Career advice
Curated writing from operators, recruiters, and HR leaders — written for people building real careers in HK.
Being the Recruitment Director at the Mountbatten Institute for the past four years, I’ve seen my fair share of interns come and go through our one year traineeship programmes. Here’s my contribution to what I’ve observed from our more successful trainees.
In the world of recruitment a ‘passive’ jobseeker is someone who may be interested in a suitable job if it comes their way, but who is not actively looking for their next role. These passive jobseekers scan job boards from time to time and ask to receive updates from recruiters. They like to know who is hiring and what skills employers currently value. But they are not actively searching or applying for jobs themselves.
Most jobseekers are aware that staying in jobs for less than two years can be harmful to your career in the long term…
You have seen the job you want and you are keen to make a good first impression with your application to secure an interview. So what are the key points you should cover? A good place to start is to write a great cover letter talking about what you would bring to the company, role and opportunity. Link your skills and work experience to why you are suitable for the job by including a few achievements from your last two roles that show how you added value to the organisations.
Hiring managers want to hear your story. They know past behaviour predicts future performance, so they ask for specific examples of times when you navigated office politics or delivered measurable results. The technique is called a behavioural job interview, and you know it is coming when you hear the prompt: “Tell me about a time when you … ” The next phrase can be almost anything: assumed a leadership role, saved your company money, disagreed with a boss, juggled multiple tasks or overcame an obstacle.
Hong Kong is known for its fast-paced working culture, where things need to be done quickly. As a result, employers here spend less time reading CVs than the global average……
How do you view the sender of a work-related email who writes “TTYS” (talk to you soon) or “AFAIK"…
As recruiters, we review hundreds of CVs and cover letters every week. Some of them need work to effectively sell the…
In a recent online poll, Hays found that 48 per cent of Hongkongers update their CV frequently, but only 25 per cent…
Job candidates are regularly advised to “sell themselves” at interviews, but what does this mean in…
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.