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Looking for jobs in HK whilst abroad..

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  1. #1

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    Mar 2013
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    Looking for jobs in HK whilst abroad..

    Hi everyone,

    I am new to the forum, and feel SO LUCKY to have found this! My partner and I have been planning to relocate to HK next year. I have tried to contact a few recruiters in HK, and basically they've just pushed me back and said without residency in HK, they can't do much.

    I would like some advice from anyone as to whether there are certain recruitment agencies that will work with foreigners, or whether it is best to go to HK and do some interviews prior to the relocation? I really want an offer before I get there...

    A bit about me:
    Australian born Chinese, with basic colloquial Cantonese (I can get by fine in HK), but basically zero cantonese financial lingo..
    Im a qualified CA in Australia (equivalent to an American CPA, bar some US legislation), I have Big 4 experience for external audit, and currently work for a listed financial services firm in Sydney as an internal auditor..

    Thank you so much for having a read ...


  2. #2

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    I am assuming here you both have HKID cards (permanent residents) and do not require employment visa sponsorship (that's another kettle of fish).

    It can be a good idea to meet recruiters face to face as there is a tendency to put resumes of people not living here straight in the "no" pile as they are not available for interview. You should also have local details in your resume, a phone number at the very least.

    So let the interviewers know when you will be making a visit and be ready for company interviews, i.e. bring suitable clothing, in case there are job openings available. If you return home, say you are prepared to come back to Hong Kong for an interview at short notice. It can take many, many months of job searching in Hong Kong and a short cut is an internal move. Networking is also very important so you can start that going when you visit.

    Football16 likes this.

  3. #3

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    Couldn't agree more with Claire regarding the local contact number. Ive been getting many more emails or call backs having those details in there than before. Even though I am currently in China, it definitely helps to get their initial attention and at least make it pass that first round - where as Claire mentioned it goes to the NO pile. Ive been looking for a while now and have finally arranged my current work so that I can work remotely in HK for one week a month... After June or so I should have my dependent VISA from my then to be wife. Really hoping that'll do it for me but I am prepared to move without a job if push comes to shove... GOOD LUCK!

    1conic likes this.

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Claire ex-ax:
    I am assuming here you both have HKID cards (permanent residents) and do not require employment visa sponsorship (that's another kettle of fish).
    I'm not sure why you'd assume that, except for convenience "without residency in HK" could easily mean either "without being physically present in HK" or "without the right to live/work in HK".

    1conic - can you make it clean if you have the right to live/work in HK or not? If not, a couple of things come to mind. You would need a visa to live/work in HK, and that puts you at a disadvantage. If your partner is a spouse of the opposite sex, you would only need one visa between you, because one can sponsor the other as a dependent - but if not, you will need one visa each. Given your timescale and (presumed) qualifications and experience, you might want to look into QMAS - it's a long and quite complicated path, but could lead somewhere good.

    Speaking of timescale... you're planning to move next year, meaning 2014? If so, I'd say you're looking for work a bit early, since I don't think many employers hire 10+ months out
    1conic likes this.

  5. #5

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    Thanks so much for replying.. unfortunately, I'm in that more complicated bucket of requiring a visa sponsorship....

    I guess my best option would be to get to HK first and start the job hunt from there i'll be available for interview that way?

    My partner works in digital media and hes had the luxury of interviewing over Skype etc., hence why I was wondering whether recruiters would catchup with me that way first..


  6. #6

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    I'm looking for a job myself so I'm definitely not a success story....yet. I've been here for 3 months and have been looking for a job since. I dont have an HKID and I dont have the big 4 experience that you have, so your profile might be better than me, hence, better chance.

    What I did last year, was I picked a day that I will be in Hong Kong and notated that on my CV. I started getting replies from recruiters and we started to schedule time to meet face to face. I pretty much spent one week of vacationing in Hong Kong just meeting recruiters. Obviously, no success yet, but thats what I did.

    I also notated my tentative date that I will permanently move to Hong Kong.

    As for recruiters, the ones that I worked with did not give me a firm 'you need ID,or we can't help you,' message, but they were being optimistic. I dont know if they were just being nice and did not want to reject me, or there is in fact hope.

    If you want to know the firms I spoke with, feel free to Private message me. Not vouching for their results, but I can defn share some firms in case you want to try someone new.

    If you go to the "working in Hong Kong" forum, you'll see a majority of people will suggest networking, rather than recruiting firms, so if your timing is flexible, you might want to search for some networking events and try to plan your vacation around that time. Between searching online (jobsDB, classified posts), recruiters, and networking (chamber of commerce events), I'm sure you'll find something if you have the right skillset.


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by vmlinuz:
    I'm not sure why you'd assume that, except for convenience "without residency in HK" could easily mean either "without being physically present in HK" or "without the right to live/work in HK".

    1conic - can you make it clean if you have the right to live/work in HK or not? If not, a couple of things come to mind. You would need a visa to live/work in HK, and that puts you at a disadvantage. If your partner is a spouse of the opposite sex, you would only need one visa between you, because one can sponsor the other as a dependent - but if not, you will need one visa each. Given your timescale and (presumed) qualifications and experience, you might want to look into QMAS - it's a long and quite complicated path, but could lead somewhere good.

    Speaking of timescale... you're planning to move next year, meaning 2014? If so, I'd say you're looking for work a bit early, since I don't think many employers hire 10+ months out
    Hello! Lovely to meet you and thanks so much for your reply!

    I will need to obtain a visa given Im not a HK resident, and no my partner is not my spouse


    Yes, 2014! The reason being is, because I know I am at a disadvantage, I'm trying to find as much information as possible, so I can somewhat be prepared.

    Sorry if Im asking ridiculous questions... I've been to HK a few times and I love the city, and I really want to make the transition as smoothly as possible...

    Do you think it is advisable to perhaps obtain a HK number I can transfer to my current mobile? I guess the thing is, I will be willing to fly in anytime for an interview..

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by vmlinuz:
    I'm not sure why you'd assume that, except for convenience "without residency in HK" could easily mean either "without being physically present in HK" or "without the right to live/work in HK".
    Convenience being the word here.

  9. #9

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    you will need a valid hkid. It is hard to get the hk office to sponsor you unless your skill set is highly coveted and if they would sponsor you, they would have hired you in the home country.


  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by damasque:
    you will need a valid hkid. It is hard to get the hk office to sponsor you unless your skill set is highly coveted and if they would sponsor you, they would have hired you in the home country.
    Hard but not impossible right? Ive read a lot of forum posts and it seems that it does happen, though some people are luckier than others.

    My skillsets probably wouldnt be called specialist, but I do know there is a shortage of qualified Chartered Accountants so (fingers crossed) I am in the right place at the right time....

    I am thinking of getting a working holiday visa so in the chance I do find something I can start work immediately - although the visa only allows 3 months working.. Does anyone know if I can go from a working holiday visa to a skilled migrant one?

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