Career advice
Curated writing from operators, recruiters, and HR leaders — written for people building real careers in HK.
Many mountain climbers visiting high altitudes for the first time would be eager to know more about their Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) susceptibility in advance. Although various tests like VO2 Max, SO2 at simulated altitude are derived, the correlations are weak and are not good predictors for AMS vulnerability.
People sometimes confuse being active on social media like Facebook as being digitally savvy. The reality is that while social media experience helps digital marketers to be better at their job, digital marketing itself is far more complex with social media being but one component in the digital mix. The digital media marketing mix comprises of display and video, search engine optimization, pay per click, social media, content management, website design and development, affiliate marketing, online reputation management, conversion rate optimization, email marketing, etc.
Recently I spoke with the regional head of a large tech sector company. He had a dilemma: to tweet or not to tweet? Without a social media presence he might be seen as a dinosaur, yet he worried about the time and skills needed. So he hired a professional marketer, who now tweets for him daily.
Have you ever noticed how many hours you have spent on staring at computer monitor or phone? I am sure it is part of your daily life, and the more you stare at the monitors, the more you are straining your eyes.
Knowing why you weren’t chosen is vital for future interviews, writes Nick Wheatley.
With Hong Kong’s business environment becoming more complex, accounting firms have expanded and so have specialist opportunities for CPAs. Jemelyn Yadao finds out how accountants are getting into the most in-demand fields All accountants might believe they are a part of a special profession, but many are trying to stand out from the crowd even more, by entering the more rarefied world of specializations.
Switching roles to find your specialism needn’t always be complicated, suggests Galaxy Chan, a partner at KPMG China and a member of the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs, citing her own smooth transition. Some firms, such as KPMG, provide employees opportunities for short-term internal transfers if there are vacancies. “If you are unsure that you want to make a permanent commitment in your department or want to try a different one, the human resources team can arrange a short-term secondment,” says Chan. “After that, you can always go back to your [original] department.”
“Being interactive is one of the basic requirements for an accountant engaged in advisory services, like myself,” says Eugene Ha, a partner at Grant Thornton and a Hong Kong Institute of CPAs member. “Making connections with clients, intermediaries and the wider business community is part of what I do every day. It’s fortunate that I am quite a natural talker as well, with an outgoing personality. Networking is in fact an enjoyable role to me.” Here are a networking natural’s top tips for making new connections. DO…
It’s not just what you know, it’s who you know that matters, says the adage. Successful accountants tell Robin Lynam how careers can be boosted with a little networking ability In accounting, as in all professions, those who rise to the top tend to be those who are good at their jobs. That, however, is seldom all there is to the story. Successful professionals have usually managed to build up a broad-based network of contacts and connections, many of whom have been instrumental in helping them serve their clients, build their profiles and enhance their reputations.
Meanwhile, the growing popularity of forensic accounting is ascribed to the development of anti-fraud and anti-bribery legislation around the world, imposing more responsibilities on business owners. Few CPAs in Hong Kong are specialized in this area, but many Institute members believe that the demand for forensic accountants is stronger than ever. “This industry is really going,” says Alick Fong, manager of corporate recovery and forensic services at Mazars and an Institute member.
Compared with a decade ago, the career paths offered by accounting firms are wider and more varied. Here are some of today’s most popular accounting specializations in Hong Kong. Corporate finance These specialists not only inhabit the glamorous world of initial public offerings and other fundraising measures, they also have acquired grassroots knowledge of valuation and credit analysis. The right specialist is a person with initiative and a knack for problem solving.
Another example of a CPA who has benefited from specializing is Brenda Tung at RSM Nelson Wheeler and an Institute member, who found the right specialism for her during a three-month secondment to the firm’s risk advisory services department. “Now I have great satisfaction in being able to convince clients to accept our recommendations to enhance their internal control procedures,” says Tung, who joined from the firm’s technical department in 2010. Such procedures, she adds, help client companies satisfy listing requirements in Hong Kong.