Advice for a new Marketing Grad

[j77892]

Hi everyone,

I would really appreciate some advice from the members at geoexpat.

I recently graduated from a business school in Canada and majored in marketing. I was lucky enough to land an internship with a multinational public relations firm before I graduated and went back to HK for 3 months to do it. I was offered a full time position at the end of it, but I decided that the company wasn't really right for me and I didn't really like agency life after all. So now I'm back in Canada...which in hindsight was a dumb move.

I did some calculations in terms of rent/living costs if I were to move back to HK...and it looks like I would need 16k to 18k...but I think I know the market well enough that it's probably near impossible to find a marketing job which pays this much. I've been applying to jobs to HK from Canada...but haven't received any responses so far probably because I put down my Canadian phone number (my HK one is naturally no longer in service).

In terms of why I want to move back...I really like the environment of Hong Kong and just can't stand it here in Canada. I don't have a place to live in because my family immigrated to Canada many years ago.

About me:
- I have a degree in marketing
- I've had 3 jobs (2 in canada) by now (they are all related to digital marketing in some way, and one of them is the multinational PR firm I mentioned earlier)
- each of these jobs was completed through the summer
- I speak completely fluent Cantonese and English (writing is not quite at the level of locals...but it will suffice as I had no problems with my other jobs which required chinese)
- I have an HKID
- I'm not interested in account servicing (agencies) as liasing with clients as a main job duty is totally not my strength.

Questions:
- Is it really that hard to land a good job for entry level?
- With my previous experience, does this put me in somewhat of a better position than other graduates with less experience than me?
- What is a fair salary for someone like me?
- Do employers mind that I have a 2 month gap of unemployment? Or will I have to somehow make something up that I was doing something else during that time?
- Any ideas of what sorts of larger companies hire for marketing positions which don't require too much experience?
- Would contacting a recruiter be useful? I haven't dealt much with recruiters in the past so I am not too experienced in that respect.
- What would be the best way to approach the salary expectation issue that all the job postings seem to have nowadays?

Thank you so much for reading my long post, and thank you in advance for any responses I can get. I'm feeling kind of stressed/down now because things haven't really been working out for me.

[usehername]

I would try a recruiter but I think it's unlikely you'd get 18k as entry level. 16k *maybe*. Your biggest problem though are interviews- they'll want to meet you in person. Can you afford to come here to job hunt for 6 months?

[z754103]

Also - get yourself a HK number via Skype or equivalent, especially one that can take voice messages

[j77892]

I would try a recruiter but I think it's unlikely you'd get 18k as entry level. 16k *maybe*. Your biggest problem though are interviews- they'll want to meet you in person. Can you afford to come here to job hunt for 6 months?

Thanks, I understand the salary is low for entry level. I can afford a few months, but definitely don't have an extra 6K CAD lying around..I would hope that it wouldn't take that long...

Also - get yourself a HK number via Skype or equivalent, especially one that can take voice messages

wow, thank you SO MUCH. I was trying to solve the problem of the phone number for quite a while now, but didn't know what to do. Thanks a lot. Bought one already...very reasonably priced considering I'm not in HK.

[HK2A430]

It depends on how adventurous and what kind of standards you have, but as I was walking home tonight I stopped to look at a real estate agency and one place had rooms with a private toilet for $4,500/month. If you're single, just starting out, and really want to try and establish yourself here, it might not be a bad idea as you can extend your budget. You'll probably spend most of your time in the office anyway.

For comparison, the lowest amount my wife and I have gotten by on in a month was $19.5k. Another way to think about it is that a lot of locals (i.e. those in blue-collar jobs) make peanuts over here, and they get by, albeit with standards much lower than what we're used to in North America. Again, it all depends on what you're able to tolerate.

You mentioned that turning down the full time job was a dumb move. Any chance that they still want you? Being entry level (unless you're a proven superstar) means that you have to take your lumps and take a job that's not completely ideal, but if you have the right skills and attitude, you'll move up quickly.

Good luck, and hope you feel better.

[shenwen]

Just to be clear, you don't want to work at an agency, you want to work client-side?

What kind of role do you see yourself doing?

[j77892]

It depends on how adventurous and what kind of standards you have, but as I was walking home tonight I stopped to look at a real estate agency and one place had rooms with a private toilet for $4,500/month. If you're single, just starting out, and really want to try and establish yourself here, it might not be a bad idea as you can extend your budget. You'll probably spend most of your time in the office anyway.

For comparison, the lowest amount my wife and I have gotten by on in a month was $19.5k. Another way to think about it is that a lot of locals (i.e. those in blue-collar jobs) make peanuts over here, and they get by, albeit with standards much lower than what we're used to in North America. Again, it all depends on what you're able to tolerate.

You mentioned that turning down the full time job was a dumb move. Any chance that they still want you? Being entry level (unless you're a proven superstar) means that you have to take your lumps and take a job that's not completely ideal, but if you have the right skills and attitude, you'll move up quickly.

Good luck, and hope you feel better.

Thanks for the reply. My standards aren't high, but at the very least I'd like a clean place to live in where everything works properly lol.

Well yes, it was a dumb move at the time, but I would have needed to actively look for a better job and get out as soon as possible because the pay definitely wasn't sustaining. So, even if they wanted me back it wouldn't be feasible financially.

Just to be clear, you don't want to work at an agency, you want to work client-side?

What kind of role do you see yourself doing?

Yes, it would be ideal to be in client side. Well I guess I kind of contradicted myself in the beginning post...I wouldn't mind working at an agency as long as I'm not stuck in an account servicing role. So..maybe a creative role or something.

Okay let's put it this way. I'm someone who's more into the strategic marketing side of things...not really into "selling" services to companies.

[Adore]

I'm similar to you and here was my experience... You're not going to like this...

I'm Canadian, speak English and Cantonese, have an MBA, eight years of client side marketing, e-commerce and data analytics experience and my HKID. I spent three months this past summer/fall in Hong Kong and had zero interviews. I networked, tried recruiters and was applying to jobs a good three months before I arrived and still nothing. I have a number of family and friends in Hong Kong and tried everyone they knew as well. I spent $5,000 CAD over those three months. Living out of guesthouses and not being able to get an apartment (due to not having a job or knowing my financial stability) was a huge drain on finances. I had the crazy idea that I'd actually find a job within two months. I stayed a bit longer but eventually went over my predetermined budget and wasn't comfortable going into my savings while paying for both my Hong Kong and Canadian expenses. So a month ago I returned to Canada.

In the end I never figured out why I couldn't even score an interview. It could've been the timing with it being summer turning into fall but I have no idea. I haven't stopped applying to jobs, my Hong Kong number is still active and still no calls.

[usehername]

What did the recruiters say?

[j77892]

I'm similar to you and here was my experience... You're not going to like this...

I'm Canadian, speak English and Cantonese, have an MBA, eight years of client side marketing, e-commerce and data analytics experience and my HKID. I spent three months this past summer/fall in Hong Kong and had zero interviews. I networked, tried recruiters and was applying to jobs a good three months before I arrived and still nothing. I have a number of family and friends in Hong Kong and tried everyone they knew as well. I spent $5,000 CAD over those three months. Living out of guesthouses and not being able to get an apartment (due to not having a job or knowing my financial stability) was a huge drain on finances. I had the crazy idea that I'd actually find a job within two months. I stayed a bit longer but eventually went over my predetermined budget and wasn't comfortable going into my savings while paying for both my Hong Kong and Canadian expenses. So a month ago I returned to Canada.

In the end I never figured out why I couldn't even score an interview. It could've been the timing with it being summer turning into fall but I have no idea. I haven't stopped applying to jobs, my Hong Kong number is still active and still no calls.

ah...i'm sorry to hear that. we are quite similar!...except you've got a lot more experience than I do haha. best of luck with the job hunt~