How does a CBC find an IT consulting job?

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  1. #21
    @ ITCBC

    I'm happy to be reading your thread. My situation is very much like yours, except that I am looking for jobs in the finance industry, not IT.

    I was in vacation in Asia for the past couple of months. From Nov to Dec, I started jobhunting locally in HK. Unfortunately I wasn't very successful, certainly because I used jobsdb and monster which led to countless annoying calls from insurance companies and IFAs. Nevertheless I did learn a lot regarding the job search process in this city. I agree, networking is the best way to go.

    The job market was relatively quiet in December, especially for the finance industry. It was mainly due to the sub-prime issue which created a hiring freeze in banks globally. Also, since Christmas was approaching, recruitment activities just slowed down naturally.

    So I decided to come back to Canada at year-end. Now that Chinese New Year has passed and that major recruiters announced good prospects about hiring activities in the coming months, I decided to come back in 2 weeks and try again.

    I know it is difficult, especially because I need sponsorship. But I know I'll regret if I don't try when the job market is at its peak.

    Anyone got tips for me?
    Besides recruiters, who else can I contact?

    Perhaps those of us looking for a job can meet up in HK shortly. We can create a "jobhunting club", review each other's resumes and cover letters, practice interview skills and go to networking events together. Anyone interested, please contact me by PM.

  2. #22

    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    14,414

    HKforever

    Hmmm a job hunting club huh? I did one of those a couple of years ago and am happy to arrange another one whilst I'm in town.

    Yes the Finance market is gradually picking up but its still recovering from the subprime issues recently, I'm attending the oriented networking event next week so will see which contacts I can make in the meantime.

    Also you will need to be patient as the HR people are somewhat slow in getting back to you, You need to go straight to the decision makers to push things along otherwise you'll be waiting for an eternity.


  3. #23

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    2

    Hi
    Not sure if this will help but there are IT jobs out there but with your limited cantonese, you may want to avoid the smaller companies where cantonese is a must.
    As one poster mentioned, there are IT jobs out there, but they are never advertised as the positions are usually filled internally (promotions) or the manager/Director head hunts from another IT company.
    Depending on what you specialise in, I would advice you send your CV to the HR department to the larger companies such Microsoft, IBM, HSBC (IT dept) etc and follow up with a phone call to HR to make sure they have received your CV (get yourself noticed). With larger companies, your lack of writing and reading of cantonese, might not be too much of a hindrance if you can speak it as majority of paperwork is in English.

    lso, even though many jobs are taken internally, some cannot be filled this way and HR will eventually start searching their CV database.

    Good luck!


  4. #24

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    178

    any updates ?

    .... just wondering if ITCBC landed a consulting job in HK. If so, like to hear your experience.

    Would anyone like to comment on HK IT Security management consulting scene ? who are the major players ...etc ? Booz Allen, Accenture...

    cheers


  5. #25

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    16

    hey spooky

    no I didn't land a consulting job in HK.
    I had a few interviews with Deloitte consulting in HK, but didn't get an offer. probably because my limited cantonese and zero mandarin wasnt inline with their growth in china.

    I emailed my resume to a few contacts at other MNCs (multi-national-corportations?) like MSFT and HSBC and IBM and never got responses back. Only Accenture responded to my resume with a rejection that they dont need technical consultants, but rather more industry consultants like in manufacturing and sciences.

    Since March 08, I've stopped applying... focusing on my job in Toronto. Maybe I'll try HK again next fall if I can get some bank clients under my belt by then.

    If you are looking for IT security, you can try deloitte's ERS (enterprise risk services?). their focus is on IT security. If you have past experience in IT security consulting then you should have a leg up.

    PM me if you want more details.


  6. #26

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    HK Island
    Posts
    132

    Hi ITCBC,

    What kind of consulting work do you do in Toronto? I've seen the up & down of the local job market and this year has been pretty good, perhaps not as good as last year. I've noticed that there's been more turnovers and there're new faces in the office.

    The sentiment around town is kinda upbeat. Quite a few colleagues had moved on to greener pasture and the IT managers have been complaining of how hard it is to find the right ppl for to fill up the vacancy blah blah. From what I've read in this forum, it is easier to get interview if you're physically in HK. So you may want to plan your next trip to HK accordingly. Good luck


  7. #27

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    16

    I do IT consulting in Toronto. My last 3 yrs of experience range from designing and implementing an ecommerce site for a U.S. department store, to helping a bank set up a new call center after there was a merger with another bank.

    I don't do any coding, but more so business analysis... gathering requirements from the user and documenting it for the developers to do it. Recommending industry standards and best practices in the design of systems and business processes.

    Amongst other challenges (i.e. not being in HK locally, and not speaking fluent canto), I thought my key deficiency was the lack of financial services experience. I dont know much about the financial markets, and I dont have any exposure to the backoffice systems that manage all of the trades, etc.

    So this is why I stopped looking in HK, so that I can gain more knowledge (study CFA? MBA?) and try to get more banking experience so that the next time I apply, I would have a better chance applying remotely.


  8. #28

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    178

    hi ITCBC

    thanks for the mesg. Me too, I like to explore MBA to broaden my skills. But I still like IT security, like to do that for a while longer. Also if I can get into the likes of McKinsey, Bain, Booz Allen or Boston Consluting (BCG)... I heard they'll pay for my MBA that would be the best way to get into general management consultant. There's nothing like building up a team, take calculated risks and make things happen.

    ps: if u ever travel to Australia, PM me (if I am still here :-))


  9. #29

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    HK Island
    Posts
    132

    So you've already got 3 yrs of business analyst experience in Toronto and did get some related banking experience (call centre). How about the service providers like IBM & HP who may use your business analysis skills?

    There are other discussion threads about CFA and MBA but I'm not sure whether these would help you right away as it'd take at least a year to sit for exams. If you really want to try your luck in HK and giving up the stuffs that you've got in Canada, then it's better to do it sooner than later.

    I've got cousins and friends and schoolmates who're in the same boat as you and alot of them are able to make the move successfully. For the ones who're unable to secure a job in their field of specialization, they either switch fields or return back to Canada. The successful ones have one thing in common is that they don't have to worry about finding a permenant place to live.

    Real estate is very expensive in HK and once you get that behind you, the rest is as easy as catching a plane and then start job hunting.


  10. #30

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    40

    How's the job market now?

    Hi there, just wondering if anyone can give me an update on the job market in HK?

    I'm an IT business analyst working in investment banks (in London) and thinking about a move to HK for a while.

    I've heard mixed reviews that is it going strong, and that it is very quiet, so any updates would be very helpful!