survival kit for fresh grads!

8/15/2019 survival kit for fresh grads!

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In face of increasing competition and ever-changing market

condition, what do you think are the main concerns for fresh

graduates who may or may not embark on a career unrelated to

their first degree? Four common obstacles have been identified

as follows:

1. Bread or Life?

2. Social norms: Peer & family pressure

3. Passion Vs. Career

4. Lack of knowledge or expertise in the field

In this year forum, we invited past graduates and experienced

consultant to share with us their experience and to advise onhow to tackle these obstacles in their pursuit of success.

I am indebted to all our guest speakers- Breadianna, Fammy,

Shun and Miss Mo- and I also thank you all for supporting and

contributing to the great success of this year forum.

Irene Chan

Careers Centre Consultant

DETALIED SURVEY REPORT:

1. Did you apply or plan to apply for jobs that are unrelated to your

degree?

Nearly 90% of fresh graduates have applied or planned to apply for

jobs that are unrelated to your degree

- Yes: 46%- May be: 40%

- No: 14%

2. Do you think its very difficult to find a job thats unrelated to

your degree?

Around 50% of the students think that it is not difficult to find a job

unrelated to their first degree while the remaining 50% of the

students are neutral or of the view that it is not easy to find a job

that is unrelated to their first degree

- No: 50%

- Neutral: 25%

- Yes: 25%


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3. Do you think employers are willing to employ a fresh graduate

who did not study the discipline related to the job?

Approximately 50% of the students think that employers are

willing to employ a fresh graduate who did not study the discipline

related to the job while the remaining 50% are neutral or of the

contrary view

- No: 27.5%

- Neutral: 26.25%

- Yes: 46.25%

4. Do you think the first degree is important / relevant to ones

future career?

The majority of students still believe that their first degree is

important or relevant to their future career

- No: 29.1%

- Neutral: 35:45%

- Yes: 35.45%

5. Are you confident that you can find a job unrelated to your

degree? Around 50% of students have confidence in finding a job unrelated

to their first degree while the remaining 50% are not that

confidence or of a neutral view

- No: 23.75%

- Neutral: 27.5%

- Yes: 48.75%

6. What do you think are the main concerns for fresh graduates who

may or may not embark on a career unrelated to their first degree?

Top four obstacles:

1. Bread or Life?

2. Social norms: social status, peer and family pressure

3. Passion Vs. Career

4. Lack of knowledge or expertise in the field


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Ms. Breadianna, also known as Breadie Queen, was our first

distinguished guest speaker. She graduated from our

university in 1995 and it only took her 10 years to become the

CEO of Dreamy Breadie. Before sharing with us her

wonderful insights about career and life, we even got to taste

some of her cakes. They were so delicious!

Our Breadie Queen started off by asking us the following

question: Should we choose a well-paid job that we have no

interest in or should we do something that we really enjoy?

This is certainly not an easy decision to make. She then

carried on with her talk about Bread or Life.

First, she introduced us about Abraham Maslows hierarchy

of needs. Earnestly, she asked us not to be that

money-minded. We should not let money and all those

lower-order needs block our way. As a human being, we

need to satisfy some of the higher-order needs, e.g.

self-actualization and true happiness, in order to live a life.

She was very enthusiastic throughout her speech. Upon her

request, the attentive audiences shouted out loudly with her,

I am born to live but not to eat, so as to reinforce the central

theme of her speech that day.

Bread or Life?


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Another question probed us, Do you know what you want to

do? She told us that every one of us should have known what

we wanted. Very often, we lack confidence in ourselves and

deny our wants. We should have faith in our abilities.

Lastly, she encouraged us to take a good grasp of our youth andstart dreaming. Think Big! she exclaimed. In order to be a

true dreamer, just by dreaming alone is not enough. We have to

act it out. Her example about Dr. Lee Lok Sze, Rebecca struck us.

Dr. Lee had been engaging in different types of occupations before

being a polar scientist. As long as our goals are meaningful and

we have the guts to try out, we have already accomplished

something, Breadianna ended her speech by asking us not to be

too mindful about what we could get in the end, When youfollow your own course, there are struggles and sacrifices, but you

will not have to wait until you succeed to be happy. You are

happy for you have lived! The audiences were very thankful to

Breadianna for giving us such a good reflection on our lives.

You are

born to LIVE,

not just to

EAT!


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Our second guest speaker of the day was Fammy,

the current Chairlady of the Hong Kong Award for

Young People, a non-governmental organization.

She called herself Fammy because she loved her

family. We are not sure if that is just a joke, but it

was clear from her presentation that her family did

have a big influence on her.

To start off, she recalled the days when she was a

fresh graduate and her mom would scold her by

not meeting the family expectations. Those

expectations include mainly:

- The prestige that comes with a high income level- The need to continue family business

- The expectation to carry on the family tradition

- Other expectations that stem from the Chinese culture

To show that this is a common phenomenon,

Fammy cited another example Natalie, who

again, is a victim of family pressure. Althoughher student card labelled her as a 2006 law

graduate, Natalie actually preferred to become a

jewelry designer where her interest and talent lie.

But instead of choosing for herself, her family has

made up her mind for her. She simply had no

choice.

Family Pressure!


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To ease her worries, Fammy told Natalie a story about a

young man who wanted to become a musician, but was

pressured by his family to become an accountant. Who

was he? Elton John. Yes, the Elton John. There was anuproar from the audience when Fammy said his name! It

seems that many people were surprised or filled with

disbelief by the fact that Elton John almost became an

accountant!

Further, to help Natalie gain family support, Fammy gave

her 5 big tips to follow, which are also useful advice forfresh graduates who intend to pursue a career unrelated to

their first degree. They are:

1) To have a track record of making sound decisions for

yourself

(a)If you are a short-term enthusiast, erase this

impression from your parents.

(b)Build your resume by joining student

organizations, volunteer and part-time work.

(c)Take part in competitions to show off your talents.)

2) To have a clear plan

(a)Do research in the area of your interest.

(b)Carefully prepared list of courses and sound

financial projections.

(c)Purpose is to minimize doubts of parents and to

show that you have thought through problems.

3) To be determined

(a)Have faith & confidence.

(b)Stand firm when you are doubted.

(c)Always a key to success in job hunting.

4) To be flexible

(a)Be prepared to change course.

(b)Look out for reality concerns.

(c)Take a minor degree if possible

5) To try to be self-sufficient(a)Remove impression as a child.

(b)Have more freedom and strength of your own.

(c)Accomplish more.


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Even if you think that its too late to remedy your

track record or to make a clear plan, Fammy

advised the audience that we should all be ready to

step into society alone and be responsible for what

we choose. She also emphasized that there is no

need to worry about doing without family support,

because one could always look to the community

for help and encouragement.

In concluding her talk, Fammy clearly summarizes

the 3 essences for breaking through family

pressure:

self-confidence

a good plan

realistic goals


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Passion VS Career

The third guest speaker was Ah Shun, whoshared with us finding passion in our career.

She wore a red t-shirt on that day and all

audience could feel how passionate she was.

Ah Shun was a drama instructor teaching at

the Academy for Performing Arts (APA). She

was being a director, actor, and playwright at

the same time. We could say that her life isfull of drama. Even her friends questioned her

whether she would feel bored with drama.

Surprisingly, Ah Shun admitted that drama is her

life and she could not live without of drama. The

audience could not expect Ah Shun had once

studied dentistry and quitted it to study

performing arts at the APA. The audience could

feel that her life was dedicated to drama. Ah

shun then further shared the story of her friend,

Cheung Bo Wah, with us. The audience was

influenced by Ah Shun and convinced that passion

and career could co-exist.


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Ah Shun pointed out that employers were looking

for passionate candidates. She quoted an example

of a college graduate, Rick Kryzinski,demonstrating a person lacked passion might not

be able to sustain a job. Ah Shun held her fists

very tight and stared at all audience to emphasize

the importance of passion.

Finally, Ah Shun advised the audience to find a job

that meets their interests and to go for their

dreams. Ah Shun then asked the audience topromise her not to give themselves any excuses. I

could feel that the audience was moved by Ah

Shuns passion and inspired by her wonderful

sharing.


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ack of knowledge / expertise in the field

The last guest speaker invited by Ms. Irene Chan

was Miss Mo. She was the graduate of HKU in

Chemistry in 1997. Training manager of

McDonalds was her job since graduation instead of

any jobs related to Chemistry. She was called

Expert Mo as she knows everything about the

Catering Industry.

Today the speech on how to find a job unrelated to

your first degree was delivered by her. Miss Mo

was invited as the guest speaker as she was a good

example who had a lack of knowledge in catering

at the time she graduated.

Just when Ms. Chan introduced Miss Mo, Miss Mowas asked why she was still employed as a

management trainee in McDonalds after

graduation despite having no knowledge in

catering. The tension in the Career Forum was

eased by Expert Mos sense-of-humor. She

answered by asking the audiences did they think

that she was recruited as a MT because of her

beauty. This made all audiences laughed andthen the truth was told by Expert Mo with her

professional tone that she was employed just

because she had all the qualities desired by

McDonalds.


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This generated another question that made all the

attendants of the Career Forum to think deeply.

Impatience for Expert Mos answer on the desirable

qualities that university graduates should have was

shown by all participants after a brief discussion

with their peers. Then all the common qualities

desired by employers in Hong Kong today was

listed especially transferable skills such as

communication skills, leadership skills, problem

solving skills, etc and personalities that suit the

company culture such as values teamwork, being

open, innovative and adaptive to changing

environment, etc.

After quoting the advices from two successful

people in Hong Kong, the participants of the

Career Forum was told by Expert Mo that two ofher colleagues were invited to give advices to

them. Then the audiences were once again

amused by the hilarious Miss Mo as they were told

by Miss Mo that although her two colleagues also

had an irrelevant degree to catering, their career

were not as successful as Expert Mos. The

suggestions and advices given by Miss Mos

colleagues were practical and useful such as joingraduates sharing session for more updated

information of the company and industry, do

detailed research before applying the job and

interview, participate in ECAs and find summer

internships to equip you with knowledge and

transferable skills, etc.


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The speech delivered by Expert Mo was ended

with a memorable quote:

Dont let your voice of

self-diminishment haunts you! Dont fearabout not being good enough! Express

yourself!

The audiences, mostly final year students were

deeply impressed by Miss Mos speech and notes

were jotted by the participants during the delivery

of speech. Finally, a big round of applause wasgiven by the students as an appreciation to Miss

Mos lively performance.


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Summary by Ms Irene Chan, CEPC Consultant

Due to the overwhelming response, Ms. Irene Chan agreed to

take some time to answer questions from the forum. The

first question was:

Is first degree important for ones future career?

Irenes answer to this is that it is important that you have a

degree, but the kind of degree is not so important. Be proud

of the degree you have received and believe it has prepared

you for successful work in any field. She told students not

to worry about whether or not your degree exactly matches

the description of the job that interests you, because you learn

about your job by being a part of things. For instance, Irene

learned everything she knows about business in CEPC, not in

school. Either you learn or youre gone.

Further, she fully agreed with Breadianna that, coming out of

university, you are still fairly young, and thats the best time

to try new things. Dont limit yourself and dont let people

limit you. Look at your skills, no matter what they are, and

try to see how they could apply to different types of jobs. If

your first few jobs are not your ideals, treat them as the

opportunities for you to get real experience, to build up your

profile and to explore what you really want. Even if you do

not get the best at the start of your career, you at least get

something out of it and that is better than an empty page in

your life.


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Moving on to the second question:

What does university education give us?

Irene briefly reminded the audience of the valuable tips given

by Ms Mo on what employers are looking for from fresh

graduates. So if employers are not looking for what degree

you have, what, one may ask, does university education give

us? Are we producing qualities in our graduates that will

enable them to take on responsibility and solve problems that

we cannot foresee; or, are we just training knowledgeable

people who will become good technicians and analysts who

lack the capacity to lead or address broader concerns?

In Irenes view, the whole object of education is, or should be,

to develop the mind. At university, you are learning how to

learn. University education is not going to give you a job.

All it does is to give you a set of attitudes and a set of ideas

about work, about how information is used. A degree is not

what makes you marketable. Employers wont care what

degree you have if you can do the job. The bottom line is

can you get the job done?


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Lastly, Irene advised the students about the Three Dont:

1. Dont settle job for security:

Go for a situation that takes real advantage of your talents,

not just one that happens to be readily available. This

means you must enter the land of risk, look at different

options, perhaps wait a bit longer, and suffer some anxiety.

Its worth the trouble.

2. Dont take a job that under nourishes your spirit:

Look for a job where you feel the work is important, and

makes a difference to someone- the kind of job you can talk

about with pride when asked what you do. Long after you

have established yourself in the job market, it is your

spiritual bank account that will matter the most.

3. Dont take a job for status alone:

Signing with a household name corporation or entering a

respectable profession may be nice to talk about to your

friends and family, but it doesnt last if you chose that

career largely for reason of identity. Look a little bit closer.

Does the job fit who you are as a person? Are you

challenged, maybe even inspired, by what goes on there, or

is it just a place to hang your hat?

And that ends the 2006 Annual Careers Forum.

Please note: The above is a highlight of the 2006 Annual Careers

Forum and is not meant to cover every detail mentioned during the

talk. For a full coverage, students are encouraged to refer to the

powerpoint file which is stored on the CD-rom in this package.


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The personal sharings below

are made by volunteers of

the Careers Center who

aided in the preparation of

the 2006 Annual Careers

Forum.

The career forum was successfully held on 10 th May 2006.

Honestly, we did not expect the forum could be that successful.

Hard work really pays off. At first, it was really hard to

thematize the talk. We had interviewed various people about

their views on careers but it was difficult to link their stories

together. Luckily, after further brainstorming, we ended up with

our theme, to break and burn all those misconceptions about

careers.

The survey results are quite positive. Students nowadays are

prepared to take on new challenges. They are ready to engage in

jobs that are unrelated to their first degrees. In a way, it is the

trend these days. University education is not providing us with

any vocational training. We are just learning how to learn. It is

more important for us to try out new challenges and learn from

our own experience. Looking back in my three-year university

life, I have no regrets. I am now fully prepared for any obstacles

ahead.

By doing research on the 4 obstacles, I took the chance to reflect

on my own life. Making career choices is not easy, very often we

will be carried away by many different circumstances in life, e.g.

money, family pressure, and anything you name it. After

preparing for the career forum, I have learnt how to be morefocused on myself, to know what I really want. Things will not

always turn out the way we want it to, we should strike a

balance between our wants and the reality.

Vienne Luk


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Lastly, I would like to thank all of my fellow group mates. I

enjoy working with them, especially the painful

brainstorming experience. We exchanged our own ideas,

rebutted others and built our own on top of the ideas other had.

It is a wonderful learning experience for me. Luckily, we did notargue. Also, I really appreciate the help Career Centre offered

us. If you would like to seek career advice, go and have an

appointment with Ms. Irene Chan. She is very laid-back and it is

very comfortable talking to her. Another big thank you to

Professor Yeung as well, thanks for suggesting the topic. We do

not learn anything substantial, e.g. any particular career or any

potential business, however, we have got a chance to stop and

think about our lives. University is a place for us to get to know

more about ourselves. After stepping out of the university, we

will not have time to think. Finally, I get to talk to myself!

Introduction

As part of the team at this years Annual Careers Forum, my

tasks included making the powerpoint presentations, throwing

out crazy ideas, as well as contacting and interviewing guests.

I must thank my team members for bearing with me, and for

being fun and productive at the same time!

LAI Hiu Yeung, Ryanne


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The Major Challenges

The biggest problem we faced during preparation was to decide

on how to present our materials. We wanted students to enjoy

the talk. After very many meeting sessions, and after crossing

out a dozen plans, we have came up with our current

presentation method which is interactive while not sacrificing

the meat of the talk.

The Most Memorable Moments

However, the fruitfulness of this talk does not lie in what the

audience sees instead, it is what happens behind the scenes

that us, as volunteers, got the most out of. Let me recount the

two most memorable instances:

Interview with the CEO of the HK Award for Young People

Mr. Lai Pui Wing is the Chief Executive Officer of AYP Hong

Kong division. He amazed me by his passion of serving in this

NGO by constantly defining higher goals for himself. Among

his spare time, he would dream about how to break world

records, such as organizing the first ever canoeing competition

which starts in HK and ends in Cheung Shar, Mainland. It

became a reality in August 2000 upon the organizations 40thanniversary. Moreover, he shared valuable experiences with us

on what he looks for in a fresh graduate. He gave us an

example which I cannot forget during a job interview, a fresh

grad suddenly fleshed out some posters made by herself about

HKAYP. Although her art degree has nothing to do with the

job, Mr. Lai was moved by her passion and gladly accepted her

as an employee.

Interview with Irene Chan

Secondly, the interview with Ms. Irene Chan from the Careers

Centre was especially unforgettable. At a point, she mentioned

how she wanted to help the poor children in rural China. I also

told her how I felt exactly the same when I went to Gansu in

north-west China three years ago, and about my plan of giving

up my career as a lawyer to pursue this ultimate goal of helping

poor children in China in the future. It was a rare occasion

where I really felt emotionally connected with someone on

this topic. The tears that filled her eyes also filled up mine.


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On the other hand, when we asked for Irenes views on

pursuing a career unrelated to ones first degree, she did not

reply but asked us in return: What do you think a university

should give its students? After much discussion, we came to

an agreement: A university is only successful if its students

know what they want to do in their lives after graduation.

This statement reminds me of what once said (sorry it is

in Chinese):

Liberal Education

Indeed, this is what we lack in HK universities. Perhaps this iswhy many fresh graduates are unable to identify their goals in

life. Perhaps those so-called university traditions or hall

cultures are not helpful (or even damaging) to a students

character-building.

The 17th anniversary of the June-Fourth Tiananmen Massacre is

around the corner. I wonder how many university students

still care about it?

Conclusion

I am in debt to my wonderful colleagues and the many people

whom I have interviewed for giving me this unforgettable

experience. I would especially want to thank Natalie for letting

me display her lovely jewelry designs on our powerpoint.

More importantly, I would need to thank my great buddie

Bonnie Wong, who is a great team player and took up her duties

responsibly (shes always the fastest worker with a lot to

contribute), despite the fact that she just had an operation in

hospital and had not fully recovered yet! Thank you.


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I have gained a lot through organizing and participating in the

forum. My group mates and I encountered many obstacles

during our preparation work. At first, we spent a lot of time on

formulating the forum title. We had changed the forum title for

a few times. Our objective was to hold a forum that could relate

to matters that students were most concerned with. The most

direct method to know their worries was to talk to them. After

collecting their feedbacks, we set Break and Burn as our forum

title. Then, we started to find the things we need to break and

the ways to burn them.

Questionnaires were made to ask the respondents to rank their

top obstacles to their future career. Most of my group mates

were from the Faculty of Law. It was difficult to distribute the

questionnaires to students from the non-professional faculties in

the beginning. We then solved this problem by giving out the

questionnaires to students taking the course, Career Skills

Training. The respondent base is broadened and we could makea better analysis. Besides friends, students taking the same

courses as us can be one of our respondents.

The second step was to discover the ways to solve the obstacles

students encountered in making their career choice. We have

done a lot of literature review, including Chinese and English

publications. The cases happened in foreign countries were

applicable to Hong Kong cases as well. They gave us a lot of

valuable and helpful information. We should value the findings

made by foreign countries in doing our research later.

Jacqueline Fong


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Interview is another means to get the solutions to the obstacles.

It provides a chance for us to ask follow-up questions and to get

an answer that is directly related to our question. The CEPC

consultant, Irene Chan, was very helpful in answering our

queries. We got a lot of useful solutions and inspirations fromher. I know there are many students who have a misconception

that CEPC is just a place to provide job information. They do not

know there are consultants stationed in the CEPC. Through

organizing this forum, I can get to know more about the

valuable resources of the CEPC and share them with my friends

and classmates.

Before the surveys and interviews were conducted, I alwaysthought that first degree was very important and related to my

future career. I would pursue my career in the financial industry

and become a competent player in the field is my goal. I have

seldom considered choices other than the financial industry. To

my surprise, many respondents believed first degree was of

little important to their future careers. The interviewees told us

first degree was sometimes even unrelated to future career. They

shared with us that what the meaning of career is. I am greatly

inspired by the interviewees and I start to think about my career

and future again. In order to lead a happy life, I would go for

my dreams and consider a job that I have passion and interests

in it.

The forum was such a great success! I enjoy a lot throughout the

whole process of the forum. Not only do me benefit from

organizing the forum, participants gain a lot through attending

the forum.


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As the volunteer helper of Break and Burn Annual Career

Forum 2006, I was responsible for gathering opinions from

final year science students of HKU on obstacles in finding a

career unrelated to their first degree by delivering

questionnaires to them. The feedback given by my peers was

that they were very excited about this coming career forum and

they were glad that Career Centre could provide them with

practical guidelines and advices on how to search for a job

irrelevant to the first degree. As a final year Chemistry with

Management student, I experienced the same kinds of

difficulties as my friends --- since it is not easy to find a job

related to science nowadays in Hong Kong, which is a city well

known as a financial centre stresses on making money through

business, how can I stand out from those who have knowledge

in jobs such as financial consultant, management trainee of a

logistics company, etc. directly related to their first degree?

Besides giving out questionnaires to my friends in the Faculty of

Science, I also interviewed two of the colleagues of my part-time

job in Form 5, who were the Human Resources Manager and the

First Assistant Manager of McDonalds, Ms. Cindy Ma and Mr.

Kenny Sun respectively. Both of them gave practical and useful

suggestions for final year students which helped them wellprepare for pacing their road to their desired career. They also

told me that it was a good idea for HKU Career Centre to

organize such a career forum because when they are studying

their first degree, nobody gave them guidance on how to

prepare themselves before start searching for jobs. This kind of

forum undoubtedly was a useful aid to all final year students

like me to equip themselves with qualities desired by employers

before graduation, which in turn raised the chance of us beingrecruited by companies in Hong Kong as soon as we graduated

from universities.

WONG Tin Wai Bonnie


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Through cooperation with other volunteers, which I learnt the

value of teamwork and the importance of active interaction with

teammates, Break and Burn Annual Career Forum 2006 was

run perfectly on May 10, 2006 afternoon. Around three hundred

final year students waited impatiently for the start of the forum

and then, during their active participation, anxiety shown on

their faces meant that they were very worried about not being

able to find their desired career after graduation. Luckily, all of

them left the Meng Wah Centre with satisfaction and relief on

their faces at the end of forum.

This showed that the effort of mine and others who participated

in preparing the forum was appreciated by the audiences. I was

delighted that the audiences and I gained a lot from the forumand being a helper, I acquired a lot of transferable skills such as

communication skills, problem solving skills and organization

skills. I also realized that being open to others ideas and

innovative are very important to get a desirable job.

Last but not least, the opinions written by the students on the

evaluation sheet gave a solid evidence of the success of Break

and Burn Annual Career Forum 2006. I hoped that HKUCareer Centre can organize this forum in the future to help

students who are now in their junior year to find their desired

lifelong career after graduation.

In this increasingly competitive world, I found myself lost in the

maze of the job market. Which job should I choose? How should

I choose my career? Ideally, what job do I want to do?Realistically, what job can I do? There are loads of questions

swirling in my mind and my greatest fear is that I will begin my

career at the wrong starting point which leads my astray.

KUNG Shun Fong


27/39

Fortunately, I found the guiding light in this years annual

forum organized by the career center. I am enlightened by the

new definition of career: career is a lifelong series of

experiences, skills, learning, transitions, and identity changes. Ilove the idea that career development is a self-directed

continuous learning but not formal training. In the past, I was

afraid that my career would be largely determined by my initial

choice of occupation. Now, I look at my career path as the sum

total of every choice I make on an ongoing basis. This helps

alleviate my fear and worries in that career choices are no longer

one big choice or a once-in-a-lifetime choice. Rather, I am

making career choices everyday in the form of continuous

learning decisions. I do have choices and there are ample

opportunities for those who are well equipped.

I also discovered the root of my quandary- I do not know

myself! How can I make my choice of career if I do not even

know what I need and what I want? I do have my dream and

now I believe that a persons life dream is ones driving force in

pursuit of lifelong learning.

Form a practical perspective, the annual forum has also given

me invaluable guidance on how to pursue my career in a

step-by-step process. Following the guest speakers advice, I

have now drawn up a plan and I would like to share it with all

of you:

1. Set a goal

2. Be determined to pursue to goal3. Pursue the goal step by step: grasp every opportunity to

build up your profile and relevant experience

4. Be ready for new challenges

5. Excel at what I work and I can make a difference to the

world


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Ten tips

on finding your

desired job

Attend Career Talks &

Job Fairs

Build an ImpressiveResume & Cover letter

Consult Professionals &Alumni

Do Detailed Researchof the company & the

industry

Expand your socialnetwork to raise your

chance

Find summer internship

& Part-time jobs

Go on searching untilyou find one

Have Confidence inyourself

Interact with HRProfessionals of the

company

Join Graduates Sharingsession


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All our dreams can come true

if we have the courage to pursue

them Walt Disney

The future belongs to those who

believe in the beauty of their dreams."---Eleanor Roosevelt

"Never give in--never, never, never,never, in nothing great or small,

large or petty, never give in except

to convictions of honour and good

sense. Never yield to force; never

yield to the apparently

overwhelming might of the

enemy." ---Winston Churchill

All you have to do is know

where you're going. The

answers will come to you oftheir own accord.

---Earl Nightingale


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"I am not discouraged,

because every wrong

attempt discarded is

another step forward."

---Thomas Edison

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every

opportunity; an optimist sees the

opportunity in every difficulty."

---Winston Churchill

Think BIG! You are going

to be thinking anyway, so

think BIG! --- Donald

Trump

People with goals succeed because they

know where they're going.---Earl

Ni htin ale


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Find out the following words in the box above and deletethem. Then you will find the ANSWER!

The first one has been done for you, VIP.

You try the rest!

action; bread; break; burn; cepc; dreams; expertise faith; family

support; first degree; free; goal; interests; learn; live; mind;

passion; research; risk; safe; social norms; talent; transferable

skills; vip

To see the answer, turn this page up-side-down (dont cheat)!


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Start writing your

resume & cover letter:

move 1 step forward

Participate in

ECAs & Volunteer

Services to acquire

transferable skills:

Move 2 stepsforward

Attend career talk & job fair:

Move 1 step forward

Did not tailor-make your

cover letter to impress

employers with qualities theydesire:Move 3 steps backward

Congratulations!

Invitation to

interview!Another

chance to throw your

dice!

Did detailed research of

the company & industry:

Move 2 steps forward

Consult professionals in

CEPC to improve interview

skills:Move 1 step forward

Cannot proceed

to next round of

interview due to

lack of

preparation:

Move 2 steps

backward

Join Graduates

Sharing Session

& keep in touch

with Alumni:

Another chance to

throw your dice!

Have Strong

confidence in

yourself &

Persist to find

a job:

Move 1 step

forward

Congratulations!

You have found

your desired

career!


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BOOKS:

1. Laurence G. Boldt, How to Find the Work You Love

2. Douglas T. Hall, Careers In and Out of Organizations

3. Howard Figler, Liberal Education And Careers Today

4. Robert B. Maddux, Quality Interviewing (Third Edition)

5. Jon Warner, Conducting a Recruitment/Selection Interview

6. Jon Warner, Effective Performance at a

Recruitment/Selection Interview

WEBSITES:

7. http://www.changingcourse.com

8. http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/maslow.html

9. http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow.html

10. http://www.gettyimages.com

11. http://www.quotemountain.com/quotes/quotable_quotes/

12. http://www.achehtimes.com/qquotes/

13. http://www.transformationpages.co.za/quotations.htm


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We would like to thank the following generous persons who

helped, contributed or supported our annual forum:

Dr. Yeung Ka Ching

Ms Irene Chan, Consultant at CEPC, HKU

Miss Breadianna Luk

Miss Fammy Lai

Miss Shun Fong

Miss Mo

Mr., CEO of KMB

Mr. Lai Pui Wing, CEO of Hong Kong Award for Young

People

Ms. Quince Chong (), Director Service Delivery

of Cathay Pacific Airways

Ms. Cindy Ma, Human Resources Manager of

McDonalds

Mr. Kenny Sun, first assistant manager of McDonalds Mr. Alex Cheung, APA drama tutor

This forum would not have been a success without your

unfailing guidance and support. Thank you!


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Below is theBelow is theBelow is theBelow is the summary /summary /summary /summary / transcript of the recording:transcript of the recording:transcript of the recording:transcript of the recording:

Transcript of our Interview with Irene Chan, Consultant of CEPC

Background

Irene Chen has been working as a human resource manager till 2002. Her

ob is not related to what she read in the university; she just grasped theopportunity. She quitted the job because of the extremely long hours

continuously (usually 8:30am-11:00/12:00pm) which left her with no life

besides office life. Irene reflected: I should control my life and my time.

She cautioned: Dont let others control your time and your life- I dont

want to spend my remaining working life in the office. After quitting the

job, Irene went to train teachers in the poor rural areas in China. At first

she wanted to be a teacher herself to teach the poor students but was

persuaded to be a trainer of the teacher. Eventually, she realized that there

are many ways to help people; so she went back to HKU career center as a

career consultant. Looking back at her career path, she said she had noregrets and was very satisfied with her current career.

Relationship between first degree and future career

From her experience as a career consultant Irene noted that not every

student chooses a job that relates to his first degree. The reality is that not

every student gets into the discipline that is his first choice and the main

concern is that students do not know what they really want (especially

BA). It is sad that HK students often had no passion and no career goal.

From an employers perspective, Irene said that employers usually recruitemployees from different discipline save for certain professions such as

doctors, lawyers and accountants. Instead of looking at what kind of

degree a candidate has, employers are looking for certain qualities in

fresh graduates: (1) willingness to work hard (long working hours

nowadays); (2) Flexible and active; (3) Clear career goal. Irene pointed out

that critical thinking skills is what most fresh gradates lack; To stand out

from the crowd, show your critical thinking skills through logical and

fluent presentation during interviews.

Knowing yourself is equally important as knowing what the employerswant. Irene remarked that sometimes the problem is not the candidate but

the external environment- is it the right time and the right place?

What do you expect to learn in the university?

Taking a broader perspective, Irene considered that career is a continuous

life-long learning. At the university, you are learning how to learn. She

advised students to leave some space to learn about the world but not

only knowledge on the book. Students should also make use of the

resources (e.g. mentor, tutor) available in the university to explore life.

She regarded university as the support and guidance in studentsexploration about their future. Irene encouraged students to step outside

the classroom to explore what they really want: When you are young,

take the chance to explore more so as to have a better knowledge of what

you really want. Ask yourself- why did you choose your first degree?


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Irene insisted that everyone should know what he wants- set a goal in

career and in life.

In respect of the dilemma between dream and reality, Irene said that: If

you know what you want and the possible conflict between your dream

and the reality constraints, you still have a choice. You can make anassessment and decide what you want to pursue your dream first or to

make a living first and then pursue your dream. Even if you choose a

career that is totally different from your dream, it does not mean that you

have given up your dream so long as you have a clear path to achieve the

goal step by step. Irene believed that passion and work are not mutually

exclusive and can be co-existent. Sometimes the problem is that people do

not really have a passion. On the one hand, if a person knows that his

hobbies can be turned into his career, thats fine because he knows what

he wants. On the other hand, if a person is in doubt in choosing what to

do, it is easier to think about what you really want to do. If you are doing

what you like, you will enjoy it and excel at it.

Irene emphasized that the very first step is to know yourself well- what

do you want? Then, set a goal and follow the path to pursue your goal.

Never mind what is your first few jobs- at least you get an experience of

the real life in the workplace and a touch of the business world. Irene also

advised students not to take a second degree immediately after the first

degree as one ends up at the same starting point as fresh grad in the

business world; she said that students better wait till they know what you

want to pursue before taking another degree.

Irene believed that the important thing to do is to build up your profile

step by step: Dont let yourself stuck!!! It is waste of time not to acquire

actual experience. In the business world, attitude (are you willing to

work?), mentality (are you ready for the job?), and experience are what

matter. The circle of working network is very small, work hard and

people will know and appreciate your effort (i.e. good referral).

To be prepared for job interviews, Irene advised students to do a research

about the field of work and the company so as to be well acquainted with

the industry and job nature. Candidates should also perform a self-check

so as to ascertain whether the work suits you.

Irene gave several examples to illustrate that first degree is not a

constraint but one can be equally competitive without a degree in the

relevant field. One example is a student studying economics and finance

at the university but end up working in a different field as much depends

on the job nature. Many companies such as Cathay Pacific provided

training to new employees. In fact, most employers hiring fresh graduates

know that they lack actual experience (if they have the skill and

experience that is of course an advantage) and thus training will usually

be provided.


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Recalling cases where students failed to find a job, Irene said that it is

mostly the result of a lack of self-check and wrong matching. But for

the students own personal problems (i.e. stubborn character, unrealistic

expectations), Irene noted that usually a fresh graduate can find a job

within three months.

In contrast, all the good examples concern students who know clearlywhat he wants and pursue the goal step by step. She gave the following

practical advice:

(1) Set a goal

(2) Determined to pursue to goal

(3) Pursue the goal step by step: grasp every opportunity to build up

your profile and relevant experience

(4) Be ready for the challenge!!!

(5) Excel at what you work and you may make a difference to the

world (you may pursue your dreams through many different

ways)

Example 1: A student who wanted to set up his own business since a

child- started running the software business while studying in the

university- the business worth 3 million upon his graduation

Example 2: A boy who discovered that he wanted a job that is different

from his first degree; so he comes to the career center to find out what his

weakness is and how to equip himself to match the requirements of the

job he wants to do.

Irenes last piece of advice is: Dont be too picky for your first job! If thefirst few jobs are not your ideals, treat it as an opportunity to get real

experience, to build up your profile and to explore what you really want.

Even if you did not get the best at the start of your career, you at least get

something out of it and that is better than an empty page in your life.

Remember- job picks you and you pick job. Look not only at the material

reward but also the job satisfaction so that at the end you can say that you

have no regrets.


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survival kit for fresh grads!

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