[kinjamin]

Hello there, I've been monitoring this site (love it, makes me feel less lonely and some good advice available) and been throwing in my 10 cents here and there.
I used to work in the UK for a large recruitment firm, have recently come over to HK and a large reputable recruitment company here, there is allot of exciting stuff happening here by the looks of things.

However reading allot of the postings here, it seems that there has been allot of difficulties for people finding work and little good advice from recruitment consultants here in HK.
I'm not trying to drum up business (wouldn't object though) as I've been throwing advice in left, right and centre, but I would like to know what people's experiences have been in looking for work in HK? what has been people's best approach? what have been people's experiences (good or bad) with agencies? what is the major hurdle for you guys finding work in HK? and no, I'm not nosey, I just want to know what NOT to do and what maybe I can do better as a recruitment person (we're not all used car sales people!)? The way the market seems to be going, recruitment of skilled people (especially expats) from overseas is set to increase, so I better get it right early rather than late!!!!

Any experiences or advice would be much appreciated! (please don't hurl abuse at me though, I have to support my family somehow!!!)

[KnowItAll]

A few random thoughts .. to add to the debate..

-- The recruitment scene in Hong Kong is pretty much like the financial advisor scene .. there are a few good ones, but the majority are folks who have failed careers or are directionless themselves. I assume it is the same in most countries...

-- Unfortunately, this is where most candidates and companies lack the common sense that unless they themselves are at the top end of their sectors / careers, they're going to get serviced by the mediocre.

-- Most of the agencies that advertise in the newspapers and online (hence the ones that people tend to send their resumes to) are going to give you mass market "McDonalds" style service if you're a candidate.

[rani]

Sites likes jobsdb are absolute crap! I updated my online resume a couple of days ago, it was 5 years old and I suddenly got a sliew of emails from AIA, Manulife and some other Financial Planners. It's sad when job sites have to include filters and blockers to protect candidates from Spam from Headhunters/HR Managers.

[freeier]

actually its quite confusing
- everyone tells u not to talk to others because the others are really cowboy outfits and they'll spread your CVs around
- everyone tells me they have access to some exclusive clients
- then u also realized some of the more boutique outfits are quite ok. cos they are alot more 'unknown'. but they also make the effort ot at least renovate their office properly

[leonardo]

The most daunting thing about HK recruitment is probably how many applications are left without answer, deadly silence, sometimes depressing. Are recruiters THAT busy?

The most successful cases seem to follow the old and tried KISS (Keep It Simple and Stupid) method. This calls for candidate to sanitize his CV down to the point that only the words HR wants to hear remain. It hurts self esteem a bit, but certainly lands you a job.

I couldn't get mine until I reduced my CV to half a page from original 7(seven) pages


Just a little add up: gone are the golden days of early 90's when job seekers used to publish their personal ads themselves with the salaries they wanted and employers they didn't want. Seemed to work fine in those old days ... Is it forgotten now?

Originally Posted by kinjamin

However reading allot of the postings here, it seems that there has been allot of difficulties for people finding work and little good advice from recruitment consultants here in HK.
... what people's experiences have been in looking for work in HK? what has been people's best approach? what have been people's experiences (good or bad) with agencies? what is the major hurdle for you guys finding work in HK? and no, I'm not nosey, I just want to know what NOT to do and what maybe I can do better as a recruitment person ...

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by rani

Sites likes jobsdb are absolute crap! I updated my online resume a couple of days ago, it was 5 years old and I suddenly got a sliew of emails from AIA, Manulife and some other Financial Planners. It's sad when job sites have to include filters and blockers to protect candidates from Spam from Headhunters/HR Managers.

Agreed, I had the same problem too. Any mention at all of financial services industry in your C.V and they will blitz you with calls and e-mails asking if you want to become a financial planner.

The main problem I come across with HK based agencies is that they do seem to call you in for a chat and a coffee when it appears that they don't actually a role in mind for you.

And also the locals that have had no exposure to the overseas job market don't understand certain terminology etc which is relevant to the industry you work in. The worst case I came across was when a recruiter in HK was going through my C.V and asked who one of the companies I work for did, And the company in question was Deloitte and Touche! If you work for a financial recruitment agency then you should of course know who D&T are right?

Agreed with Leonardo about the deathly silence when sending in your C.V in response to an ad which you are clearly suitable for and no response whatsoever, Its not the dreaded C.V farming thats prevalent in the U.K is it? Where new Agencies etc post fake jobs just so they can increase their database of potential candidates so can thus try and gain more business for themselves.

As per KIA has mentioned, I avoid the mainstream agencies such as Reed, Manpower etc etc like the plague as they only really have the mcjob type roles, Fine if you want a bit of money in the bank thats all.

I no longer deal with 'mainstream' agencies etc as they don't have the roles I'm looking for, Better to get your foot in the door with the firms which you wish to work for direct via networking events etc or by going to head hunters who usually have the decent jobs.

[jungle]

Originally Posted by leonardo

The most daunting thing about HK recruitment is probably how many applications are left without answer, deadly silence, sometimes depressing. Are recruiters THAT busy?

yup.. it sucks that most applicants don't receive a reply but the truth is recruiters ARE that busy. recruiters will receive literally hundreds of CVs in any given week for a number of positions. it'd be nice if recruitment firms can hire people just to follow up with candidates to tell them that they've been rejected... but most firms don't have the resources for that and in the end, it's the client companies that pay the bills, not the job seekers. as a recruiter, i'm going to focus my time on servicing my clients, and take care of the select few candidates that I know my clients will be interested in . everything else won't pay the bills and calling the hundreds of unqualified candidates that apply to tell them they're no good, even as a courtesy, frankly, is not the best use of my time.

Originally Posted by leonardo

The most successful cases seem to follow the old and tried KISS (Keep It Simple and Stupid) method. This calls for candidate to sanitize his CV down to the point that only the words HR wants to hear remain. It hurts self esteem a bit, but certainly lands you a job.

I couldn't get mine until I reduced my CV to half a page from original 7(seven) pages

in an ideal world, HR people, recruiters, and hiring managers would devote ample time to thoroughly examine each and every CV and develop a full picture of every candidate. but hell, this ain't an ideal world. everyone's busy, there's a lot of noise. if you can't make yourself IMMEDIATELY stand out from the competition - if you don't know how to market yourself properly - then, sorry mate, you're outta luck.

and by "you," i don't mean you leonardo specifically, but people in general.

sorry if sound harsh, but that's reality. you either work with it, or you can spend your time bitching about it.

[jungle]

Originally Posted by jimbo

Agreed with Leonardo about the deathly silence when sending in your C.V in response to an ad which you are clearly suitable for and no response whatsoever, Its not the dreaded C.V farming thats prevalent in the U.K is it? Where new Agencies etc post fake jobs just so they can increase their database of potential candidates so can thus try and gain more business for themselves.

this seems to be a common misconception. but if it really does happen with some of the shoddier boiler room agencies, then i apologise on behalf of the industry. we do need to shape up and perhaps even form an industry body to set up ethical guidelines and so forth.

what i can say about about my firm is that our clients judge us on how many positions we fill... NOT how large our candidate database is. we conduct searches for the top-tier investment banks and with them, it's about quality not quantity. they couldn't care less how big my database is if it is filled with mediocrity. they'd much rather get a shortlist of a few candidates who are spot-on, rather than massive piles of misfits.

it's important to keep in mind that most agency-side recruiters' compensation is based on their deal output. if you are a good candidate, a good fit for the role and know how to properly market yourself, I promise, recruiters will be calling you left and right. if you don't get the call, then something is amiss.

[freeier]

and yes, unfortunately, even interviews some are staged to know what the market is doing and what the competitors are paying their staff...

[KnowItAll]

>> if you don't know how to market yourself properly - then, sorry
>> mate, you're outta luck.

I think this is one of the basic things candidates forget... which is get into sales mode. Productise yourself, come up with your selling points and figure out how to market them.

In an idea world, this is an ongoing process and over time, you become well known enough that you turn into a "brand" ... people come to you at that point with job offers.

So many candidates do not know what they want and give templated answers like "I want to be a manager in 5 years". If you don't know what you want, where you want to go, you'll *NEVER* get there.