Ava Chan Ching-man

Polytechnic University

After visiting a number of exhibitor’s booths at the Career Forum, Chan, a third-year student at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) studying communication design, said that she was particularly interested in joining the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

“I think the Hong Kong Jockey Club offers limitless opportunities for me to practise what I have learned,” she explained. “It is a very attractive organisation to work for as it interfaces with almost every aspect of our lives – from entertainment and charity to technology and customer service.”

As a design student, Chan sees countless areas where she can turn her creative ideas into real products that serve various stakeholders and contribute to company branding.

“Branding requires a lot of creative ideas to provide a sense of novelty on top of consistency in execution,” she said. “I think my training at PolyU is equipping me in this capacity.”

Beyond the realm of design, Chan stressed that she is also interested in jobs that provide ample opportunity to deal with people.

“Serving people is a complex but meaningful endeavour, and I find tremendous satisfaction in making and keeping customers happy,” Chan said.

Besides the Jockey Club, another company that interested her was Hong Kong Airlines - in particular its Management Trainee (MT) programme, which incorporates departmental rotation and the chance to work in another city or country.

“My training in communication and design will stand me in good stead in applying for this programme and successfully completing it,” she said. “Communication is an essential part of management, and creativity will effectively spice up my performance.”

Amy Ng Mei-yan

Polytechnic University

Also a student at PolyU, Ng, who is majoring in tourism management, said that she was particularly interested in searching for jobs that required customer service skills at the Career Forum.

“Hong Kong Airlines is definitely one of the employers I most aspire to joining. Airlines and tourism are intricately related, and I will be able to apply my knowledge and insights to jobs in the airlines sector,” she said.

“I am particularly passionate about interacting with people of all nationalities and backgrounds, and what could offer more opportunities in that respect than airlines?”

Looking forward to when she graduates in two years’ time, Ng is considering going on a working holiday overseas to gather experience in a variety of jobs. She hopes to learn how to deal with foreigners, and above all to learn to be independent and to force herself to take the initiative and grasp opportunities as they arise.

“The essence of tourism is to widen one’s horizon and exposure to foreign customs and cultures,” she said. “To develop myself into a tourism professional, I think I need to gain first-hand experience of being an independent tourist myself – to learn things the hard way.”

Apart from giving her knowledge about other countries, Ng said a working holiday will also shape her character and personality – which are important for her career development.

“As a Hong Kong citizen, I want to present myself to people overseas as an upright and hard-working individual worthy of my Hong Kong origins,” she said. “Meanwhile, the anticipated adversities associated with a working holiday will help mould my positive attitude to life and bring out the can-do spirit in me.”

Jason Lai Ching-shing

Washington State University

With two degrees already under his belt, Lai is clearly no slouch when it comes to studying.

He boasts not only a BA in hospitality business management from Washington State University in the United States, but also a bachelor of international business in hotel and tourism management from Cesar Ritz Colleges in Switzerland.

Lai said he was interested in a career in public service, including the police, immigration, customs and excise, and correctional services.

“Although, at first sight, what I have learned in my undergraduate studies seems to be unrelated to these departments, I can bring to these jobs an international perspective and management skills.”

However, he went on to add that another attraction of these government jobs was their remuneration packages, which can be “double those of non-government jobs for young university graduates”, he said.

Lai is also interested in organisations that have openings related to hospitality, including the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Hong Kong Airlines.

“Although my undergraduate studies were in Europe and the US, I’m emotionally attached to Hong Kong, and would like to put my knowledge and experience gained overseas to good use in contribution to my hometown – either in the civil service or in a major corporation,” he said.

“A position in the government or a reputable organisation will be conducive to my personal development in terms of moral integrity and corporate culture. I will gain insight into corporate thinking and organisational behaviour too.”

Another possibility for Lai is Bloomberg. “The global nature of this organisation fascinates me, and actually ties in well with my knowledge about international business,” Lai said.

Jane Huang Weiye

Hong Kong Baptist University

With a degree in industrial design from the Guangdong University of Technology and now studying an MSc programme in new energy and green technologies at Hong Kong Baptist University, Huang came to the Career Forum with no preconceived ideas about what particular companies to focus on.

But having checked out all the exhibitor’s booths, she discovered the companies that might provide the best related job for her were Hong Kong’s two power providers, CLP Power and Hongkong Electric.

“Hong Kong’s two power companies have a high awareness of environmental responsibility,” she said. “Both are making a huge effort to explore new energy sources and green technology – which is exactly what my current programme of study is about.”

However, she hastened to add that she was also interested in opportunities outside her field of study.

“I am very interested in a career in banking and trading, and was particularly attracted to the booths of HSBC and BNP Paribas. Life is full of possibilities, and at my age I can embark on a range of development paths.”

Huang said that she found the Career Forum presented young adults with a comprehensive overview of Hong Kong’s job opportunities, embracing the government, corporate and commercial sectors. She also got to make friends with students from other tertiary institutions, and talked to them about their aspirations and concerns.

“I am particularly impressed by the very attractive, but also very competitive, graduate trainee programmes offered by many of the major enterprises here,” she said. “The extensive exposure and intensive grooming offered provide trainees with a fast track on which to rise to leadership heights.”