Looking for a job in Hong Kong

Finding work

Looking for a job in Hong Kong

Finding a job in Hong Kong has become increasingly difficult for foreigners due to stricter immigration laws. If you are looking for a senior position, you should probably start your search from abroad.

Senior positions are often filled by headhunters and recruitment agencies which operate worldwide. Michael Page and Robert Walters have salary surveys available online, as does www.investhk.gov.hk  . In combination with real job ads, you should be able to check the going market rate for positions in different industries in Hong Kong. Mid-market recruitment specialists recruit from junior executive level and up.

Newspapers, magazines and websites

The South China Morning Post  is the main English-language source of job advertisements. Its Saturday edition includes a section with all job ads placed during the previous week, organised by industry. Other advertisements appear in the Standard, the Far Eastern Economic Review, the Asian Wall Street Journal and HK Magazine. You can also find job advertisements for specific areas in trade magazines, such as: Hong Kong Lawyer, FinanceAsia, Asia Money, Computer World HK, Capital Asia and HK Industrialist.

The South China Morning Post’s website www.classifiedpost.com.hk  has probably the most comprehensive English language job listing in Hong Kong. Other websites that allow you to search for jobs and post your CV include www.jobmarket.com.hk  ,www.jobsdb.com.hk  and www.monster.com.hk  .

Other sources for expat jobs

Career Times online (www.careertimes.com.hk  ) has a wide range of articles about the job market in Hong Kong. It also includes advice about how to prepare CVs, the best ways to network and organise job hunting. The government’s Interactive Employment Service (www.jobs.gov.hk  ) offers job search and free vacancy posting for employers.

The application procedure

After reviewing your application the employer will conduct a phone interview with you if you are considered as a suitable candidate. If you succeed, the employer will invite you for a personal interview.

Often a recruitment test is required before you get invited to a personal interview. The interview process, and the interviews themselves, are quite long compared to European standards.

If you get the job you will have to apply for a work visa. For more information on that please visit Visas for Hong Kong.

Further reading

Does this article help?

Do you have any comments, updates or questions on this topic? Ask them here: