Career advice

Practical guides for a Hong Kong career

Curated writing from operators, recruiters, and HR leaders — written for people building real careers in HK.

Category: Career Coaching & Guidance

Now hiring: Hong Kong’s next-gen CEOs need to make crucial changes to maintain the city’s competitive edge

My job is to help find and develop leaders, so it’s not unusual to be asked to look for a new CEO. This week, however, I was called in by the chairman of a listed company with a search request that was groundbreaking. The company has been struggling to keep up with the pace of technological change in its industry – and risked being overtaken by disrupters and losing touch with its customers. So the board resolved to do something radical: hire a new, young CEO whose ability to innovate would matter more than industry experience or familiarity with the Hong Kong market.

Career Coaching & Guidance

Job-hunting in the creative industries? An online portfolio could help you get that new role

Jobseekers are increasingly concerned about their web presence, but not all professionals benefit from online portfolios. It depends on your industry. Creating a website allows you to showcase digital examples of your work, so this approach is best suited to candidates looking for a job in a creative industry such as video production, graphic design or journalism.

Career Coaching & Guidance

Be competitive by offering global mobility for employees

There is little doubt that the contemporary business world is global, with cross-border trading, international deals and major international companies leaving footprints in some of the fastest growing cities in the world. In the developing world, increasingly prosperous consumers, many of whom reside in Asia, are providing new growth markets for global corporations at a time when much of the developed world faces slower growth and ageing populations.

Career Coaching & Guidance

Building confidence will boost your career, says Fiona Yung of Tricor

If you have self-confidence, you are more likely to be successful and competent in achieving your goals. Having self-confidence adds a great deal to your work environment, as you will be sure to gain the trust of your colleagues. Since diffidence and reticence can be damaging to your career, it is important to note that confidence can be learned or developed.

Career Coaching & Guidance

Taking on extra tasks at work can be tough, but it can also add value to your CV

If your boss asks you to take on an extra task that isn’t part of your job description, you can view it in one of two ways: as an opportunity to learn a new skill and gain valuable practical experience, or with exasperation that you are now taking on extra work. Unfortunately there are many people who take the later approach – they may not express it openly but it is evident in the way they complete tasks or their attitude at work. Instead why not embrace the opportunity and see it as your chance to add not only extra skills but valuable experience to your CV?

Career Coaching & Guidance

Are daily chores bogging you down? It’s time for bosses to get out of the spreadsheet swamp, says Catherine Zhu

This week I spoke to a CEO on the day of his retirement from a company he had led for many years. I asked him whether there was anything he would have done differently. He didn’t hesitate. I’d take a longer-term view in my decision-making and be less obsessively focused on quarterly and annual performance.” He mused that, had he taken more time to reflect on long-term trends and brainstorm new business models, his company today might have been a few steps ahead of technologies and competitors that are reshaping the market.

Career Coaching & Guidance

Rising mainland prices and competition from South East Asia mean Hong Kong remains the region’s sourcing hub

Does sourcing have a future in Hong Kong? This is a question frequently asked by people in the industry, from junior merchandisers to managing directors. After all, the competitiveness of factories in southern China has been eroded by increased costs, an appreciating renminbi and fierce competition from South East Asia. Job seekers are worried about the future of the industry in Hong Kong and managing directors face difficult choices when determining where they should establish their regional hub.

Career Coaching & Guidance

Revamping your resume can help you to get ahead of the competition

If you are looking for a job, you probably know how much competition you are up against. In many industries today, the job market is competitive, with a large supply of good talent but a limited number of positions available, especially at the more senior levels.

Career Coaching & Guidance

Wanted: Maths whizzes with an eye for the big picture to join the data revolution

In the past few years we’ve produced more data than in the whole of human history. The volume and dynamic nature of the data is changing not only how we live our lives, but how we do our jobs. Why does this data explosion matter to you? Data can reveal patterns and regularities that allow us to predict anything from what people want to buy, to what creates customer loyalty, where crimes are most likely to occur, to your possible future healthcare needs. All industries can benefit from the potential insights big data can reveal.

Career Coaching & Guidance

With business getting riskier, the CFO’s role is increasingly more crucial in corporate decision making

Having spoken with a number of senior level accounting and finance professionals over the years, I know that certain times or circumstances call for different leadership skills. So what abilities should young would-be executives equip themselves with as they eye companies, functions and jobs? What skills should they hone as they aim to advance their careers? Tough questions.

Career Coaching & Guidance

Family firms need a common vision to survive across the generations

More than two thirds of the companies listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange are predominantly family owned – as are thousands of small and medium enterprises.

Career Coaching & Guidance

How to calculate training ROI

If people are a company’s greatest assets, then training should be viewed as an important investment and not just an additional expense. In a company where training is provided, you will want to know if it was worth the time and money spent on it. Training can, and should, improve the performance and profitability of an organisation; but we also need to measure its effectiveness.