The law of the jungle
Job fears hit degree holders
By Ada Sin
T o be graduated means to be unemployed — this has become a popular saying among final year students in tertiary institutions.
Unemployment in Hong Kong is putting increasing pressure on society, especially on fresh university graduates.
Mr. Dan Chan, a 1995 marketing graduate from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has been jobless for four months. He thinks that the declining economy reduces job opportunities offered to tertiary graduates.
According to Mr. Chan, career paths of graduates in coming years will be even more thorny. “With the huge expansion in the number of graduates, employers look for well-rounded applicants at the lowest cost,” he said.
Career placement services at many tertiary institutions believe the shift of emphasis from manufacturing industries to the tertiary sector — banking, financial services, sales, and so on — in Hong Kong should not affect university graduates, as most of them are hired in managerial positions. However, employment agencies suggest that job opportunities for university graduates in the tertiary sector are getting fewer.
Due to the drop in sales, companies are striving to cut costs in their production. Moreover, turnover rates in companies have remained unchanged or even decreased, since fewer opportunities are available outside now. These phenomena hinder the recruitment of new staff.
An increase in the number of people fighting for fewer job offers further worsens the problem.
Besides, overseas students have returned to Hong Kong to join in the hunt for jobs because of the economic recessions in their host countries. Competitors also include degree holders in Mainland China and Taiwan, who are diligent, willing to learn and can speak different languages.
With the expansion of tertiary education, competition among local university graduates is becoming more furious.
As a result, companies nowadays are more cautious in selecting applicants. More interviews, screening and aptitude tests are conducted before hiring a new employee.
Working experience and flexibility — the ability to handle multi-tasks and teamwork — are the main requirements. Firms may prefer a secondary school graduates with years of experiences to a fresh university graduate.
Students are suggested to take up part-time or summer jobs to gain more working experiences and develop interpersonal communications skills. Besides, they should avoid to have high salary expectations.
“Students should check their salary expectations against the market price. It is quite impossible to earn $10,000 a month for a fresh graduate,” said a spokesperson for Century Top Limited, one of the employment agencies.
Generally, career services of all tertiary institutions offer certain assistance to their students. They act as a bridge between employers and students. Employers are invited to offer vacancies and give pre-recruitment talks to graduate students in the institutions every year.
These functions have been getting more attention and participation from students in recent years. Graduate students approach career centres soon after the beginning of the semester.
There is even interdepartmental coordination and cooperation to help students in finding jobs. For example, at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, assistants in the Psychology Department are invited to deal with the emotional problems of students.
Career services also help to keep a balance in the salary levels between employers and graduates and launch programmes for Year 1 and 2 students.
Mrs. Millie Y.P. Leung, head of the placement centre at Baptist University, said, “Students should understand their own strengths, weaknesses and abilities.
“These can help to determine and clarify their job orientations. They are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities to develop skills in leadership, organization and problem solving.”
Students should also be highly motivated and confident of themselves.
Proficiency in languages such as Putonghua, English and Japanese, and computer knowledge, are advantageous.
A common piece of advice from past university graduates is this: Students should not be arrogant about their qualifications.
“Take every application very seriously. Write every letter with sincerity, and prepare every interview carefully,” said Miss Sandy Yu, a business graduate of Polytechnic University.
