your job to the right audience. Free users can post one job for experienced pros and five for recent grads.
Fill in the Details: Enter the job title, description, salary range and other requested info. Make it clear and attractive to your ideal candidates!
Submit and Wait: Give everything a final check, hit submit, and wait for Lagou’s approval. Once approved, your job will go live, and you’ll (hopefully) start seeing applications roll in!
Free vs. Paid Features
Lagou offers both free and premium features for recruiters. However, like many Chinese job sites, Lagou plays a bit coy with its pricing structure.
The premium service, Lagou+, supposedly starts at around 3,000 yuan per year, or about $414. However, don’t expect straightforward pricing. You’ll need to contact their customer support to get a quote, and they’ll likely create a “custom plan” based on what they perceive as your needs.
Free (Regular Company Account):
- Limited Job Listings: You can post jobs, but they are not “premium” and likely have less visibility.
- Limited Chat Initiations: You can initiate a maximum of 10 chat conversations per person per day with potential candidates.
- Limited Resume Viewing: You can view a maximum of 50 resumes per person per day.
- Limited Talent Pool Access: You have access to only 10% of the overall talent pool on Lagou. The firm is pretty vague about what this means, but presumably the platform uses an algorithm to show only a fraction of the best-matching candidates to free users.
Paid (Lagou+ Account):
- Premium Job Listings: You get 10+ “premium” job listings, which likely receive higher visibility and priority on the platform.
- Expanded Chat Initiations: You can initiate between 50 and 500 chat conversations per person per day, significantly increasing your outreach capability.
- Unlimited Resume Viewing: You have unlimited access to view resumes, enabling more thorough candidate screening.
- Full Talent Pool Access: You gain access to the entire talent pool on Lagou, increasing your chances of finding suitable candidates.
| Feature | Paid (Basic Package) | Free |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Job Listings | 10+ per company | None |
| Active Chat Initiations | 50–500 times per person per day | 10 times per person per day |
| Resume Viewing | Unlimited | 50 times per person per day |
| Talent Pool Access | Fully open | 10% accessible |
Before you sign up for a paid account, we strongly recommend having a Chinese-speaking colleague review the terms, pricing and any fine print before moving forward. This ensures there are no surprises in the service agreement.
Time You’re Hiring with Seasonal Trends
As with every other job board in the China, timing is everything when it comes to hiring. The Chinese job market dances to its own seasonal rhythm, and you’d be wise to follow the beat.
The prime hiring windows are after Chinese New Year (Q1) and post-National Day (October). These are the golden periods when candidates are itching for a change and flooding the market. However, beware – job seekers during these times come with high expectations and often command better salaries. If you’re fishing for graduates, Q4 is your sweet spot for campus recruitment.
Key Takeaways
Lagou is the A-game for hiring tech and STEM talent. However, its narrow focus means it should almost always be combined with a broader hiring strategy using platforms like Zhaopin, BOSS Zhipin, or 51Job. This approach casts your net wide and ensures you don’t miss any potential candidates.
If you’re looking for executive or highly senior STEM talent, also consider Liepin. While not exclusively for tech, Liepin specializes in high-end management positions and might be a good source for STEM professionals who have reached senior levels in their careers.
