Cream of the Crop Talent Seeking Career Advice
Imperial and Oxbridge Graduates Gather at Careers Fair 2006
27 Jan 2006

Jointly organized by the Imperial and Oxford & Cambridge Alumni Society of Hong Kong, the Careers Fair 2006 was held at the British Council Hong Kong on 20th December 2005 for UK graduates in the territory. This event, held annually since 2003, has entered its fourth successful year. Cream of the crop talent as well as top-notch employers in Hong Kong like Ernst & Young, Watson Wyatt, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Ltd., HSBC and Manulife (International) Ltd. participated this year to provide graduates and alumni from the three top UK universities golden opportunities to explore a wide range of promising career prospects. During the event, three guest speakers from renowned corporations were also invited to share their insights on the job market and career development.

China – Unlimited Career Potential to be Unleashed by the Talented Professional
One of the guest speakers at the Fair was Fanny Chan, Publisher & CEO of A-Performers.com, an on-line recruitment for talented professional executives. Herself being the graduate from Imperial College, has been a professional and experienced executive with several multi-national companies across a wide range of industries, including e-business, media and telecommunication in Hong Kong and China.

In her address "Preparing Yourself to Face the Competition with Graduates of Booming Economies", Fanny highlighted the discrepancy between the demand for talent by multi-national corporations on the mainland and the shortage of professional executives there. "While China's astounding economic growth is attracting huge investment from many international firms, staff shortages are threatening further development," she said. "As the economy grows into higher value-added industries, the market is becoming ever tighter for professional executives."

She cited the McKinsey report stating that in the engineering field there is only a small number of graduates equipped with the practical language skills to work for multi-nationals. In fact, China is actively producing graduates to fill its needs, but there are just not enough for today or the near future.

In the information technology industry, multinationals have always claimed that the traditional education systems, inflated costs and the high turnover rate of Chinese graduates make it difficult to recruit proper candidates. As a result, they are increasingly turning to India as an alternative source for talent. Compared with the Indians' language abilities, the poor English level of Chinese graduates in general has further hindered national development in this area.

"Multinationals are looking for global professional executives who are well connected to the world," Fanny continued. "Other desirable attributes include: a strong command of languages, problem-solving skills, pro-active work attitude, critical thinking skills, creativity, multi-tasking capabilities, a 'learn as you work attitude', high professionalism, strong ethics and loyalty toward employers.

"So, build your own personal competitiveness by having a vision. Don't just take things at face value today but try to explore development opportunities during your first few jobs," she advised.

Banking and Finance – A Career for Those with a Passion
Another speaker, May Koon, president of Global Sage, delivered a speech to those seeking to enter the banking and finance sector. Koon has more than 18 years experience in investment banking in North America and Asia, including top powerhouse companies like PaineWebber International (Asia) Ltd, Credit Suisse First Boston, Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers.

"No matter what you choose to do, make sure you feel a passion for it," she said. "Your company must reflect your values and the person that you want to be. So, choose the right company to work for and build a career there."

The banking and capital market sector is one of the most complicated yet dynamic of all industries. It broadly comprises two service categories: savings and investments. In addition, there are five main job functions in the financial sector: sales or relationship building, execution or trading services, knowledge and information analysis, investment decision-making, and administration or management. "Each function requires different skill sets which usually relate more to your personalities than your qualifications," she says.

How does one enter the finance industry? Koon said - "If you find that banking and finance are industries you feel a passion for, and you are prepared to work twenty-four seven, then you need to consider how to best sell yourself,"

"Employers want to see what type of person you really are. So sell your personality traits rather than just actual work experience. Include things like community services and other activities highlighting your self-initiative. These are important."

She also recommended that applicants to do as much research as possible to order to present themselves in the best light in front of prospective employers. "The banking industry is taking in more fresh graduates today than in more than a decade. So this is a great time for those interested in developing career in this sector."

Today's Employment Picture - A Holistic Approach to Skills and Pay
The third speaker, Bob Charles, a graduate from Oxford University, is now the Regional Practice Leader for Retirement Benefits Consulting Practice in Asia-Pacific as well as the Managing Consultant for Watson Wyatt's Hong Kong office. He shared his insights on "The Job Market in Hong Kong".

"We are living in a city where economic conditions are definitely better than they were sometime ago. That means it is a far better time for you to enter the job market than say five or six years ago," he said. "We are seeing average salary increases of somewhere between 2% and 4% depending on the industry. Some companies are even raising salary levels by 20% or more. The market is definitely improving."

When comparing various remuneration schemes offered by different companies, Charles suggested that employees should look at pay and benefits as a whole rather than purely a basic salary. This is because most employers today tend to offer a more complete package, including bonus schemes, long-term incentive programmes, stock option programmes and other benefits.

Although salary levels always reflect a candidate's education level, Charles said - "Employers are not solely focusing on academic qualifications these days. What they are looking for are the actual skills behind the degree."

When asked to give advice to the graduates, he said - "You need to be optimistic but also realistic. Choosing a job that can help you get a good step up on the career ladder is more important than a high paying offer. That's why it is important to make sure the job is a challenging one and you are interested in what you do. If you have no fundamental interest, then you are not going to succeed."

Tickets to Success - Language Skills and a Commitment to Excellence
The event sponsors were indeed highly satisfied with the turnout at the Fair and its role in providing an ideal platform to meet and source talent from a large number of famous universities in the UK. In addition to present vacancies, the sponsors are also interested in identifying prospective graduates for future openings as well.

Concerning candidate requirements, human resources professionals from different local and international conglomerates all agreed that languages and communication skills are extremely important. Proficiency in English is a must and good Putonghua is essential for those who want to develop their careers in China.

In order to stand out in interviews, a clear career goal and a sufficient understanding of the company and position offered are also the critical factors. "Intellect, commitment, passion, character, personality and a spirit of teamwork are the major elements we are looking for when hiring someone," said Miranda Lau, Manager of Human Resources at Ernst & Young.

Academic results at the university level are somewhat less important, because a general positive learning attitude is what employers are seeking. "Working hard and accepting challenges are vital for fresh graduates," added Maggie Hui, Assistant Manager for Human Resources at Manulife (International) Limited.

Indeed, students and graduates also thought the fair was a great opportunity to uncover different career prospects in the business world. It also allowed them to have face-to-face interviews with potential employers from different fields.

The fair was ultimately a huge success, attracting more than 200 students, graduates and alumni from the three universities. A plethora of talented young graduates and students literally flooded the venue for the 2-hour event in hopeful anticipation of entering an internship programme, landing a full-time job or just gaining valuable career advice.