By Sophia Wong – Associate Consultant, Human Resources and Administration Recruitment, Links International Hong Kong
As a recruitment consultant in Hong Kong, I always ask my candidates to answer my three golden questions before proceeding to the next stage in their job search.
First, what do you like about your current job and what is your greatest achievement from this role? Second, what do you want to change or improve about your current role? Lastly, what will you expect from the next role? To answer the above questions, remuneration should be put aside, as money can’t always buy happiness or make you love your job.
The most common answers I have heard from my candidates when considering their next employer or company are: easy and transparent company culture, prefer better title, wonderful exposure and great work-life balance. I am not saying that these are bad answers, but do candidates really consider what exactly they want and what they can get from the current job market? Probably not!
Therefore, I have three suggestions for all job seekers (both active and passive) to think about before they dip into the job market.
- Know your strength(s) and use it! – I don’t mean for this to sound mean, but imagine yourself as an object in the human resource market. What kind of character or elements do you have that could make you special or stand out among others? It is extremely significant to understand your unique selling points.
- Plan ahead – Think about your five-year-plan. Many candidates do not take this into consideration or they have never thought about their future plan. It is in fact a critical topic that you need to face sooner or later. Besides the short-term career goal (mostly title and money), the middle to long-term goal is also crucial, as it drives you look forward to work and motivates you to learn new business knowledge. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to figure out what you want to achieve in the long run.
- Prepare a checklist that helps you analyse what kind of companies you prefer or want to work for, as this will provide you with a clear sense of which organisation could be your potential employer (for example, do you prefer a culture that is more Westernised or diverse? Do you prefer a small, medium or large sized company? What sort of industry attracts you?) If you have an idea of the ecosystem in your industry, you need to pinpoint some companies that you are open to. By doing this, your recruiter can utilise your list in order to help you achieve your career goals and provide you the latest market information.
Related Articles:
- Links Wins 4 Awards at HR Vendors of the Year!
- Advice for Graduates: Choosing the Right Internship for You
- 3 Telling Behaviours to Aid Your Hiring Decisions
With 20 years of recruitment experience in Asia, Links has been trusted by over 10,000 clients with finding the best people to build their businesses. Get in touch with own of our representatives and learn how we can help you expand your team.
