Need Advice on Employability

[Jonathan.R]

Good morning everyone!

I am having a difficult time evaluating my chances of gaining employment in Hong Kong, and I would greatly appreciate any help/insight from the business community on this.

I am an American student that is about to graduate with a Economics/Finance Bachelor's degree. I have 3.5 years (full and part-time) of Marketing and Data Analysis experience, and 2.5 years of regular retail experience.

Unfortunately, my Cantonese and Mandarin skills leave a lot to be desired. When looking at job listings online, many of them seem to ask for fluency in Cantonese as well as English.

What are my real chances of finding an entry-level finance or analyst job in HK?

I am also contemplating getting a Master's in Economics from HKU...would this greatly improve my employability?

Thank you for any and all advice.

Best,
Jonathan

[JWilliamson]

Not knowing Cantonese nor Mandarin does not mean you wont be able to find a job. Knowing them will open more doors for you. Most expats do not know either of the local language but do speak the international language of work. So if you have the skills and abilities that are needed to make money for the company then you will be hired.

[lorgnette]

Most expats at upper management or technical levels could live/work/stay without knowledge in local dialects and languages eg without Korean or Japanese language skills in Korea and Japan.

In HK although English is widely spoken, it is not universally spoken/written over the islands, so for many employees, essentially Cantonese or Mandarin knowledge is a necessity in HK (and highlighted in classifieds). Typically, unless the position is high level management dealing with other high level staff, probably a portion of section of interview will be conducted in M or C.

In some instances, you might find a rare global company vertically up without using M/C in HK

[lxinuk]

Originally Posted by Jonathan.R

Good morning everyone!

I am having a difficult time evaluating my chances of gaining employment in Hong Kong, and I would greatly appreciate any help/insight from the business community on this.

I am an American student that is about to graduate with a Economics/Finance Bachelor's degree. I have 3.5 years (full and part-time) of Marketing and Data Analysis experience, and 2.5 years of regular retail experience.

Unfortunately, my Cantonese and Mandarin skills leave a lot to be desired. When looking at job listings online, many of them seem to ask for fluency in Cantonese as well as English.

What are my real chances of finding an entry-level finance or analyst job in HK?

I am also contemplating getting a Master's in Economics from HKU...would this greatly improve my employability?

Thank you for any and all advice.

Best,
Jonathan

You won't know your employability until you apply and explore!

I lived in HK for 8 years with only manners, numbers and a few direction words. I have many friends in a similar situation. It depends on job, company, amount of contact with locals. I'm not boasting about how blinking English I am with my phobia of language, it is disgusting and as a nation we should be ashamed, however generally it is better to travel, broaden the mind, and be 'nice' than to let language hold you back. Go for it!

[Jonathan.R]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I really appreciate it!
I just might make a go of this. If I am determined, and have the credentials to be attractive to employers, it just may work out.

Thanks again!