Whether they were seeking information on corporate management trainee programmes, opportunities for internships or part-time jobs, or openings for permanent positions, visitors to the Career Forum certainly had options to choose from.
Dozens of exhibitors representing businesses, professional bodies and government departments used this biannual platform to connect with forum attendees and talk to them about the career options available to them. Many handed out application forms for trainee programmes, job vacancies and professional development programmes.
From the exhibitors’ perspective, such events are ideal occasions to help students and jobseekers find out how they measure up to the requirements of prospective employers and what specific skill sets and knowledge are needed to land their dream jobs. Here six exhibitors share their experiences at the forum.
The Bank of East Asia (BEA)
For BEA, the main aim at the forum was to inform students about its Management Trainee programme as well as internship and part-time job opportunities, said Heidi Lai, senior manager and section head – resourcing and staff relations section, human resources department.
“We provided Year 1 and 2 students who want to enrich their relevant working experience with information regarding our various part-time job opportunities, as well as our internship vacancies,” Lai said. “Students of any disciplines are welcome to apply for part-time jobs with us. We explain to them that some of the part-time positions are for frontline assistants at our branches and that applicants should be enthusiastic about interacting with people.”
Year 4 students, meanwhile, mostly enquired about the bank’s MT programme. “They wanted to find out the types of personality attributes we are looking for in candidates,” Lai said. “Because banking is a dynamic industry, we want people who are energetic and highly adaptable. They should also know what is going on in society as well as the latest developments in the local, China and global economies.”
A keen awareness of relevant compliance issues is also essential. “When the candidates have high awareness about diverse issues, they will understand our bank’s efforts in complying with current requirements,” Lai said.
The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS)
Jonathan Ng, assistant manager, education and examinations at HKICS, said that the forum gave students a good opportunity to learn more about what company secretaries do and what their main responsibilities are. The institute was taking part in the forum for the first time.
“Many students visiting our booth wanted to know more about the chartered secretarial profession,” Ng added. “They asked about the main duties and responsibilities of company secretaries and how they could become a qualified company secretary. They were also keen to know if any specific disciplines would give them an edge in taking the qualifying examinations.”
Ng remarked that while most visitors who were already in employment knew about the profession, they made enquiries about qualification requirements, details of the exams and application procedures.
“University graduates are eligible to take the institute’s qualifying examinations,” Ng explained. “Preparation mainly involves self-study. Some may also attend examination preparatory courses offered by a separate academic institution and workshops on examination techniques organised by HKICS.
“Students of recognised bachelor programmes such as corporate governance, accounting, law, business management and finance may apply for exemption of up to four papers. Graduates of corporate governance master programmes offered by three local universities are eligible to apply for full exemption from our International Qualifying Scheme (IQS) examinations.”
Most attendees who stopped by HKICS’s booth took the initiative to make enquiries. “They were attentive listeners and keen to find out more about the profession by asking follow-up questions.”
Lane Crawford
Many students were surprised by Lane Crawford’s presence at the forum and initially did not know what questions to ask, said Jimmy Lee, head of talent acquisition and shared services, human resources. But the company’s executives on duty knew exactly how to break the ice.
“Because our main objective is to promote our revamped Graduate Leadership Programme [GLP], which is similar to a management trainee programme, we started conversations with the GLP,” Lee said. “Then we would move on to other job openings available and discuss career prospects in the luxury retail sector in the coming years.”
The GLP is an intensive 24-month training scheme aimed at outstanding recent university graduates, Lee explained. “Because we normally recruit fewer than 10 graduates for the programme, we aim to get the cream of the crop who have a passion for the retail sector and a commitment to our brand.”
Apart from the GLP, the luxury retailer wanted to engage prospective candidates for other available job openings. These included the role of style adviser, which is an entry-level frontline position in stores, and back-office positions such as merchandising coordinator. Given the flourishing development in e-retailing, the brand is also seeking online merchandisers and stylists.
“We welcome applicants from any disciplines,” Lee said. “However, they need to be very hardworking, dedicated, sensitive to fashion trends and have a basic knowledge of our brand. Today we’ve engaged several potential job candidates and found out about their interests, while making suggestions of specific positions matching those interests.”
Nu Skin
Nu Skin’s booth at the forum captured the attention of many a visitor, thanks to a display featuring the full range of products from the cosmetics brand. Doris Chan, the company’s representative, said that by exhibiting at the forum, Nu Skin aimed to explore more channels for job recruitment, while increasing awareness of its employer brand.
“Because of the nature of our brand, some students may not be familiar with us,” Chan said. “We took this opportunity to explain to them our core business and corporate values. Many expressed interest in knowing more about our brand’s background and target market. The product display gave them some idea about our specialities.”
Nu Skin promoted a diverse range of job openings at the forum, ranging from frontline customer-service executive to back-office roles in public relations and events.
“We interacted with jobseekers to get to know them. When we identify a potential candidate, we arrange appointments for job interviews at our head office. We also had application forms for applicants to fill in onsite,” Chan said. “Jobseekers were interested in learning about the career paths of specific positions and the distinguishing features of Nu Skin compared with other companies.”
The students Chan talked to were well prepared, interested and asked pertinent questions. Several also presented a thorough understanding of what a career entailed.
“I believe many have a rough idea about their future careers. We spent time communicating with them to ensure we share the same outlook and can meet their aspirations, and whether potential candidates will be a good match with our brand.”
Ricoh Hong Kong
Many university students visited the Career Forum to find out more about the different management trainee programmes offered by exhibitors. “This is exactly why we are exhibiting at the forum as we are focused on promoting our Graduate Trainee programme,” said Desmond Kwok, human resources business partner, human resources and administration division, Ricoh Hong Kong.
Most of the visitors to Ricoh’s booth were undergraduates keen on learning more about the GT programme and how to apply.
“We let them know that the ideal candidates should possess a winning spirit and be excellent team players,” Kwok says. “Because Ricoh is a leader in advanced office business solutions and technologies, candidates should also be passionate about the latest in digital technology. Many young people, though, are already tech-savvy. It is easy to see that they have high digital competency judging from the devices they use in their daily life.”
The right personality traits are the main determining factors in selecting candidates for the GT programme, Kwok explained. Because trainees will be posted to different departments during the 12-to-18-month programme, they should have the open-mindedness and willingness to learn new things. “Ricoh will nurture them so that they acquire as much knowledge as possible and build an extensive network during the training.”
Students were also curious about Ricoh’s expectations of graduate trainees after completion of the programme. “We talked to them about the two tracks of career development for graduate trainees: subject matter experts and functional managers.”
Kwok was impressed by how well dressed most students visiting the forum were and how they presented themselves. “They are also quite mature and well-prepared. They know what they want for their future careers.”
United Overseas Bank (UOB) Hong Kong
UOB aimed to use the forum to provide visitors with in-depth information on wholesale banking businesses and the responsibilities as an intern or trainee at the bank.
“We are exhibiting here and also participating in the Shadow a CEO Programme because we put strong emphasis on nurturing the next generation of talent,” said Christine Ip, CEO – Greater China, UOB. “We want to provide another perspective of banking to students so that they can learn about wholesale banking.”
Many students who visited the booth asked questions about global banking markets. “We explained to them the differences between wholesale and retail banking,” Ip said. “When discovering this, many expressed interest in finding out more about our bank.”
Apart from the internship programme, UOB also runs a 16-month Management Associate (MA) programme. “Our MA programme has been running for five years and has been receiving very good feedback,” Ip said. “The MAs whom we have recruited over the past years have demonstrated exceptional capabilities and good attitude. This year, many Year 4 students approached us to know more about the programme and we were happy to see their good response.”
In addition to showing outstanding individual performance, MAs are expected to be good team players. “We are looking for candidates who have great curiosity and a willingness to learn, because there are many opportunities and they will get tremendous exposure,” Ip said. “They should also be innovative and take the initiative to develop new solutions to problems.”
