HONG KONG HEADHUNTER: “90% OF CANDIDATES DON’T EVEN INTEREST ME”

As a Hong Kong recruiter I can’t help every banker who comes my way – that’s obvious. But in the wake of bonuses being paid out this year, the proportion of front-office candidates I’m securing interviews for is smaller than ever.

I’m now only interested in hearing from you if you’re an elite performer – and that means you’re better than 90% of other bankers out there. I deal with the top-10% of job seekers because, frankly, these are the only people banks are interested in. In the recently past, the ‘elite’ figure was 20% or more.

For top bankers in Hong Kong the job market is booming, but for everyone else it’s getting worse. I’m not placing people into jobs if they’re currently out of work, for example. And I’m not even placing people who are only good enough to secure an interview at one bank.

What makes you an elite in the current job market in Hong Kong? In general terms, you’ll be a Mandarin speaker who’s worked at two global investment banks, you’ll boast an M&A background and mainland clients, you’ll have a leading Hong Kong or Western university on your CV, and you’ll have topped the performance charts at your bank in recent years.

Moreover, you’ll probably also be at associate to VP level. Banks in Hong Kong face cost constraints from head office and there’s a growing feeling that expensive MDs don’t necessarily add that much more origination capability over their more junior counterparts.


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