If returning home in the current climate wasn't daunting enough, returnee students will now have to navigate their way through unchartered territory as they begin searching for graduate job opportunities in Hong Kong. GradConnection hosted a webinar for Returnee Students on Wednesday the 12th August, with the aim of supporting these returnee students as they begin searching for jobs back home in Asia in 2020.
Watch the recording here.
On the panel:
- Gemma Hudson, APAC Graduate Program Lead Customer Success Group - Salesforce
- Andrea Loke, Global Recruiting - Citadel
- Annika Kataria, APAC Graduate Recruitment Manager - FDM
- Sahar Malekzandi, Head of Asia Pacific Entry Level Recruitment - Bloomberg
- Rosemary Zhou, Manager, Projects (Campus Relations) - Jardine Matheson
Summary of key insights:
Companies are still investing in early talent
The panel reassured returnee students that most companies are still hiring graduates and university students despite Covid-19. We recommend students keep abreast of what is happening in the job market, stay open minded to different opportunities available, and take time to develop skills that employers are looking for.
2. Make good use of online material when doing job search
A lot of companies have gone digital with all their events and resources so there are plenty of free materials, workshops and webinars readily available online. The panel advised returnee students to be proactive, stay across the digital channels, and to stay in touch with your university career centres as much as possible for opportunities.
3. Virtual internships are growing in popularity
It is no longer a viable option for most companies to offer a traditional in-person internship, instead virtual internships offer students valuable work experience and employability skills which you can draw from when applying and interviewing for graduate roles. If you are undertaking a virtual internship, make sure you still communicate and engage with the company and other interns throughout the internship, rather than just accomplishing various work tasks and assignments!
Some companies are also adopting a hybrid internship model, so students should do research to understand the different internship programs on offer and make a well-informed decision.
4. Tips and recommendations on job search and interviews
Our panel also shared a number of tips and recommendations for returnee students preparing for their job search in 2020:
- Stay optimistic and look out for new trends and opportunities.
- Graduate programs aren't the only channel for you to start your career, so stay open minded to opportunities as they come along!
- Research what is going on in the market and industry you want to work in as the situation and expectation can vary. Some critical industries (ie. engineering) still require face to face to a certain extent while some (ie. technology) can be completely virtual. Connect with potential employers to find out more about their particular situation.
- Don’t be daunted by the virtual assessment process as it is the new trend for everyone. Be proactive with asking questions and be transparent to the interviewers.
For more recommendations make sure to watch the full recording.
Thank you again to our expert panelists for sharing their insights. Students, don't forget to register on GradConnection for more webinars like this and to find graduate jobs and internship opportunities across Asia.