Lagou (拉勾): The Jobs Portal Focused on China’s Tech Talent

Lagou (拉勾 / Lā gōu), also referred to as Lagou Zhaopin (拉勾招聘 / lā gōu zhāopìn), is a giant Chinese jobs platform focused on STEM jobs – that’s Science, Technology, Engineering, & Maths.

Lagou’s customer list is a who’s who of Chinese titans: Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, ByteDance (Douyin/Tiktok), Billibilli, Meituan, Weibo, Huawei, XiaoHongShu, Xiaomi, Pinduoduo, Kuaishou, Trip.com, Didi, Ant Group, Midea, & JingDong (JD.com) – just to name a few! This is where China’s tech giants from all types of service and product sectors go to find engineering & tech talent. With top-tier Demand from notable companies comes a great Supply – skilled STEM workers in China have all at least heard of Lagou.

In this article, we cover Lagou’s Company History, Service Offerings, and Competitive Advantages

Lagou China Team
Lagou team celebrates the company's 9 year anniversary in 2022

Lagou (拉勾): Company History

2013: Xu Dandan founds Lagou in Beijing. From the start, Lagou was positioned as a vertical recruitment platform for Internet talents. Referring to the target of tech talent with in-depth knowledge of certain skill sets, the founder said the company had a focus “One inch wide and one kilometer deep”.

2014: Funding rapid fire! Lagou has a BIG second year, convincing 3 sets of investors that it has a unique and valuable proposition in the Chinese HR landscape. It probably helped that the platform snagged over 1 million registered users in its first year of business! 

  • January 2014: Raises $330,00 USD from angel investors.
  • March 2014: Raises $5,000,000 USD in series A. 
  • August 2014: Raises $25,000,000 in series B.

2015-2016: With a war chest of financing and connections, Lagou enters a stage of rapid growth and expansion. The firm sets up an education unit with the aim of providing quality training to make candidates “more valuable”. 

  • March 2016: Raises $34,000,000 USD in series C funding round. Qiming Venture Partners again joins this round after participating in series B.

2017: In September, the Chinese HR services company 51job acquired a controlling stake in Lagou, marking a significant development in the company’s history.

  • September 2017: Raises $120,000,000 USD in series D funding. 

2018: Reaches 1.2 million companies registered, 34 million job seekers registered. At this stage, the platform is receiving over 12 million job applications every month. 

2019: The platform broadens its focus to cover various industries beyond just IT and technology.

2020: Lagou reaches over 25 million users.

2022: The company’s annual employment promotion following Chinese New Year hits record heights. During the promo, an average of 100 new jobs were posted every minute, and someone received an offer every 6 seconds!

2023: After 10 years, Founder & CEO Xu Dandan steps down. HR giant and controlling owner 51job takes over management

Lagou China Founder Xu Dandan
Founder/CEO Xu Dandan at a company event in 2019

What Lagou (拉勾) Offers

Lagou (拉勾) is a prominent Chinese HR service that has become a key player in the country’s talent acquisition and recruitment landscape. Its functionality and advantages make it a valuable resource for both job seekers and employers. Here’s a comprehensive overview of what Lagou offers:

Functionality:

  1. Industry-Specific Job Boards: Lagou provides specialized job boards for different industries, ensuring that job seekers and employers can connect within their respective sectors. Unlike many competitors, Lagou has very specific categories and specializations when it comes to STEM-related fields. This specialization makes it easier for job seekers to find targeted positions relevant to their expertise.

  2. Company Profiles: Employers can create detailed company profiles, showcasing their corporate culture, values, and available job opportunities. In addition to financial figures, Lagou encourages companies to emphasize their qualitative aspects: Mission, founding team, values, etc. These profiles serve as a valuable resource for job seekers looking to understand the organizations they might join.

  3. Job Search: Lagou offers a robust job search feature. Job seekers can filter job listings based on various criteria, including job title, location, industry, and company size. This makes it easier for professionals to find job opportunities that match their preferences. Lagou stands out here due to it’s refined and specific search for technical skills and qualifications.

  4. Personalized Job Recommendations: Lagou employs advanced algorithms to offer personalized job recommendations to users. These recommendations take into account the user’s qualifications, experience, and preferences, making the job search process more efficient and targeted.

  5. Community and Networking: The platform has a community and networking aspect, allowing professionals to connect, share knowledge, and engage in discussions related to their fields of interest. This feature promotes interaction and collaboration among users. While Lagou isn’t billed as a networking site, it has amassed a great community for tech-related discussions and a set of resources for STEM-related content. 

  6. Offline Career Events: Lagou hosts numerous offline career events and job fairs across China. These events facilitate in-person networking opportunities and can be especially beneficial for job seekers and employers looking for face-to-face interactions. As mentioned above, many of these events boast EXCELLENT results, such as the 2022 Chinese New Year promotional event when 100 new jobs were posted every minute, and someone received an offer every 6 seconds!

Competitive Advantages:

  1. Industry Specialization: One of Lagou’s primary advantages is its industry specialization. The company has said from the start that it will be a tech-first and deep-focus technology needs. By doing this, Lagou has become the go to spot for certain types of positions including software, hardware, aerospace, automotive/NEV, blockchain, and AI. By focusing on these specific sectors, the platform helps job seekers and employers within those industries find the most relevant and tailored opportunities. 

  2. Company Insights: Job seekers can gain valuable insights into companies by exploring detailed company profiles. Lagou differentiates a bit here – the company profiles are organized more like Crunchbase than Indeed, suiting a tech-centric environment. This part of the site promotes companies in a way similar to Silicon Valley – founders, story, mission, and funding are all presented proudly. 

  3. Personalization: Lagou’s use of advanced algorithms for personalized job recommendations streamlines the job search process. This feature saves time and effort for job seekers by presenting them with job opportunities that closely match their qualifications and preferences. On the other side of the equation, the advanced matching and recommendations here have certainly saved our team a lot of time connecting to the right types of candidates. 

  4. Networking and Collaboration: Lagou provides an environment for professionals to network, share knowledge, and engage in discussions related to their fields of expertise. Again, this is a very tech-centric vibe here with many discussions centering around what life is like working in big tech, strories in tech and funding, and like like! 

  5. Offline Events: Offline events have proved to be a big part of Tech culture in both the East and West. The platform’s organization of offline career events enhances opportunities for in-person networking and connections. These events complement the digital experience and create a more comprehensive ecosystem for job seekers and employers.

  6. Strategic Acquisition: The acquisition of a controlling stake in Lagou by 51job (one of the big 4 job sites in China) in 2017 has strengthened the platform’s position in the competitive Chinese HR market, contributing to its growth and potential for future development.

Lagou: A Wrap Up

In conclusion, Lagou (拉勾) offers a range of features and advantages that cater to the unique needs of job seekers and employers in China, especially those in tech! Its industry-specific focus, personalized job recommendations, and networking opportunities set it apart as a leading HR service in the country. As the Chinese job market continues to evolve, Lagou remains a valuable resource for STEM professionals and organizations seeking top tech talent to connect and collaborate effectively.

As of 2023 the company has entered a new phase of management, with founder Xu Dandan stepping down to make way for majority owner 51job to run things. While Lagou still has many strong competitors in the Chinese job services market, its unique position as a Technology & STEM first platform should continue to provide benefits.

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