frustrated with unemployment

[MovingIn07]

Good luck Sophie. We are recruiting but looking for low level analysts with a degree in economics, or high level people with a book of consulting for Asia, so not really relevant to you.

All our high level people have come from the "friend of a friend" route so I agree with what everyone here has said about networking, but you do need to network with the right people - for example, you could try the AmCham committee meetings (American Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong) - Home) - the one I go to which is not your area is open to all, you just turn up and listen to the meeting, but if you find one slightly related to your area you might find it starts a chain of networking that helps.

PS - you don't need to be american to go to amcham!

And PLEASE ignore all those people who think you should be spending time with your children! I actually find such comments really insulting but no doubt will get red blobbed for saying so!

If you want to work you have EVERY RIGHT to look for work and I am sure as a professional you have already spent time thinking about childcare options etc and I think that's all your own business.

Best of luck.

[carang]

good luck sophie,
who knows maybe one of the tips here will lead to something in your field?

[via]

I had no idea that pointing out HK’s long working hours was "insulting".

I have no intention of doing that.

I know I am off topic and I will shut my mouth now.

[timklip]

if your working is not about financial considerations, but rather simply a need to get out of the house (and who doesn't have those feelings after a while? after mat leave and 4 mths of unpaid leave, my wife is going berserk! lol) would you consider volunteering? i'm sure you could occupy your time at one of the many orgs in town...

[Sophienaz]

with ur expertise i guess it s better to find an employment agent than just online recruiters. a frd of mine s running an HR company if u r interested. my email: [email protected]
you are on a dependent visa, right? but what about the baby if u go to work? btw, there are alot more choices on TV than just tellytubbies LOL dont be sad.

Hi there, Thanks for the kind words. I actually have a helper already, and I can work here no problem in visa terms, but its just so hard to find jobs in science here. I had no problem in the UK with this, I guess there are more geeks here to compete with. As for other kiddie shows, dont' get me started. I am forced to watch everything on Disney Playhouse and Cbeebies, and they repeat the shows, I know the dialogue, its awful. My toddler insists of me sitting down with him to watch this soul-sucking nonsense, bless him. Never mind! He howls if I walk out of the room. Can't wait till he is old enough to watch Discovery Channel......

[Sophienaz]

Hi Sophie, I hear ya. When I came to HK two years ago, despite having two supposedly well-regarded degrees I couldn't seem to find anything that "fits". Eventually I figured out that in a place such as Hong Kong, everything depends on connections (something which I refused to believe when I first got here), and hence the best way to sort out one's career (amongst other things) is to start mingling - which this site is excellent for - either at social functions or through volunteering / fringe work.

As for online job databases, I'm sorry to say there're mostly rubbish, either because there are no professionals to follow-up with you, or (more importantly) the better pickings are usually registered with headhunters and not posted online. Which means you should really consider getting in touch with a few agencies, at least those which don't serve the financial sector exclusively.

Hi there,

Cheers for the advice, you basically said everything I have feared but have been ignoring, i.e. the networking issue. I just arrogantly assumed that if you are good enough, you will find work. I really can't be bothered with mingling with strangers and flirting with random freaks just to get my foot in the door, but I fear this is what I am going to have to do. I need to lose my baby weight first, am half way there, then I can actually look good in my suit, at the minute it looks like I'm wearing spandex when I put it on. Between that and the humidity-induced profuse sweating problem, I don't look too professional at the minute, couple more weeks and I can look the part. Thanks again, Sophie

[Sophienaz]

Sophie

I totally sympathise with you and your frustration as I've been there myself.

Because your role is pretty specialised then you're going to need to Network and to try and go to some of the social events such as oriented etc and see if theres anybody working for the big labs etc out here.

Also because you seem to be vegetating and not using your brain as much as you'd like thought about doing some courses in the meantime to at least keep your mind active and maybe make yourself a little more marketable, i.e language lessons?

Hi,

Thanks for the advice, and yes, you hit the nail on the head, I think language lessons is a perfect idea. One of the biggest issue with working in the forensic lab here is that I need to pass a written and spoken test in Cantonese. Spoken, I can jsut about do with good tuition, writing....hmmm...not sure, the alphabet looks v complicated. In any case, I'll get on the case and sort out a course. Cheers again, Sophie

[Sophienaz]

For HK government jobs they need you to be in HK for more than 7 years and have HKID; Unless they hire you to be a consultant, but that is few and far in between.

Sophienaz: Are you sure you don't want to spend more time with your children? HK work hours are very long, you may not have time to spend with your children once you start working.

Hi there,

I have a HKID, but I need to pass a written and spoken test in cantonese to join the civil service here, I didn't know about this till I moved. Silly me. In any case, yes I hear that HK working hours are very long-my husband works for Citigroup and leaves early and comes home at 11pm most days, never see him, only weekends.

It is a sacrifice to work, but I did it in the UK as soon as my toddler was 6 months old, dumped him in nursery and I loved it. I was going mad and missed the intellectual stimulation. However, my hours were very easy and flexible. From waht I gatehr the geeky science jobs here have OK hours. Thing is, both my little monsters get up at 5am (nightmare, dont' go there, I've tried everyting in the book to resolve this), so even if I had to be at work at 9am, I still get 3 hours with them every morning.

But its a good point you brought up, just depends on what sector you work in. I do miss working though and being unemployed, I have totally lost my confidence, it really sucks.

Thanks again for the advice,
Sophie

[Sophienaz]

sophie,
i may be looking for someone to help with my playgroup. are you interested?

i would ideally like someone to share the workload, so you'd still have free time with your little ones. (if you have a helper, you could even bring your little ones to work with you...)

please let me know, i know it's not in your field, but it would get you out of the house. (although, you'd still be around little kids...but not a teletubby in sight ....i can't stand them!)
cara

Hi Cara,

Thanks very much for the offer, very kind. But I'm afraid I'm ironically not very good with kids. It sounds crazy, I'm good with mine, but I don't have the fantastic energy and charisma I see in these women that run playgroups, I just dont' have what it takes, I really envy them sometimes, they seem so good at it.

Glad to know you can't stand tellytubbies either and if you ever need a forensic examination of any items in your playgroup, you know where to find me....

Cheers,
Sophie

[Sophienaz]

I'm OK with Barney but it's that little dinosaur friend of his that really pisses me off. Have taken a disturbing dislike to him/her (not sure if it is male or female). I love you, you love me, we're good friends like friends should be.....F@ck off Barney!!!!!! Sympathise with you Sophie but absolutely no useful advice.

Barney and his friend are evil and should be set on fire. But more importantly, those irritating teenagers on the Funhouse show, the ones that sing and think they have talent, should be thrown into a vat of nitric acid. I hate them so much it hurts. why do people become children's televison presneters anyway, is it because they are failed actors?