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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Eight jobs of a bygone era

【115 years of Hong Kong Recruitment Market】— Eight jobs of a bygone era In the past 50 years, Hong Kong has transformed from a centre of industry into a service-based, knowledge-driven economy thanks to universal education and advances in technology. In the process, many new jobs have been created while traditional ones, mostly in light industry and manufacturing, have been radically redefined or consigned to oblivion. Here, we look at some of the jobs that have disappeared in recent decades, but which were once well known in Hong Kong.

HR Career Success

The secret to discussing pay with employees

Universally speaking, money is an uncomfortable subject – be it with friends, family or in the workplace. In fact, the “pay” conversation that managers are required to have with their employees might be one of the most unanticipated talks of the year. Pay is a sensitive subject Pay is a highly sensitive subject as it is, so relaying the wrong information, or even expressing the right information in the wrong way can contribute to your employees losing trust.

HR Career Success

How soft skills smooth the way to career and life success

Remember the most successful and popular students you knew in school? They seemed to be comfortable with everyone, intelligent, kind and fun. Anyone would be happy to work with them on a group assignment. These people are probably well-liked and respected as adults too, and would be valued in any workplace. What do they have that others don’t?

HR Career Success

Own your anxiety: How to make workplace anxiety work for You

Workplace anxiety is pervasive. It affects all employees, regardless of age, tenure or industry. As the modern workplace continues to undergo changes pertaining to decentralisation, downsizing and restructuring, workplace anxiety will continue to escalate. What’s more, the culture of overtime in Asia has made stress more common than not, further enhancing feelings of anxiety at work.

HR Career Success

What would happen if we didn’t have to go to college?

This should send a small shiver through the spines of anyone employed in academia: the recruiting site Glassdoor has published a list of companies that no longer require a college degree – including professional heavyweights Google, Apple and Ernst & Young. If firms like these no longer insist upon a sheepskin, it seems just possible that the decades-long trend of requiring more and more education to maintain a toehold in the middle class might reverse.

HR Career Success

Artificial intelligence brings huge benefits to HR but also legal quandaries

The introduction of AI in recruitment brings significant benefits to HR professionals. It is more time- and cost-effective, as automated programmes can carry out more mundane, time-consuming processes, freeing up time for HR professionals to do more strategic or complicated tasks. A HR professional may subconsciously select candidates with a familiar background or work experience that he or she relates to, whereas AI can be programmed to select candidates based on objective criteria only, widening the net of potential recruits.

Industry Stories

投身物業管理要有「3高」

香港商業樓宇多、住宅多，對物業管理的需求自然大，故此入行並不難，但如果想做得好，不妨先看看自己能否做到這「3高」……

HR Career Success

How to maintain employer-of-choice standing with Hong Kong’s digital natives

If salary is no longer their top consideration, how do we best connect with today’s emerging workforce? The key to hiring and retaining the new generation of employees is to create in them a sense of belonging to your company. For digital natives born into our new communications age, constant communication is vital. Yet doing so can be a challenge at times, especially when dealing with the most connected group around.

HR Career Success

How do I approach salary negotiations?

Q: I have worked as an accountant, for both Big Four and small firms, for 15 years and I am returning to Hong Kong after 10 years away, so I am looking to get back into the job market here. I earned a fairly high wage in my job in Australia and I would like to keep my salary on an upward scale. I have never before had to negotiate a wage though and I worry that I might be a little out of touch with salary trends in Hong Kong. How do you think I should approach the process?

How to Get Promoted

4 Ways to Get Your Next Promotion

Here are some ways you can be proactive and forward-thinking in your quest to get your next promotion.

Advice Columnist

4 Networking Mistakes to Avoid

Knowing the networking mistakes you should avoid in the first place will help you create and maintain an effective network to draw on for future inspiration and guidance.

HR Career Success

Don’t discount arts graduates for tech roles

What do an arts major and IT managers have in common? In short, the answer could well be “a lot more than you might think”. Personally, I have been involved with the arts from the age of 10 and had no intention of going into technology until after I had left university. The greatest programmer I ever worked with had a philosophy degree and, throughout my career, the majority of my colleagues didn’t offer computer science degrees.