Luxury travel retailer DFS will be looking for management trainees to join its graduate development programme in Hong Kong, at the Career Forum, says DFS corporate HR team. Trainees are given the opportunity to rotate between DFS’ global merchandising, marketing and stores .

Headquartered in Hong Kong, the upscale duty-free retailer operates in 13 countries across four continents in airports and city locations.

With the luxury travel retail industry forecast to be in good shape in the coming year, DFS corporate HR says recruiting talented staff to join the brand’s merchandising and store operations teams is critical in 2018, particularly as the company is planning to increase its global footprint in Europe.

Successful candidates join an orientation programme to understand more about DFS – the company’s  history, its culture and its vision – while managers and their teams will provide on-the-job training.

The brand’s corporate university, meanwhile, offers a portfolio of programmes to help employees acquire different soft skills and technical expertise at two facilities, the Center for Service Development and the Center for Leadership Development. The former delivers the company’s signature service culture programme, Apprentice, while the latter aims to help all employees cultivate their leadership and management skills. The learning continues outside of the classroom, as employees can log onto the DFS

 e-campus to catch up anytime anywhere, says DFS corporate HR. “We have assigned around 3,000 users on the system so far, including store and corporate staff in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore,” DFS corporate HR elaborates.

Those who are selected to join the graduate development programme will be given the opportunity to fast-track their careers through a rotational programme within DFS Group. The development programme has three streams -  retail, which is an 18-month rotation based in the Hong Kong office, technology and finance. Once the  trainees complete their rotation, they graduate to an assistant manager role.

DFS management trainees are assigned departmental responsibilities and interact with managers and mentors throughout the company. By the end of the programme, they will have developed the skills essential to their respective career paths, says DFS corporate HR. Previous trainees have broadened their experience internationally by working in DFS offices in Australia, Guam and Vietnam, while others have appreciated the opportunity to lead IT projects and manage project stakeholders.

The retail stream covers store operations, merchandising and marketing, enabling trainees to explore the different roles within these fields both on-site at a T Galleria or airport store and in office. Finance trainees, meanwhile, refine technical skills in areas including consolidation and group reporting before joining the accountancy team at the DFS office in Singapore. Technology trainees are based out of the Singapore office, and their programme sharpens project management, global infrastructure and business support skills among others.

DFS welcomes students from all academic backgrounds to join its team.

“Candidates need to have a strong proficiency in English, be passionate about luxury retail, have plenty of career ambition, the ability to learn on the fly as well as polished presentation skills,” says  DFS corporate HR. Strong interpersonal skills and a sensitivity to work within a multicultural environment are also required.

DFS says it is committed to providing the right environment for staff to develop their career and grow with it. “We are a global company with opportunities for staff to advance,” DFS corporate HR adds.

The Hong Kong Police Force offers a clear path for recruits to rise through the ranks

The Hong Kong Police Force will once again be at the Career Forum to recruit for the roles of police inspector and police constable, says Gloria Leung, senior inspector of police.

“The Hong Kong government is the sole employer of the police, who are required to uphold the rule of law and maintain public order in the city,” she adds.

Leung says it received about 7,000 applications for police inspector and 11,000 applications for police constable in the financial year of 2016/17. There are around 40 competitors for each police inspector post and around 10 candidates applying for every police constable role, she explains.

Application numbers have increased in recent years, reflecting keen competition among the labour market to join the force. The academic qualifications of candidates have additionally improved in the past few years. Almost half of all police constable candidates (49 per cent) have obtained a degree or other higher qualification, says Leung.

New police inspectors undergo 36 weeks of residential training, which covers leadership, human resources management, police procedures, laws, footdrill, physical training, weapons handling, tactics and so on. “They will become leaders with the strength of character to take command of a situation and the judgment to look beyond the obvious,” says Leung.

The “foot soldiers” of the force – police constables – play a very important role in society as they are often first at the scene of major crimes, emergencies, heated disputes and many other highly charged and unpredictable situations.

To prepare themselves for this important role, successful candidates undergo 27 weeks of residential training which covers police procedures, laws, footdrill, physical training, weapons handling, tactics and first aid.

There are structured career paths and solid promotion prospects for both police inspector and police constables, says Leung. After completing three years’ service at inspectorate rank and passing the Standard II exam, the probation period ends. After a further two years service and passing the Standard III examination, inspectors advance to senior inspector, or are recommended by the selection board to be promoted to chief inspector.

Once they have at least four years’ service, and have passed the promotion qualifying examination, constables are eligible for a promotion to sergeant if the selection board is in agreement. Once a sergeant has served three years, they can be promoted to station sergeant, again if the selection board agrees. Police constables, sergeants and station sergeants can additionally apply for the inspector roles through open recruitment, or may gain such a promotion through internal appointment.

Becoming a member of the Hong Kong Police Force is a decision not to be taken lightly, as it requires a lifetime commitment to serving and protecting the community, says Leung.

Graduates ready to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining law and order in Hong Kong will be given an identity they can be proud of should they decide to embark on this challenging but nevertheless rewarding career path.