Serious Work Advice Needed

Hello!

Thanks for reading my thread.

I have some serious questions to ask in terms of finding work in HK, so I truly appreciate all comments.


Here is the situation:


I am going to be studying Advertising (or Marketing) at CUNY (City University of New York) in the US, a VERY good business school. I imagine I will be doing quite a bit of interning/work during my education, so that will lend to my 2 years part-time work experience that I already have.


After I get my degree, I want to find an Advertising/Marketing job in Hong Kong so that I can live there.


I now have a few questions for you.


1. Would taking an exchange class in HK or transferring to a HK college improve my chances of finding a good job? If so, how much better would my chances be? Would it be worth it?


2. Does there tend to be a good demand for Advertising/Marketing employees?


3. Is Marketing abundant in HK? I know that in order to get a working visa, the company must find that it cannot easily hire local talent for the position.


Thank you once again!

If you would like to add anything along with answering these questions, I'd appreciate it.


Sincerely,

Jon

1) I my opinion, exchange class would only be marginally helpful. It can help you familiarize with the city. However, since you will not be able to work as an exchange student, the benefit is limited.


2) HK is a commerical city, Ad/Marketing is a big sector. However, this is usually the sector most oversupplied with fresh job applicants. So you will need some sort of advantage to land a good job.


3) If you mean if job seekers in Marketing are abudant, the answer is YES. If you mean if open positions are abudant, it depends on the economy. 01-04 were terrible, 05 so-so, 06 07 were very good. 08 is still ok for now. HK is a city, not a country, labor market is very volatile.


Bottom line, as an expat in need of a visa, entry level is not a good starting point. I suggest you get 2-3 years of full time solid work experience in the US before coming over. Best case would be to get hired in US and assigned to work in HK/Asia.

Another tip is to pick up the local languange, Cantonese and possibly some Mandarin. This will defintely help you in the marketing sector.

Thank you both very much!

I really appreciate the advice and tips.

I agree with you, Oski, I believe getting a few years' experience here in the States may be the key thing to do.

In my research, I've found that experience is HUGE in this job sector. Jobs requiring little to no experience seem to be quite scarce in pay and amount of open positions.


Once again, thank you very much!


Sincerely,

Jon