ForwardPMX
As leading global brand marketing agency, taking part in the latest edition of the Career Forum allowed ForwardPMX to have face-to-face discussions with student attendees and explain how the dynamic and evolving nature of the marketing environment make career prospects so fascinating. “This is a field that’s ever-changing and inspiring; there’s always something new to learn,” said Siobhain Brodie, ForwardPMX global head of recruitment.
Following the recent “uniting” of UK-based Forward3D and the US-based PMX Agency, to form ForwardPMX, Brodie said career opportunities with the agency can be expected to expand. With more than 700 specialists across 20 global offices, and representing more than 300 household-name clients, ForwardPMX assists brands to operate globally across any market, platform or language. “ForwardPMX works with some of the world’s leading brands from the fashion, travel and retail sectors,” said Brodie who explained that the two agencies uniting bring with it an established reputation for performance marketing using proprietary technology, linguistics and data science.
As a data-driven business, Brodie said ForwardPMX is always interested in speaking to analytically minded candidates with mathematics, science or computer science degrees. She said the company looks for candidates who are self-starters and enjoy working as part of a team, but also capable of working independently and, where necessary, using their initiative. “We value individuals who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo,” Brodie said. To keep up with the ever-changing trends, digital marketing professionals need to stay up to date with the evolving tech development and the changing influences that inspire consumers to engage with brands.
Currently, ForwardPMX is looking for highly motivated graduates with high-level problem-solving skills to join the firm as trainee performance analysts. In this capacity they will provide support to the agency’s performance analyst’s team in Hong Kong and Singapore. Brodie said trainees gain full exposure to the company’s operations through a comprehensive trainee programme. “We invest heavily in the development of our trainees,” said Brodie who explains that new recruits typically progress to junior performance analyst after completing their six-month probation period. As part of the training, from day one, trainee performance analysts can expect to be involved in a broad range of activities including creating campaigns, working with the world’s biggest digital advertising engines and social platforms, while also carrying out data and text analysis. Trainee performance analysts also help to identify evolving trends and opportunities which can be translated into account growth. In addition, trainees are provided with opportunities to interact with clients. “We provide trainees with on-the-job training and opportunities to ensure their careers can genuinely flourish,” said Brodie.
Continued career progression is also valued at ForwardPMX, with employees at all levels receiving regular training delivered internally and with external partners. “We prefer to promote from within rather than bring in external senior talent, so career acceleration is something many of our employees benefit from,” notes Brodie. “We are like a family,” she added, stressing that colleagues are always willing to assist and support each other. For example, Brodie said every week the Hong Kong team get together to share knowledge and learn from each other.
TUV Rheinland Group
For TUV Rheinland Group, a leading provider of testing and certification services, the recent Career Forum provided a one-stop platform where the company could meet students and fresh graduates from different Hong Kong universities, academic backgrounds and nationalities.
Daniel Lee, TUV Rheinland Group, vice president, Human Resources (Greater China) noted how the Career Forum provided a friendly environment where employers and potential employees could talk informally about career opportunities, company culture and the different types of jobs students may be interested in. “The Career Forum is an effective way to have a lot of face-to-face interactions with potential job candidates in one day,” noted Lee.
In Hong Kong, where TUV employees about 400 staff, the company offers testing and certification services across a wide range of industry sectors ranging from industrial and renewable energy services; electrical and electronic products; telecom; fast-moving consumer products; railway safety; green solutions; academy and life care; digital transformation and cybersecurity and management systems. Globally, the TUV Rheinland Group employs a headcount of about 20,000 staff at 500 locations offering more than 2,500 different types of testing and certification services. Lee said as a large international organisation, TUV offers a diverse range of career prospects underpinned by the opportunity to gain practical experience, expand skills and continue to grow personally and professional. “We offer our employees long-term development prospects and provide them with consistent professional and personal training,” Lee said.
For example, TUV’s Talent Orientation Center (TOC) initiative — which take place several times a year — enables employees to explore different career options, including options that they may not have previously considered. By completing activities designed to identify, strengths, potential and interests, an individual development plan is constructed for each participant. The company also offers a regional Talent Development Programme (TDP) designed to prepare individuals to take up future roles in management positions. Participants receive training to help them to strengthen their soft-skills competencies including communication, coaching and presentation skills. Similarly, TUV’s Young Professional Conference (YPC) global programme is designed for employees with the interest and potential to work internationally within the organisation.
Lee said TUV offers a range of graduate training programmes, each with a structured career path. For example, as a new recruit chemist project coordinator a typical career path could transition from project coordinator to project chemist to project manager. Equipped with prerequisite qualifications, as a new recruit, duties can include preparing draft quotations, helping to prepare test assignments and being the contact point between laboratories, technical teams and clients. Meanwhile, a fresh recruit laboratory technician would gain experience through monitoring lab operations, conducting chemical testing according to standard operating procedures and helping to conduct equipment maintenance and calibration. A typical career path could progress from technician, to supervisor, to lab manager.
Lee points out that employees who join TUV work for an organisation that has a clear commitment to its social, environmental, and economic responsibilities. As part of the company ethos, employees are encouraged to reflect on the quality of their work and the contribution it makes to protecting and improving society. Providing flexible work-life balance options is also a key element of the TUV employer proposition. For instance, recognising that employees have different needs and interests, the company offers a range of working options including flexible working and part-time employment models. To promote physical and mental health awareness education, the company arranges health management and stress management seminars. In addition, TUV provides support for volunteer work, recreational activities, family days and support for sports activities. With employee benefits also an important part of the employer value proposition, the company provides a range of benefits including a year-end bonus (13th month pay), discretionary performance bonus, overtime payment, 14-week maternity leave, marriage leave and compassionate leave.
