Reliable Headhunter/Recruiter in Hong Kong/Asia 2020

It is not possible to advise you as is. Real headhunters and websites are specialised:
- by function (it, finance...)
- by industry (banking, retail...)
- by experience (do you have 5 or 20 years of experience?)

Get out of your home and meet with people. Social connections is how you find jobs in Hong Kong.

Most of the major head hunters and recruiters have an office in Hong Kong. If you haven't had any luck with them it's either that your qualifications and experience are not suited or else companies are not so actively employing as normal due to Covid. I know people who had job offers overseas prior to Covid but who were later told that they were no longer employing.

It also depends in what field you are in. As mentioned above, certain recruiters and headhunters specialize in different fields.

mars2012hk wrote:

It is not possible to advise you as is. Real headhunters and websites are specialised:
- by function (it, finance...)
- by industry (banking, retail...)
- by experience (do you have 5 or 20 years of experience?)

Get out of your home and meet with people. Social connections is how you find jobs in Hong Kong.

Hi mars2012hk,

Thank you for your response. I realized that headhunters and websites are specialized in each of the sectors as you mentioned.

I have 2 years of experience in the Hospitality Industry after I graduated. My other 5 years of experience were mainly in the restaurant industry while I was studying for my bachelor's degree.

This is true. I might have been lagging meeting with people in person. I need to improve with it and not relying on the websites only.

Thank you for your feedback! That helps me to understand more how it works.

Shill88 wrote:

Most of the major head hunters and recruiters have an office in Hong Kong. If you haven't had any luck with them it's either that your qualifications and experience are not suited or else companies are not so actively employing as normal due to Covid. I know people who had job offers overseas prior to Covid but who were later told that they were no longer employing.

It also depends in what field you are in. As mentioned above, certain recruiters and headhunters specialize in different fields.

Hi Shill88,

Thank you for responding to me as well.

You're right. Hays, Michael Page, Randstad, and Adecco have an office in Hong Kong. I was thinking to go straight to their office and handout my resume to explain to them my current situation. However, some of my local friends don't advise me just getting in their offices since they prefer having a conversation over the phone or email.

I believe you hit the nail. I studied Hospitality Management in the United States. Since my working experiences are 2 years and another 5 years in a restaurant while I was a student, I may have not much experience and qualifications with what the companies are looking for, and due to the Covid-19. This really sucks if your people had job offers overseas but then got denied.

My experience and degree belong to the Hospitality field. However, I lost interest in working for my long-term career especially in hotels and restaurants. If I still can't find a job for another period of time, I might reconsider taking the job opportunity working in those fields such as hotels and restaurants. Hospitality has so many opportunities to go in different fields in which might relate to my new passion and interest in the health & fitness, entrepreneur, and education fields. Either I stick to my degree and working experience, or I go for a new field and might need to get a new degree.

I apologize that my story and situation are confused.

We are in the middle of a job crisis, your chances finding a job different from your training and experience are close to zero except by socialising and by having a lot of luck. If I were you I would reconnect with your original job ASAP. It is (paradoxically!) much easier to find a job if you already have one, rather than if you are free.

I agree with the above comments of mars2012hk. If you have a job at the moment then hang on to it while you can.

The hospitality industry in Asia has been devastated by the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to the lack of foreign tourists so many hotels have been forced to lay off staff and for those that remain to take a huge pay cut in their salary. Some five star hotel chains are forcing their general managers to take a 75% pay cut while the situation continues to be bad, Similarly, many restaurants have closed down or their business is much less than in the past. So in my opinion this is not a good time to be looking for a job in the hospitality industry.

I would say that health and fitness might be a problem at the moment but education (online) is something where a smart entrepreneur might be able to do something. Hong Kong is actually a great place for entrepreneurs to create a business, I did it back in 1989, but seriously, at this time I would stay where I am and be thankful to have a job.

mars2012hk wrote:

We are in the middle of a job crisis, your chances finding a job different from your training and experience are close to zero except by socialising and by having a lot of luck. If I were you I would reconnect with your original job ASAP. It is (paradoxically!) much easier to find a job if you already have one, rather than if you are free.

Mars2012,
Thank you for your tip and for getting into my shoes. Definitely, I'll start socializing more if there are any events or just group meeting out there. I'm going to find a way out to get back on track and reconnect with my original job. Since my original job is in hospitality there might always be an open position to fill up the gap.

If Hong Kong doesn't work and I am limit, I don't mind applying for job in other Asian countries.

Shill88 wrote:

I agree with the above comments of mars2012hk. If you have a job at the moment then hang on to it while you can.

The hospitality industry in Asia has been devastated by the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to the lack of foreign tourists so many hotels have been forced to lay off staff and for those that remain to take a huge pay cut in their salary. Some five star hotel chains are forcing their general managers to take a 75% pay cut while the situation continues to be bad, Similarly, many restaurants have closed down or their business is much less than in the past. So in my opinion this is not a good time to be looking for a job in the hospitality industry.

I would say that health and fitness might be a problem at the moment but education (online) is something where a smart entrepreneur might be able to do something. Hong Kong is actually a great place for entrepreneurs to create a business, I did it back in 1989, but seriously, at this time I would stay where I am and be thankful to have a job.

Indeed. Also, the airline industry has pretty much the same issue as for hotel chains. They are literally linked together. As we all probably have heard the breaking news that Cathay Pacific cut around 8,500 jobs post globally, I was like... hospitality is definitely dead for right now. Literally, I was searching for jobs in the Airline industry and there are no job openings to see relating to my experience and degree. There were days that I got frustrated, So I even applied for quite a few jobs in housekeeping and cleaning service. Guess what, I was overqualified for those jobs positions. I even downgrade myself and willing to apply for those jobs in which I don't mind. However, I don't want to give up and have learned to stay positive . I know I can do it, and there is always a way to find a job.


75% pay cut is really a lot.

This is very interesting. What I see is that most people are more aware of becoming more healthy and see an increase in outdoor and indoor exercise activities.

Agreed. Education online is very demanding and especially in languages. Currently, I'm a freelance language tutor and I will stick with it. Plus, I like it so far. You're right. I have heard a lot that Hong Kong is a great place to create businesses etc. Congrats to you and thank you for sharing! It will motivate me more to get there as you did back in 1989.

This firm helps me find it job in Hong Kong Silicon Valley Associates Recruitment (svarecruitment.com).

They have been helping tech and IT professionals find jobs in Hong Kong.

They also help companies find the best and most competent IT professionals to join their corporate sphere

Hi Ying2021,

Thank you for the useful information. Although I'm not in the tech and IT field, they might have other connections to my professional field and interest .

Thank you!

Chekki wrote:

Hi Ying2021,

Thank you for the useful information. Although I'm not in the tech and IT field, they might have other connections to my professional field and interest .

Thank you!

If you are a jobseeker, you can visit their job page (https://www.svarecruitment.com/jobs.aspx) and if company looking for a candidate visit their candidate page (https://www.svarecruitment.com/current-candidates.aspx)