Career Services: The Bridge Between Grads and the Asian Market

Tam and Xiao work as part of a team of 10 to manage career-related initiatives for students enrolled in the school’s MBA and MSc programs. The career & professional development office has two roles. It is responsible for corporate relations (focusing on recruitment plans), and organizing career fairs, networking events, company visits and overseas career treks. And it oversees training and coaching for students while helping them develop industry-specific knowledge along with soft skills.

At an early stage in the HKUST MBA, students participate in career navigation workshops. “This helps get them,” says Tam, “acquainted with different industries, find out the key players in the market, what job functions are available, the types of skills required. In addition to campus recruitment talks and thought leaders talks offered by the university, the career & professional development office offers events to enhance students’ knowledge of the Asian market.”

Trainers help students acquire vital soft skills including etiquette, personal brand building, social media and networking. Career training, Xiao states, helps make students aware of what is happening in their target industries, equipping them with the right skills and knowledge to ace the job interviews and excel in the job. Résumé and cover letter workshops, industry-specific workshops, career exploration sessions, case interview training, finance interview workshops and negotiation training (for requesting a raise!) all contribute to developing students’ suite of soft skills.

Western students seeking MBA jobs in Asia may face greater challenges, though there are certainly opportunities for those with the right profile. For them, overseas career treks to Singapore and Shanghai are especially helpful. Tam says these trips can help students “to understand the market landscape and the types of opportunities available in these two leading cities. These activities are complemented by further overseas study trips offered by the school to expand students’ horizons and education in major business hubs in Asia.”

For years, corporations and high-achieving individuals have seen opportunities in the Asian market. Although a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) have recently experienced declines in GDP growth, their year-on-year averages still generally exceed those of more mature European and North American markets. Potential enrollees need to understand, though, that navigating the region’s unique cultural norms is often challenging.

The QS TopMBA.com Jobs & Salary Trends Report has found huge growth in the region, with an 18% rise in new opportunities for MBAs in the region over 2014/15. GMAC’s 2015 Corporate Recruiters Survey Report confirms this, reporting that three out of four APAC companies planned to hire recent graduates in 2015.

Even more promising, APAC companies are far more likely to hire international graduate business students – with some 49% planning to do so versus 29% of companies globally. Over one quarter of the APAC companies surveyed also plan to increase MBA base salaries – which also puts them ahead of US employers.

That does not mean there aren’t obstacles, though. The HKUST MBA is a very international program, attracting students from two-dozen different countries. Out of a class of 120, over 90% are international. The different viewpoints and experiences are beneficial in terms of gaining international experience, but for those arriving from outside Asia, it can be daunting.

The language barrier can be an obstacle for students seeking MBA jobs in Asia. Xiao explains that, “For some roles such as sales, marketing and business development which require working closely with local clients, proficiency in Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) is preferred. So the language requirements can be a barrier for international students. At the same time, we also have Asian students who want to work outside Asia. So we make sure students are exposed to both global and local recruiters to increase their chances of getting a good job.”

“Managing students’ expectation is one challenge,” Tam points out. “With our very diverse and global student body, students may not fully understand the challenges here in Asia. For example, not all jobs start off with a ‘global’ MBA package, but one can progress quickly after a certain stage. Students must be realistic and be aware of the differences between Western and Asian employment markets. With the growth in Asia and especially in China, however, there has been a  huge increase of jobs. In recent years, we have recruited more candidates to cater to the needs of the market. We have also put more emphasis in exploring opportunities in language-friendly country like Singapore.”

With so much at stake in the rapidly evolving Asian market, students can’t afford to ignore their career & professional development office.

This article is sponsored by the HKUST Business School.