[rajossie]

Hi all,

I just graduated from a UK uni (am a UK & Australian national) with a business degree and looking to start my career in HK (love the place, fancy a challenge). Have some experience in banking (6 months in london).

Am interested in Consutancy or Banking (markets) but:
- I do not speak mandarin or cantonese but am probably about to go off to shanghai to pick up mandarin (heard more important than cantonese in HK business?)
- all consultancy companies I spoke to (bain, monitor etc) suggested that mandarin was required so this rules out consultancy i guess.
- get the impression from some companies that getting a visa is difficult (although all my friends out there say it is easy and not expensive)
- am struggling to make any contact to HR off many firms as they seem to keep their distance and refrain from leaving any contact details

So is it difficult to get a job and what advice would you provide given the previous comments?

Are there any banking firms (guessing maybe HSBC) who would recruit graduate foreign nationals straight into their HK arm?

Many thanks!

[jimbo]

It will be tough to get sponsorship without good firm experience under your belt, you mention 6 months to be honest I don't think its enough and you probably need a couple of years or so.

[rajossie]

But I am going for graduate-level positions...HK employers can not expect any HK grads to have more than 1 year in work experience after 1 degree...

more question of how eager people think HK employers will be for foreign student compared to local student

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by rajossie

But I am going for graduate-level positions...HK employers can not expect any HK grads to have more than 1 year in work experience after 1 degree...

more question of how eager people think HK employers will be for foreign student compared to local student

Yes you will be going for graduate level positions but you will need to command a salary of $20k hk a month to be even in with a chance of getting a work permit.

Local grads can and will work for far far less. Most Grads here will be on about $11k or so just so they can get there foot in the door.

These are the ones you'll be competing with and on top of that they won't need a permit, fluent in Cantonese/Mandarin and good levels of English.

[coolgirl]

Are you sure consulting firms require Chinese? That's odd... I worked with one of them (though I must agree never had a China project)...

If you're dead set on consulting I would suggest going for Singapore instead. There i'm 100% sure they do not require chinese.

However, it's tough to be shortlisted for an analyst position, in your case. You must have graduated from a top school, latin honors.

Send me a PM if you want to know more. I worked with the biggest one in my past job

[freeier]

go for a biz school first if u want to do consulting.
not that u can't find a job without an mba, but i think at least the chances are better.
an undergrad post recruitment would probably receive lik 10,000 applications, an mba one maybe just 1000.

[rajossie]

Thanks for replies...

I feel a bit stupid as from current offers in London (but not the careers I really want) I could be on $40-50k (US) starting salary but to transfer across HK i would be starting on much lower base rate.

Are the jobs really that competitive? Is the grad market in boom or downturn?
Does anyone know any banking/consultancy firms that may not discriminate against non-chinese languages?

[nation]

As you know the economies are booming right now. Accordingly the banks are on their hiring phase which includes graduates.

Starting salaries in HK banking generally are very low. At a graduate level expect at most HK$15,000 per month but there are of course the exeptions and varies for different areas of the bank. Local languages (Mandarin or cantonese) are generally not a prerequisite in banking but once again certain products or certain LOBs within the bank (each bank being different) may require Mandarin and/or Cantonese. The local banks though have local language requirements if only for avoiding hiring foreigners. To get in with the bulge brackets or major Euros expect to come from a top tier background with results to match. The competition will be tough. Even more so than is the case in London. At a graduate level going through HR for the graduate programs is really your only hope and you will be competing against thousands of locals who don't need sponsorship. Unfortunately as is typical the world over HR are renowned to be nothing short of inept regardless if you have a direct contact. Consider the graduate hiring process as a lottery.

As for the MCs, once again it's all about pedigree. Unless your Chelsea Clinton or from an Ivey league school chances of a graduate role are slim with the likes of McK, BCG, Booze, Bain etc. Post MBA there's more options but once again you'll need stellar pre MBA experience backed by a top 20 MBA school. As for languages, in this region expect Manadarin to be e pre-requisite. The majority of their work is for China based comnpanies and HK has already been through the round of using MCs to realise that their services are next to useless.

[rajossie]

thanks for the great comments nation

~am finding HR in London and HK incredibly inept (never reply, belated correspondence and impersonal comms)
~also finding that all my friends who are getting top jobs are getting the foot in the door through close contact which I just don't have (although some friends are trying to help me in HK)

I know luck is a major factor with all careers but just need to get noticed a bit more.

There is no way I am doing an MBA now (early 20s and cant afford it) and would prefer a sponor when i finally get a good job.
I didnt go to Oxbridge but a top tier UK uni with top honors (really regretting not applying to Oxbridge as this seems to be a favourite filter for most consultancy companies).
I am now discounting the Consulting option in HK so will either try to get a consultancy job in UK or banking job in HK (if HR will even pick up phone or reply).....

[nation]

Your best bet is to stay in London and get a role with a global brand bank there. You'll find the London market significantly easier to get a start in. Try and get something with a strong product focus rather than one of the support areas and aim to specialise in that product for at least 3 years. This will be greater differentiator when you make the move down the track. Take a look at the grad career sites of all the banks, look at their product areas, your degree and your interests. Tailor a strong covering letter which fits you in with that firm's culture. Bare in mind the spiel on their websites about culture, qualities, ways of doing business etc is all fluff but use it to get key words/statements to punctuate throughout your covering letter. Seeing you have good grades from a good school your chances should be good but like I said getting called in for a first interview really is a lottery.

And remember google is your friend when it comes to finding out which banks are doing what and who key senior personell are. Start out looking at the news or forum sections of efinancialcareers.com or wilmott.org to get an idea of movements and names and take it from there. Use that to build your networks.


Good Luck