Career advice

Practical guides for a Hong Kong career

Curated writing from operators, recruiters, and HR leaders — written for people building real careers in HK.

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A Summer with Your Closest Strangers
Advice Columnist

A Summer with Your Closest Strangers

– Experience with the Engineering Summer Exploration Program 2014 Not a day we live without air, water and electricity.  Not a day we live without clean air, purified water, and reliable electricity – all made possible for you by genius engineering solutions.  Yet very few people in Hong Kong truly understand the career of engineers or their endeavors for betterment of life.  Engineers may be the closest strangers in your daily life.

海闊天空話測量
Advice Columnist

海闊天空話測量

上世紀生活艱難, 一職難求。許多失業人士, 惟有終日在街上踱步,打發時間,又或希望碰到機會, 找些散工。這樣的失業人士,倒還有積極的心態,自謿為「量地官」。現今社會不同,己少有這類的「量地官」,但這名稱卻也說出了一般人對土地測量的認識, 亦基本上反映我們的工作特性。 「量地」一詞實是一個不錯的概括性稱號, 只不過若因此而聯想為在實地上踱步的話,卻太簡化了這行業的操作及應用情況。其實單是一個「地」字, 已是千變萬化。再加上一個「量」字,方法層出不窮,合而言之, 「量地」一詞,可以說之不盡。要用短短的文字來說明土地測量行業, 筆者唯有試以對比的方法, 找一些測量實例, 試行解說如下: 工作範圍 測量的範圍,一言蔽之,就是地球的表面(日後發展至其他星球也未定)。這就不只測量高山深谷的陸地,也還須要測量水深河牀等。 也要飛上天空, 航空拍攝, 亦要測量隧道, 探測渠管。總之是海陸空以及地底,都是工作的範圍。 工作時段

Star at interviews
Career Coaching & Guidance

Star at interviews

Preparation is the key to success in an interview. The better prepared you are, the more relaxed and comfortable you will be. Gather information about the company and try to relate your experience to the specific duties of the job opportunity available. Prepare questions about the position and the company. These can include:“Do you have a detailed job description?”; “Why is the position available?”; “What training and induction will be given?”; and “What prospects are there for professional development?”

要工作,還是要婚姻?
Advice Columnist

要工作,還是要婚姻?

高盛最近發表了新的日本投資組合報告,內里有提到:「日本要是能把女性的就業率提高,GDP就有望提升13%」。這個觀點和去年安倍在聯合國會議期間提出的「釋放女性勞動力」的觀點很類似。 大家都知道,比起其他發達國家,日本女性的就業率一直以來偏低(日本男性的就業率是80%,女性是60%),不少日本女性在結婚後就選擇做全職家庭主婦。是什麼原因導致這個情況呢?交由經濟學家或日本研究的學者去分析比較好…  但婚姻和工作,真的有必要二選一嗎? 大男人要不得 香港是中西方思想的混合體,既有中國傳統的「男主外,女主內」觀念,亦有西方「男女平等」的思想,所以不少男女都會為「婚後女性是否工作」而產生矛盾。我的看法是:婚姻和工作,並非是二選一的關係,如果你的男人非要你從中選擇,表示他還不夠成熟。 你以為男人的想法是: 「我寧可自己辛苦一點,也不想讓老婆吃苦」。我不排除這想法的存在,但更大的可能是:他只是一個自私的大男人,想讓自己成為家中唯一的經濟支柱,繼而突顯自己的重要性;他看輕、也漠視另一半在社會上的價值和在工作上的成就。 尊重自己的人生 為愛情而放棄工作,乍看來偉大,但仔細想想:生活是多方面的,愛情只是其中的一個板塊。你可以為愛情而放棄全部,但當愛情放棄了你,你就一無所有了。

Why all the hoops?
Career Coaching & Guidance

Why all the hoops?

Anyone who has applied for a job over the past few years will have noticed an increase in the number of interviews they have to attend. The general consensus from a number of surveys is that the average length of the interview process has risen from 13 days in 2009 to 23 days in 2013.

Show you can lead
Career Coaching & Guidance

Show you can lead

I recently witnessed two senior candidates interviewing for a China CEO role. Both candidates had great track records and talent – but only one was able to stand out as a leader. The unsuccessful candidate – let’s call him Mr Manager – had plenty of experience in government relations, a key requirement for the job. He had even managed a major government relations crisis for a multinational in China, with noted success.

Biomedical Engineering – from Vision to Reality
Advice Columnist

Biomedical Engineering – from Vision to Reality

Biomedical Engineering is one of the fastest growing engineering disciplines today in the world. The Biomedical Division of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE-BMD) was established in 1989, with the biomedical discipline also formed in 2005. This young engineering discipline in Hong Kong is expected to bring bright prospects in medical innovations to the local society, addressing the needs due to increasing health consciousness, raising elderly population and lacking of medical professionals.

How to fit right in
Career Coaching & Guidance

How to fit right in

While your technical skills and experience are important in getting a foot in the door when looking for a new job, it…

人云亦云終究救不了金魚
Advice Columnist

人云亦云終究救不了金魚

革菊是一隻有著美麗尾鰭的金魚,紅色又透著金色光澤的牠很受主人喜愛,也因為怕被其他魚種碰壞了牠招展的尾鰭,革菊從小就被養在一只開口有細緻雕花的球形小魚缸中。牠剛開始被放入小水缸時,很害怕的快速游動,似乎想找一個遮蔽物躲起來,然而當牠游動了一下,就碰到透光似無物的玻璃,這小小的驚嚇讓牠快速地回頭遊,才一下下的光景牠又碰到了另一面玻璃,牠於是再換了一個方向,又撞到看似無形的牆,再換一次方向,一樣的疼痛與驚嚇還是同樣發生…。一段時間之後,革菊明白了,屬於牠的活動範圍就是這麼大,除了沒有水的那一面之外,其他方向都是有限制的。雖然牠不知道這圍繞著自己的東西叫做水,然而牠知道牠需要在這樣的環境中才能呼吸。這就意味著,牠只能在一個看不到邊界的球形範圍內活動。 其實這個球形空間並沒有不好,除了定時會有食物從沒有水的那一面拋進來,有時還會有水草或是會轉動的玩具陪牠晃來晃去。漸漸的,革菊長大了許多,尾鰭招展的像似盛開的花朵。豔紅的牠在水裡來去自如,牠已經忘了什麼是無形的牆,因為何時該轉彎或停下已經記憶在牠的身體裡,牠可以自在優雅的四處游晃,只是路徑的總和仍是一個球形。

To be a Professional Planning and Development Surveyors
Advice Columnist

To be a Professional Planning and Development Surveyors

The Planning and Development Division is one of the six divisions of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS).  It now numbers about 62 professional members known as “Professional Planning and Development Surveyors” (or P&D Surveyors) who serve in both the private and public sectors in Hong Kong.

5 Tips to dress for work
Career Path Planning

5 Tips to dress for work

Most people early on in their career experience some uncertainty about what to wear to work. It’s an issue that can be particularly troubling if …

WORK SPOUSE
Advice Columnist

WORK SPOUSE

WORK SPOUSE 是指一男一女在工作上擁有超越一般合作夥伴的親密關係,他們之間彼此信任,坦承相對,而且私底下亦可能會一起吃飯逛街,但卻又絕無瞹眛。 在辦公室這種是非之地,WORK SPOUSE當然會面對很多閒言閒語,如果兩個人都是單身,那就更不用說了,面對謠言其實可以不用解釋,因為愈描愈黑,多說多錯。 WORK SPOUSE是如何鍊成的? 男女性格的差異,不單反映在愛情生活上,更會反映在工作的各方面,例如男性一般比較願意承受風險,女性則較為保守慎重,男性善於分析數據,女性則善於溝通表達,WORK SPOUSE可以算是在工作上的二位一體,在內既可分工合作,在外又能互補長短,達到1+1>2的效果。 不少WORK SPOUSE都是出現在新公司開荒初期,這時候人力資源少,沒有明顯的架構和分工,大家都只能一腳踢,工作繁重之餘精神壓力亦不少,WORK SPOUSE的模式不單止能提高工作上的效率,更能在精神上相互支持,發展下去,自自然然就超越了一般的工作關係,而成為了有共同經歷,無所不談的親密的戰友。 讓”婚姻”只停留在工作面上